migrating to Houdini and loving it!

[Rork]

@ NNois:

H15 is definitely a big step upwards regarding shading and rendering ease, but it still is a 3D app that requires much, much more clicks to get stuff done.
I haven't used Mantra much yet, but Arnold works pretty well in Houdini.

But despite all the power that Houdini obviously has, it's all about workflow and ease of use in our busy daily work.
That's an area where Softimage will keep on shining in it's remaining years, and all other 3D apps hopefully take a note or two when updating their features.

rob

p.s. Happy Holidays!!

[SamHowell]

I haven't used Softimage at all for 6 months now. I miss it almost every day but I genuinely enjoy working in Houdini now that I'm past the painful first stage. The last release was a good indication that it's heading in a more artist friendly direction.

If you are a regular ICE user then what other realistic option do you have? Fabric Engine is well on it's way but it does not yet have the large suite of production proven tools ready to go like Houdini. It's not perfect but then what software is?

[Bullit]

What are the usual projects time people that use Houdini have? Are there enough assets already in place for most things?

[NNois]

Well, i assume basically the same time than Softimage projects. How can this be different ??

[Mathaeus]

For those who like a bit longer reading, here is one of really, really rare Maya to Houdini comparisons, offering a lot of facts, instead of somehow typical 'love it because I hate something else'. Of course from, perhaps only consistently existent point of view, of big facility, without even considering the one man bands. Also without signs of noticing the improvements in latest Mayas, as far I can see.
My favorite sentence is "you find yourself diving in and out of networks like a dolphin on crystal meth". , also, "can feel particularly alienating when you venture into the tricky stuff".

[Butachan]

For those who like a bit longer reading, here is one of really, really rare Maya to Houdini comparisons, offering a lot of facts, instead of somehow typical 'love it because I hate something else'. Of course from, perhaps only consistently existent point of view, of big facility, without even considering the one man bands. Also without signs of noticing improvements in latest Mayas, as far I can see.
My favorite sentence is "you find yourself diving in and out of networks like a dolphin on crystal meth". , also, "can feel particularly alienating when you venture into the tricky stuff".

Wow very detailed analysis! Definitely a worthy read...

[Hirazi Blue]

For those who like a bit longer reading, here is one of really, really rare Maya to Houdini comparisons (...)

A good read indeed, thanks for posting... ;)

[Bullit]

Well, i assume basically the same time than Softimage projects. How can this be different ??

Well i can get to break an object, a fireworks or a grass sprinkler to be simulated in one day, a render the next day. This will not be the finished project but should something to show the client for them to see if the stuff is going like they want.

[NNois]

Well, i assume basically the same time than Softimage projects. How can this be different ??

Well i can get to break an object, a fireworks or a grass sprinkler to be simulated in one day, a render the next day. This will not be the finished project but should something to show the client for them to see if the stuff is going like they want.

ok ! so you are exactly in the sames shoes than me !

So in short, don't get it wrong, you don't spend more times than in xsi do to small jobs.

That's not this but more the step learning curve.

To give you an idea for my case i'm on in from 4/5 month now in "forced" production learning mode... I done it by the invert, starting with simple 3d work (modeling/surfacing/animation/procedural animation) and now i can do exactly what i was doing in soft and i'm loving it !
Generally speaking spend less time than in xsi for normal works. For dirty work well you can go dirty... but yes you can go faster in XSI for that kind of jobs

Appart from that, i haven't touched the simulation side of things but that part, i'm fairly confident houdini is a great choice.

To be fair i was with xsi for barely 10 years and work in 3d for more than 20y so my learning curve is shorter than a beginner, i think.

Cheers

[NNois]

I miss one important thing:

Unlike other software you don't hang on unpredictable things or results, mastering things from the ground up is surely a big big plus