Powerful professional 3D software now available for Intel-based Macs

Jun 17, 2008 09:00 GMT  ·  By

Side Effects Software Inc has decided Macs should be introduced to its professional 3D software, Houdini. The 9.5 beta for OS X (but also for Windows and Linux) "brings the 3D industry's first node-based workflow to the Mac ensuring that 3D artists can collaborate seamlessly in a multi-platform environment," according to the developers.

TUAW points out that the modeling and rendering platform known as Houdini has been used for quite a few hefty projects, including Spiderman 3 and Resident Evil: Extinction. The software comes in four editions, two of which are downloadable (Apprentice and Apprentice HD). Only one is free to download - Houdini Apprentice, somewhat of a trial version of Houdini that introduces Mac users to the basics of the program. Yes, this is the version that includes watermarks.

The three other editions of Houdini are the aforementioned Apprentice HD, which costs $99 to buy (watermark-free), Houdini Escape - aimed at modeling, animation, characters, lighting, rendering and compositing and with a price tag of $1,995, and Houdini Master. The latter sports all of Escape's features plus particles and integrated dynamics, such as rigid bodies, wire, cloth and fluids. The price for this full package comes to a whopping $7,995. Of course, if it's your business to create great looking characters that move and feel like the real thing on-screen, the investment is probably worth every penny.

"Houdini combines superior performance and ease-of-use functionality to deliver a powerful and accessible 3D animation experience to CG professionals everywhere," Side Effects says. The powerful graphics tool was built from the ground up with a particular focus on performance, hence its 64-bit Intel Mac requirement. Houdini works only under OS X Leopard, looks and feels like a native Mac app, using a standard Mac menu bar, a window menu on Houdini's Dock icon, drag-and-drop support and QuickTime support.

Here's where you can get Side Effects' Houdini Apprentice (9.5.134 Public Beta).