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New Task Operator Network (TOPs)
See the introduction in the how to use TOPs chapter
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Built with new Procedural Dependency Graph (PDG) technology.
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Automate and scale pipeline tasks, including FX pipelines.
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Describe and visualize dependencies to maximize compute efficiency.
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Distribute Tasks intelligently using Local, HQueue, Deadline, or Tractor schedulers.
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Convenient shelf tools for typical wedging operations.
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Nested wedging supports create many variants of data, such as models, simulations and more.
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Process Houdini Digital Assets (HDAs)
in parallel.
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Create large scale procedural environments by chaining a system with HDAs.
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Bring unparalleled scale to Houdini Engine through the API extension for PDG.
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Automate applications such as Houdini and Maya using command chains.
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Higher level support for Mantra, Geo and Alembic ROPs, other ROPs also supported through ROP Fetch node.
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Script, manage and schedule work items using Python.
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Rich set of built-in nodes to enhance pipeline functionality:
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Data import and export using CSV, SQL, JSON and XML nodes.
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Interface with Shotgun to bring in and manage assets.
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Create Image Mosaics using ImageMagick.
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Assemble frames into movies using ffmpeg.
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Asset management system nodes such as Perforce.
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Communicate pipeline events to team using the
Send Email TOP.
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Standalone Pilot PDG app for working exclusively with TOP graphs.
Fluids
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Distributable whitewater and narrow band simulations.
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Highly accurate collision handling in FLIP pressure projection.
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New
Condensation shelf tool on the Particle Fluids shelf.
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Real-time GPU accelerated pyro/volume shader with self shadowing in the viewport.
Vellum
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Per-point cloth friction attribute.
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New
Tetrahedral Softbody tool on the Vellum shelf.
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Multi-dimensional tetrahedral fiber constraints.
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Stress
visualization of all softbody types.
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Stiffness drop-off control.
RBD / Destruction
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Viewport-centric workflow for creating and editing constraints.
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New
RBD Constraints From Lines,
RBD Constraints From Curves, and
RBD Constraints From Rules SOPs.
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Massive speed gains and memory boost for rigid bodies with instanced geometry.
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Time Scale parameter in
Bullet solver.
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RBD Material Fracture 2.0: better edge detail handling for concrete destruction.
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Open-surface support in
Boolean Fracture SOP.
Viewport
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Real-time GPU accelerated volume shader with self shadowing.
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New pane type lets you inspect custom python states.
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High-quality lighting improvements, including 3× framerate for area lights.
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Python states work at the object level.
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Better heuristics for near and far clipping planes.
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Shader parity with Mantra’s Principled shader and other software packages.
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Better compositing of viewport passes for color correction with OCIO and LUTs.
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New C-Plane Normal option in the Persp ▸ Home menu to home along construction plane normal.
Modeling / Geometry
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Ability to display and inspect the geometry of all outputs of a SOP.
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Fully redesigned
Fuse SOP with new snapping and fusion capabilities.
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Powerful shape analysis and visualization via
Measure SOP 2.0.
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Many feature and performance enhancements to
Blend Shapes SOP.
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Faster
Exploded View SOP with the ability to control the direction of expansion.
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Scatter SOP can now read density texture directly from COPs.
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Bound SOP computation of axis-aligned or freely-oriented bounding rectangle.
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Squash and stretch handle for non-uniform scaling.
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Interactive selection by pattern or surface normal.
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More compiled SOPs, such as File, Volume, and Cloud Light.
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Rotations in increments of 90 degrees are now more precise.
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Construction planes in the orthographic viewport.
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Voronoi Fracture Points now uses Scatter 2.0, which may change the output slightly.
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New Post Space Deform SOPs now default to Gaussian interpolation instead of Biharmonic.
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Group Paint SOP now supports
to add points and
to delete points, and an Apply to all (flood fill) button.
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glTF import can promote point attributes to vertex attributes.
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Attribute String Edit is now compilable.
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The Facet SOP now has a Group type parameter, letting you specify a point group.
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In the View tool, ⌃ Ctrl + Alt +
now pans the camera screen window.
Terrain
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Free-form alpha cutouts with optional cropping.
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70% less memory required for erosion.
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Enhancements to landscape I/O.
GameDev
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Blended linear and dual quaternion skinning for FBX I/O.
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AliceVision photogrammetry support.
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Dedicated hard surface shader for game developers.
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MikkT support in
PolyFrame SOP.
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GLTF importer enhancements.
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UV attribute transfer SOP.
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Path deformer.
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Building generator.
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Spiral generator.
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Enhanced texture baker.
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Many other improvements to existing toolset.
Rendering
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4× faster photon map acceleration structure.
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Simplified shader binding of texture coordinates
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Light path expressions store unshadowed lighting contributions.
Installation
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New Launcher to install, update and manage Houdini installations (in BETA).