Basics Create variations with takes

Takes are hierarchically overlayed sets of parameter changes. You can create a take and within that take change some parameters, then create a parallel take with different changes. Both takes will inherit the values in their parent takes.

Takes let you explore and save variations easily and safely. You can use takes anywhere you might otherwise save alternate versions of a file, as well as for more esoteric purposes.

The main work in setting up takes is deciding which parameters are included in each take. Only the parameters included in the take will override the values of parameters in previous takes. You can manually add parameters to a take, or set up Houdini to automatically add any parameter you change to the current take (see below).

Quick take list controls

You can use the controls in the top right corner of the main interface to quickly switch between and create takes.

To...	Do this
Create a new take	Open the take list pop-up menu and choose New Take.
Choose the current take	Open the take list pop-up menu and choose a take.

Take list pane

The full Take list pane/window lets you rename, rearrange, and delete takes as well as create and select them.

Click the Add Tab button in a pane and choose Take list to add a new tab with a take list, or choose Windows > Take Manager to create a take list in a floating window.

Tip

Parameters not included in the current take appear disabled in the parameter editor (unless you turn on Auto-take mode, see below). Network tile buttons for parameters not included in the current take are disabled and are drawn with a hatched pattern.

To...	Do this
Create a new take	In the take list pane: click Add Take.
Create a new take as a child of an existing take	Press on a take and choose Append Take.
Insert a new take between an existing parent and its children	Press on a take and choose Insert Take.
Choose the current take	Click the take in the take list, or choose it from the Take pop-up menu in the main menu bar.
Rename a take	Double-click the take and type the new name.
Merge takes	Drag and drop the first take onto the target take you want to merge it with. Choose how the merge will handle cases where the same parameter is in both takes.
Move a take under a new parent	Drag and drop the take onto its new parent, then click Move take here.
Remove a take from the hierarchy	Press on the take and choose Delete Take. The children of the deleted take will become children of the deleted take’s parent.
Delete a take and all its children	Press on the take and choose Delete Take (and children).

Add parameters and flags to a take

To...	Do this
Add a parameter to a take	Right click the parameter and choose Include in Take.
See which parameters are included in a take	In the take list pane, click the take on the left side to see its contents on the right side. (If the take list is not divided into left and right sub-panes, click the Show contents checkbox in the toolbar.)
Add all of a node’s parameters to a take	Drag the node’s tile from the network pane onto the take in the take list.
Remove a parameter from a take	Press on the parameter name (in a parameter editor or the right side of the take pane) and choose Exclude from Take.
Add the state of a node flag to the current take	Right click the node and choose Take Toggle `flag name`.

Automatically add parameters to the current take

Unlike the normal mode, where you must explicitly add a parameter to the current take before you can change it, Auto-take mode lets you edit all parameters, and automatically adds the parameters you change to the current take.

This obviously can be more convenient in certain situations, however you should try to avoid using Auto-take mode too much. It makes it easy for you to unintentionally include parameters and override parent takes, which in turn can make diagnosing problems difficult when takes don’t behave the way you expect.

To...	Do this
Turn on automatic adding of parameters to takes	Turn on the Auto Takes checkbox at the top right corner of the main interface.
Assign a hotkey to the auto-take checkbox	Ctrl-Alt-Shift-clicking the checkbox.