Side Effects Software today announced the release of Houdini 9. The new version is available for download at sidefx.com and includes a new artist-friendly user interface, python support, fluid dynamics, rendering enhancements and new character tools.

“The reaction to Houdini 9 has been overwhelming and many of our customers have already started to work with it in production,” said Kim Davidson, President and CEO of Side Effects. “The Fluid Dynamics has been particularly popular and we look forward to seeing how our customers use this new feature in their upcoming projects.”

Houdini 9 is available for as low as $1,995 USD for Houdini Escape which brings Houdini’s powerful node-based workflow to modelers, lighters, animators and character riggers and $7,995 USD for Houdini Master which brings Houdini’s renowned particle and dynamic tools to visual effects artists and technical directors. Both of these products are available in the Houdini store which can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

“The UI in Houdini 9 is slick and feels very familiar.” says James LeBlock, 3D VFX Artist at the Method Studios in California. “Everything is immediately accessible which lets me get under the hood to work on production challenges myself without always turning to an in-house programmer for help.”

"The UI in Houdini 9 is slick and feels very familiar." says James LeBloch, 3D VFX Artist at Method Studios in California. "Everything is immediately accessible which lets me get under the hood to solve complex production challenges myself without turning to a programmer for additional support."

The new low prices along with the move to an industry standard UI, has made Houdini 9 an appealing solution for many CG artists including those working in boutique FX houses. Now Houdini’s high-end visual effects tools can be used by these studios to raise the bar and win shots traditionally given to larger shops.

"Any boutique that is not using Houdini is missing out." says Andy Boyd, 3D VFX Artist at Method Studios. "We are using H9's Fluid dynamics for a commercial that would have required specialized stand-alone software, now it's all in one package. Houdini’s ability to manipulate huge amounts of data so effortlessly makes it perfect for those impossible shots."

The interest in Houdini 9 has created a number of options for CG artists to develop their Houdini skills. Focal Press has published the first Houdini 9 book written by Craig Zerouni called “Houdini on the Spot.” There are Houdini 9 tutorial videos coming from cmiVFX [www.cmifvx.com] and 3D Buzz [www.3dbuzz.com] is developing an online class focused on Houdini 9 Technical Director skills. Side Effects is also holding regular training classes and free tutorial videos are available online at sidefx.com.

“Not only has Side Effects created an absolutely fantastic product in Houdini, but they’ve opened the door to learning the application in a way that is truly unique in the 3D community through the Apprentice program,” says Jason Busby of 3D Buzz.

The Houdini Apprentice program gives students access to Houdini 9 through a free learning edition that contains all of Houdini Master’s features with only a few minor limitations such as a small wordmark, a maximum render size of 720×576 and a non-commercial file format.