This is a library contianing various quality of life tools aswell as some Houdini Engine specific tools & generators. The package is configured to work with HOUDINI_OPLIBRARIES_PATH & HOUDINI_OTLSCAN_PATH out of the box.
- Clone (or download & unzip) this repository into a permanent location.
- Master is the most stable branch
- Develop contains the newest features and fixes but may be instable.
- Run the installer.bat
- The installer will find all Houdini Versions in User Documents and place a pre configured HGToolkit.json file in the packages folders.
- To uninstall the toolkit just run the uninstaller.bat
- This will remove all remove all HGToolkit.json files from the package folders.
Feel free to contribute and follow the given guide how to create and name tools.
- Create a feature in git-flow based on the latest develop branch.
- Create your tool in the HGToolkit/ToolGroup/ folder. (See below.)
- Please minimize the use of external HDAs.
- Once you're finished: Open a pull request and the tool will be reviewed.
We do the review process to ensure quality, performance, usability of the tools and keep the library tidy.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| ToolIdentifier | Unique Identifier for the tool. Only letters and underscores are allowed. |
| ToolDisplayName | This will be shown to the user |
| ToolIcon | Use a appropiate icon to visualize the tools function. You can use the default houdini icons! |
| ToolVersion | This is the major version of the tool. |
| HoudiniLicense | This indicates the version the tool was created in. (FC = Full, LC = Limited & NC = NonCommerial) |
| ToolGroup | This indicates the tool use case. f.E: PGD, Geometry, Houdini Engine |
If a tool drastically changes in behavior, a new version must be created on file level.
{ToolVersion} would change from 1 -> 2 for the new release and so does all of the naming.
Example: hgt_TestTemplate_1_FC.hda --> hgt_TestTemplate_2_FC.hda
Please use the following groups. We can add more but this requires changes to the HGToolkit.template!
| Group | Description |
|---|---|
| Geometry | All tools that modify geometry |
| UVs | All tools that modify uvs |
| PDG | All tools that were created for use in PDG |
| Utilities | All tools that are more utility base. |
| Generators | All tools that generate something |
| ... | More can be added if needed... |
All tools follow the following naming pattern.
hgt_{ToolIdentifier}_{ToolVersion}_{HoudiniLicense}.hda
Example: hgt_TestTemplate_1_LC.hda
While creating the HDA you need to use this as a name:
- hgt_{ToolIdentifier}{ToolVersion}{HoudiniLicense}
In the "Basic" section the hda must feature the following:
- Label: {ToolDisplayName} ({ToolVersion} | {HoudiniLicense})
- Icon: {ToolIcon} -> Check "Embed Icon in Operator"
In the "Interactive -> Shelf Tools -> Option" section the hda must match the following.
- Name: $HDA_NAME
- Label: $HDA_LABEL
- Icon: $HDA_ICON
- Keywords: hgt houdini game toolkit {ToolIdentifier} {ToolVersion} {HoudiniLicense}
In the "Interactive -> Shelf Tools -> Context" section the hda must feature the following:
- TAB Submenu Path: "HGT/{ToolGroup}"
If you created the asset before you need to specify the name in the "Interactive -> Shelf Tools -> Option" as the following:
- hgt_{ToolIdentifier}{ToolVersion}{HoudiniLicense}
Please open a issue with the appropiated template. Thank you!
Kilian Braun (@kggx) - hello@3d-kb.com
Can I use this in a (commercial) production?
Yes you can. This is complete open source library. However you need pay attention to the Houdini License version (LC, NC). Additionally we do not take responsibility if you lose your work due to a crash.