Houdini 20's New Muscle, Tissue & Skin Solvers Demonstrated in Action

In case you missed the news, last week, SideFX launched Houdini 20, a massive update to its flagship procedural 3D software. The release introduced hundreds of enhancements and new workflows, including features like Karma XPU, Feathers, Clouds, Material Catalog, Render Stats, Quad Remesh, new Rigging and Animation tools, and more.

Additionally, the release has expanded the creature FX capabilities of the software, enhancing the existing tools and introducing a new Muscles & Skin system. The novel tool allows users to import modeled polygonal geometry, generate a multilayered simulation replicating realistic muscle movements and skin effects based on that geometry, and then export the simulation to high-resolution geometry for seamless integration into their shots.

Anupam Awasthi, a skilled 3D Animator and Creature FX Technical Director, whom you might remember for his anatomically-accurate animations made with Unity's Ziva VFX, wasted no time in exploring the new tools provided by Houdini, showcasing an impressive new sequence made as the result of his experiments.

By making the most of the new Muscle, Tissue, and Skin Vellum Solver, Anupam has crafted a running man animation, featuring authentic simulations for cloth, bone, muscle, and tissue. According to the author, the recently integrated system is exceptionally robust and includes numerous new properties and options that are worth exploring.

And here's the creator's previous experiment with the same tools in Houdini 19.5:

We highly encourage you to visit the artist's LinkedIn and ArtStation pages and the YouTube channel to check out more of his incredible works.

And if you want to learn more about the previously mentioned physically-correct animations, we recommend checking out our recent interview with Anupam, who shared some tips on how to make creature models in Ziva VFX and explained the process behind muscles and skin simulations for beginners.

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