Houdini is worth the effort to learn
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
I use Houdini for educational videos that I produce for case competitions associated with Boston University's Questrom School of Business. In addition to straight video, I also include a lot of animation.
Pros
- It has very good graphics, especially around water and fluids
- Once you go through the learning curve, it's actually quite intuitive
Cons
- There is a very long learning curve
- Nothing is going to be quick and dirty with this type of software
- Some of the additional add-ons will be costly
Return on Investment
- People realize that you're serious about animation
- The quality is absolutely amazing
Usability
Other Software Used
DaVinci Resolve, Autodesk Maya, Cinema 4D