Software called Houdini, developed by the Toronto company SideFX, was used for the film The Shape of Water. This image is the original before it started work.

SideFX has announced the availability of the newest version of its 3D animations and visual effects software, Houdini 16. It brings improvements to character rigging, shading and more.

The only complaint people have is that new features are being released faster than they can learn the existing ones. "I wish to born again and learn houdini from the version v1," one person commented ...

Houdini, a 3D animation software application developed by SideFX, has been a game-changer in the realm of visual effects for film, television, and game ...

TORONTO – August 9, 2011- Side Effects Software Inc. today announced that DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA) has procured a global site license of Houdini software.

Now the 3D animation software has gone gold and is available for purchase. According to the company, Houdini was built from the ground up to look and feel like a Mac application.

Meanwhile, an Associated Press story on Yahoo News reports the death at age 103 of Dorothy Young, who until her demise had been Houdini’s last surviving stage assistant.

Houdini isn't the household name that Max and LightWave are, but it's a staple of high-end 3D in film and video games. Ars reports on the release of Houdini 11 from SIGGRAPH 2010. Read the whole story ...