![France-based VFX studio The Yard team was invited to attend the 2024 events organized by SideFX on the launch of Houdini 20.5.](http://theyard-vfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Design-sans-titre-2024-07-16T163248.659.png)
This June, SideFX hosted a series of inspiring events in Paris to unveil the Houdini 20.5 release. Here are some highlights from our team at The Yard, who attended the keynotes.
Last month, The Yard had the pleasure of meeting with the SideFX team in Paris for a series of events dedicated to the release of Houdini 20.5. Here are some highlights of the events, which featured insightful presentations and fruitful discussions about the new features of the software. These include new workflows and improvements such as the MPM solver for solid mechanics, Copernicus for image processing, Quick Surface Materials for access to MaterialX, and new rigging and animation tools.
Exclusive Presentation on June 18th
![Fabian Nowak, Head of FX and Harry Bardak, Head of VFX of France-based VFX studio The Yard, were invited to attend the exclusive presentation of the launch of Houdini 20.5 in Paris by SideFX](http://theyard-vfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Design-sans-titre-2024-07-16T163433.788.png)
![France-based VFX studio The Yard team was invited to attend the 2024 events organized by SideFX on the launch of Houdini 20.5.](http://theyard-vfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Design-sans-titre-2024-07-16T163402.870.png)
On June 18th, The Yard team was invited to attend the exclusive presentation of Houdini 20.5, planned for release in mid-July. This event, hosted by the SideFX team, offered a deep dive into the latest features and enhancements, covering updates to Dynamics, Character Tools, and Environments. Special focus was given to Solaris/Karma and Copernicus for compositing. The recording of this presentation is available below.
Houdini HIVE Paris Event on June 19th
![Houdini HIVE 2024 event in Paris gathered industry professionals including France VFX studio The Yard.](http://theyard-vfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Design-sans-titre-2024-07-16T173120.916.png)
![Hadrien Palanca, Sebastien Tafani and Head of FX Fabian Nowak of The Yard VFX attended the 2024 Houdini HIVE Paris event, hosted by SideFX.](http://theyard-vfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Design-sans-titre-2024-07-16T173039.112.png)
The following day, on June 19th, the annual Houdini HIVE Paris event gathered industry professionals who had the opportunity to explore the latest features in the upcoming Houdini 20.5. This event showcased new and enhanced tools designed to meet the most demanding production requirements. The rich program of presentations included use cases from the latest release and featured technical talks.
The presentations that stood out to our FX team were:
Don’t Run from COPs | Nikola Damjanov
![](http://theyard-vfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nikola_damjanov_banner.png)
Nikola Damjanov, an experienced generalist 3D artist, currently working as a lead game artist at Nordeus, presented a demonstration of the new procedural texture generation features in the latest version of Copernicus. He showcased how to utilize and fully exploit these capabilities to unlock a wealth of creative possibilities. This demonstration hinted at the potential for Copernicus, seamlessly integrating directly into Houdini.
Pillow Talk | Fianna Wong
![](http://theyard-vfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/fianna_pillow_banner.png)
Fianna Wong, Technical Marketing Lead at SideFX, explored several of the new modeling features in Houdini 20.5, including the new wrinkle deformer, planar inflate, sculpt brushes, and a variety of procedural textures in COPs. She demonstrated how to create a cushion or pillow with just a few clicks and transform it into a prefab asset for reuse in various contexts.
Every Node, Everywhere, all in LOPS | Rob Pieké
![](http://theyard-vfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/rob_pieke_banner.png)
Rob Pieké is a Senior Software developer at SideFX, working on Solaris for the last three years. He provided a comprehensive overview of the new features in Houdini 20.5, with a particular focus on the LOP context, Karma, the new viewport, Stage Manager, Component Builder, Light Instances, Karma Physical Sky, Karma Lens, Quick Surface Material, and more. His detailed presentation highlighted the powerful enhancements and tools that make Houdini 20.5 a significant upgrade for users.
Baking Recipes | Attila Torok
![Attila Torok presented a keynote at Houdini HIVE 2024, an event which France-based VFX studio The Yard attended.](http://theyard-vfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/attila_torok_banner.png)
Attila Torok, FX TD at SideFX, introduced the new concept of « Recipes. » His presentation detailed practical solutions to simplify and enhance workflows, showcasing how « Recipes » can streamline processes and boost productivity in Houdini 20.5.
Why Animators will Love Houdini! | Magnus Møller & Jesper Andkjæ
![Magnus Møller and Jesper Andkjær presented a keynote at Houdini HIVE 2024, an event which France-based VFX studio The Yard attended.](http://theyard-vfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/magnus_jesper_banner.png)
You don’t need to be an expert in Houdini to animate effectively!
Tumblehead’s Magnus Moller and Jesper Andkjae demonstrated how to go from a model to a fully rigged animation and then to the final animation in their short film « Turbulence, » using KineFX with Apex. Coming from an animation background in Maya, they shared insights on how easily they adapted to Houdini’s workflow and highlighted the many advantages of a procedural workflow.
Overall, the Houdini events in Paris provided a comprehensive overview of the powerful new features and improvements in Houdini 20.5. Our team at The Yard left the events inspired and excited to incorporate these advancements into our workflows. We look forward to seeing how these new tools will enhance our projects and push the boundaries of what we can achieve. You can watch all the recordings by clicking here.