Are you working with Houdini software and looking for ways to speed up rendering times? One effective solution to consider is using a Houdini render farm. This article will explore some of the top Houdini render farms and provide you with insights to help you choose the right one for your projects.
What is Houdini?
Houdini by SideFX is a powerful 3D software used for creating CG animations, films, games, and TV content. It’s recognized as a leading 3D software, known for its robust toolset that excels in various areas, including modeling, rigging, animation, particle effects, dynamics, compositing, and integrated rendering.
Houdini utilizes a node-based procedural approach, offering digital artists unparalleled levels of power, flexibility, and control. Many 3D artists and studios worldwide now see Houdini as the future of the 3D industry.
Houdini offers compatibility with many renderers, utilizing both CPU and GPU rendering capabilities. Some popular render engines leveraging GPU rendering with Houdini include Redshift and Octane. If you prefer CPU rendering, you can use Mantra, Arnold, and V-Ray with Houdini.
Despite Houdini’s popularity, specialized render farm support is somewhat limited due to project-specific factors, plugins, and the extensibility of projects within Houdini. However, there are still excellent Houdini render farms available. Let’s explore some of them!
1. 3S Cloud Render Farm
3S Cloud Render Farm, a flexible SaaS-based rendering solution, provides users with versatile file upload options. Upload files directly through a web browser, utilize the efficient 3S Uploader tool, or integrate content with popular external storage platforms such as Google Drive and Dropbox. Notably, 3S Cloud fully supports all Houdini versions, catering to a wide range of project needs. This service differentiates itself by offering both GPU and CPU rendering categories, each backed by extensive rendering engines to address diverse user requirements.
2. Fox Render Farm
Fox Render Farm is a well-known option in the rendering space. Established in China in 2009, Fox is a popular choice for 3D artists and studios globally. It’s often used for rendering complex projects.
Fox Render Farm operates on the SaaS model, allowing rendering to be done on their website. As a SaaS render farm, Fox specifically supports certain Houdini versions with rendering engines. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support plugins with Houdini, making it a potential limitation if your projects use scripts or plugins.
3. IRender
iRender offers users the ability to set up their desired working environment and install any application on their servers, including Houdini 19.5. This flexibility extends to various rendering engines; you’ll need to provide your licenses.
Configuration: iRender provides multiple GPU packages, ranging from the RTX 3090 to the RTX 4090, each with 24 VRAM. Their servers also feature an AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3955WX CPU, 256 GB RAM, and a 2TB NVMe SSD. In addition, they support NVLink for the RTX 3090.
Pricing: Prices start at $4.5 per hour per node, potentially going up to $28 per hour.
Summary
These are some of the top Houdini render farms you should consider for your projects. Each render farm comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Your task is to choose the one that best fits your specific needs. If your project is large-scale or requires custom plugins or scripts, consider a render farm that offers greater flexibility.
