karma.
What Mantra became.
/world/hero · usd stage · 14.2 KB · 1 layer
SAMPLES 256
TIME 2.4s
BOUNCES 8
Same USD stage. Three render delegates. Switch live — geometry is shared, only the renderer changes.
A UsdRenderSettings prim names the delegate. Houdini, USDView, Omniverse, Stage Manager, Maya — anything Hydra-aware can pick up karma and produce the same image, on whichever silicon it has.
2018
Karma announced as Mantra's successor
2020
Ships with Houdini 18.5 · USD-first
2022
Karma XPU ships · CPU+GPU hybrid
2023
MaterialX, USD volume rendering mature
2024
Recommended default for new projects
Adjacent
Mantra — the predecessor. Houdini — the host.
USD — the scene format. Hydra — the delegate API.
MaterialX — the shader interchange. Solaris — Houdini's USD context.
one stage. many delegates.