Bubble Pins shows how you can use Blender 2.83 to import and render raw VDB volumes from Houdini.

The latest version of Blender added the ability to import raw VDB files. Why is this relevant for non-Blender users? Well, you can use Blender to render effects from other applications such as Houdini. Bubble Pins shows how you can use Blender’s Eevee as a fast way to render out Houdini simulations.

Export Volume VDB from Houdini into Blender.

Houdini is excellent for creating and generating complex physical simulations. The other component is rendering. While Mantra (Houdini’s default renderer) is fantastic, it’s not known for its speed comparatively speaking. “What would be the next best choice?” Bubble Pins asks. “Either spend another thousand bucks on a new rendering engine or give Blender a try!”

“Blender is a free open source software that delivers very high-quality performance. Blender can render very high-quality images and does so at extreme speeds with the new Eevee engine.”