Tom Cushwa

biborax
my H20 expectation list:
tutorials, tutorials,and tutorials and courses, and especially recent ones, to learn Houdini correctly.
Notably to learn how to use karma...
and maybe an evolution of modeling tools, so that people use houdini for modeling and not just VFX.

I have heard rumors that Sidefx is working on a new "QuadRemesher" of their own. Good!. Many Many things are happening in the modeling area in world of computer graphics. Adobe is coming out with a modeling package and there have been other new apps the are also based on Signed Distance Field tech such as womp3D. Houdini has such great voxel manipulating technology but it has not coalesced into a decent workflow. The KineFX workflow has so much possibility for areas other than just rigging and animation. It could be the basis for an amazing SDF sculpting workflow if there was the will to do it. Houdini feels as though it is being left behind in this area. Sculpting is becoming MORE important to contemporary workflows.. not less important. I hope that Houdini 20 sees progress in this area.

LukeP
Why just hard surface modelling?

Hard surface modelling is some of the most technically difficult modelling that requires these sorts of tools. You can do anything you want these tools. You can do base meshes that you then take into Zbrush. Or do organic modeling for foliage, etc. It's up to you.

LukeP
How does it compare to other top modellers out there?

Alexey seems to have a lot of modeling experience and has draw ideas from many different modeling packages. There are ideas from Maya, Zbrush, Modo, and others that I don't even know. Of course, it is built on top of Houdini so there are many Houdini tools in it. The pen tool alone IS worth the price of admission which is very reasonable. Every modeling application is different but if you want to do hard-surface direct modeling in Houdini then Modeler2023 is a no-brainer.
The interface for modeler has developed over the last couple of years and the latest Modeler 2023 is the best yet. I used Maya for many years for modeling and I would say that Modeler along with native Houdini tools does everything that Maya does and SO Much more.