Karma XPU: A Houdini 20 Preview | Brian Sharpe | SIGGRAPH HIVE 2023

Learn about the latest improvements to Karma XPU – SideFX’s USD-based GPU/CPU renderer. New capabilities include subsurface scattering, demand-loaded sparse textures, nested dielectrics, uniform volumes, and more. Gain insights on Houdini’s USD-based Solaris framework and how Karma XPU integrates with it. Uncover the technical details of how the SideFX team leveraged NVIDIA technology to power the industry’s newest USD renderer. Brian Sharpe is a Senior Rendering Developer at SideFX where he is the primary developer of Karma XPU, SideFX’s new hybrid GPU/CPU renderer. Before joining SideFX, he worked at Weta Digital where he was the engineering lead on Weta’s proprietary physically-based GPU renderer, Gazebo. Brian has over 20 years of experience in the computer graphics industry and has also previously worked for Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sidhe, and Pandromeda.