What follows is a shameless plug for my Houdini plugin the 5x5 Voxel Renderer. I'm going to be at Siggraph all next week so if you'd like a demo, and if I haven't arranged to meet you yet, please get in touch with me (Peter) on enquiry@myrtlesoftware.com.

Trying to produce spectacular volumetric effects? You should be using the 5x5 Voxel Renderer!
Myrtle Software's 5x5 Voxel Renderer is the world's first commercial voxel renderer capable of producing all the intermediate images required for production quality volumetric effects like smoke, clouds, fire and splashing water. It is uniquely designed to give you a higher level of control, allowing you to preview effects as they are constructed - at any resolution. This means you can flip-book the look and motion of your effect in a realistic time before you render. Its resolution independent method of describing volumetric effects provided a unique artist-friendly work flow allowing you to build seriously complex effects!

5x5 Features and Benefits

• Completely scalable! Volumetric stamping feature allows you to use existing volumetrics as elements
  
• Simple deep shadow map generation for all volumetrics created - even stamped effects
  
• Simple object matte generation - no need to re-render the volumetric every time an object's path through it changes
  
• Comprehensive visual feedback includes view-port volumetric previews and front-to-back OpenGL preview renders
  
• Unique resolution independent method of describing volumetric effects allows you to combine effects in complex new ways
  
• Multi-pass renderer - produces a collection of key images, masks and mattes enabling lighting to be controlled in a composite after rendering
  
• Simple to integrate into any existing pipelineVisit http://www.myrtlesoftware.com/index.php/fivebyfive [myrtlesoftware.com] for more details.

“What follows is a shameless plug…(…)”. No need to shame! Great piece of software. Good to have such support for Houdini it self - although you should be acquired by SESI immediately

cheers,
SYmek.

one humble suggestion ..

Wouldn't that be a good idea if you can make your voxel renderer to work with Houdini Apprentice version ?

you have my vote for that too…

I'm not sure but this would be possible only via SESI efforts, because Apperenice can not load custom ROPs.. right? So even with some evel. version of voxel renderer it still won't work with Houdini. Only SESI can let it go inside… but for us this would be great news! and for 5x5 also, I suppose.

Well, technically speaking, it might not need to go through a ROP, as 5x5 can build it in SOP and call out to their own voxel renderer. Now, what kind of restriction SESI has put in place to prevent that from happening, I don't know… But I would assume that SOP approach would mean more unnecessary work and impractical for 5x5… and not to mention doesn't quite follow the standard Houdini convention too. :0