Houdini 20 review: surprisingly impressive new animation features

Our pro CG artist rates Houdini 20; improvements to rendering and simulations were expected but new animation features surprise and impress.

Houdini 20 review; a render of feathers
(Image: © SideFX)

Our Verdict

Houdini 20 continues the package’s evolving feature set and offers amazing capabilities for artists. Improvements to the Karma renderer, extended functionality to simulation tools, and even better animation capabilities make Houdini 20 a force to be reckoned with.

For

  • Incredibly powerful feature set
  • Tools span whole animation and VFX workflow

Against

  • Steep learning curve
  • Expensive investment

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Houdini 20 details

Price Free (Apprentice), £215/$270 (Indie), £1,590/$1,995 (Core), £3,580/$4,495 (Houdini FX) 
OS Windows 8.1 and higher, macOS 11, Linux
Memory 12GB or higher recommended (8GB usable)
Processor Intel or AMD x64 CPU with SSE 4.2 required
GPU Nvidia RTX & GeForce GPUs: 535 Studio Driver or higher, AMD: 22.Q3 or higher, Intel 30.0.100.9955 or higher
Company SideFX 

Houdini 20 is the latest version of the popular CG package that has found a home amongst the VFX elite, and has seen it deliver an incredible level of work, primarily for film and TV. If you’ve seen Frozen, Rio or Fantasia 2000, you’ll know the high-quality effects that globally recognised studios have been able to achieve.

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The Verdict
8

out of 10

Houdini 20 review: surprisingly impressive new animation features

Houdini 20 continues the package’s evolving feature set and offers amazing capabilities for artists. Improvements to the Karma renderer, extended functionality to simulation tools, and even better animation capabilities make Houdini 20 a force to be reckoned with.

TOPICS
Paul Hatton
Writer

Paul is a digital expert. In the 20 years since he graduated with a first-class honours degree in Computer Science, Paul has been actively involved in a variety of different tech and creative industries that make him the go-to guy for reviews, opinion pieces, and featured articles. With a particular love of all things visual, including photography, videography, and 3D visualisation Paul is never far from a camera or other piece of tech that gets his creative juices going. You'll also find his writing in other places, including Creative Bloq, Digital Camera World, and 3D World Magazine. 

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