Houdini & Combustion?

[artwrx]

I currently use Combustion for compositing. It is the only software that I have ever used. I am starting a small effect shop for indie films and my partners are looking at using Houdini for modelling an animation. We want to be as seamless as possible as far as creating models and compositing to film. I know that Houdini has basic compositing capabilities but can anyone fill me in on its abilities as far as 3d tracking, color correction, keying, keyframing, etc. any sugguestions as to what compositing software works best with Houdini as far as file import/export and integration would be helpful.

[fridge]

I'm not an houdini expert, but if houdini can generate Rich Pixel file formats which can save depth buffer and all that kinda stuff, than I suppose you can use it.
Just check which formats Comustion and Houdini use.

[starseeker]

I would suggest Combustion and 3D MAX 4. Combustion has the ability to import objects, layers and wireframes from MAX and work with them independantly then reload them back etc. The same can be done with MAX. You can create an image with Combustion and then load it as map or surface in MAX. It is an open link both ways and it can be very handy many times. Besides they both work over a network, which means you can pull out a part of your project from one machine and drop it into another and still be able to use it, and have the - more or less - same render queue machines. You will have less compatibility troubles this way and much more cooperation.

[psychorabbit]

Suggestion 1: Try and attend NAB in vegas this month.
Suggestion 2: Determine what render you want to use.

Houdini is not for the feint of heart, very powerful, but can be difficult to learn if you are not someone who likes to think in the procedural, script, programming world.

If you are allready familiar with Combustion, I would evaluate the MAX-Mental Ray-Combustion-Edit to even Flint-Flame-Inferno. Discreet seems to be developing a nice production pipline for the smaller boutique shops.

Houdini is just one step, you need to think about the entire production pipeline.

A free license network renderer might make all the difference in the world.

[jtk77]

Houdini seems to be an app that is written for the computer and YOU need to learn how to itnerface to IT.. Other apps are you and then the computer must learn how to interface with it.. if thats makes any sense.. Houdini blows my mind out.. if you ahve NAY programming background or tend to be able to think liek that , go for it.
Combustion is a horrible program:) In a few versions it might be cool. But its doesn;t relly do anythign that AE can;t do ( a little less) and it doesn't do , really , what "Highend" apps do.. so why does it exsist? I don;t know , it seems to fall intoa middle road that isn;t need much like what Fusion falls into and that is scrapped.
Sorry but if thats the only compositing app you have used .. try using another and seeing what I mean. I sue it, and I jsut look at it sideways the whole time sorry for the bash but thats how I feel.

.............

[msanime]

If you have combustion already, the likely candidate for your 3D stuff is MAX 4. As mentioned in the earlier post, these two packages are tightly integrated. Max has a very hot 3D tracker. Besides the obvious, Max 4 has come a long way with it's IK system, not to mention the new skinning / enveloping. You can also choose to use other renderers (for an extra cost) such as Pixar's Renderman, Mental Images' Mental Ray, BMRT as well as the new powerful renderer Brazil Rendering System by Splutter Fish.

MAX's price point ($3500) is very attractive for a start up shop and it is an easy all around type of program, especially if you have to do a lot of different stuff.

Take a close look at Houdini, if the $18K price tag is in your budget, and you have a good handle on their methodology, buy it.
hope this helps,
Good Luck

b

[toxic-xsr]

hmm Houdini already has a pretty good compositing tool within in it, I think it is akin to Chalice or Shake. Combustion is great, really great colour correction and tracking but it is more tighyly integrated with Max, Shake is a great compositing solution for Film but with the 10,000 price tag its a little steep for a small house. Chalice is pretty good to, i think they have a new solution coming or is out called Rayz, and you got after effects. Really what ever solution you choose should work fien with Houdini i mean if you output to TIF or TGA or Cineon or whatever, you can easily import that to any comp package. And if you render to layers you should have no problem. The comp package you choose should be the one with features you want to use, (Ie Combustion has great Colour correction, Shake is fast with motion blurs....) Basically any comp program will work indirectly with any 3d animation package.

My Diagnoses.

Doc