Basics

Subtopics

Getting started

	User interface overview	Introduces Houdini’s new user interface, with a tour of the main window and links to various user interface topics.
	View the scene	How to tumble (orbit), track, dolly (zoom), and customize the scene view.
	Select objects and components	How to select objects, geometry, particles, and dynamics for use with other tools.
	Tools
	Tab menu	Lets you quickly add a node in the network editor or choose a tool in the viewer from a pop-up menu or by typing.
	Panes
	The value ladder	The value ladder lets you interactively change numeric values with mouse movements.
	Objects	Explains how objects, geometry containers, and surface nodes work in Houdini.
	Parenting objects	Parenting makes a child object’s transformations (moves, rotations, and scales) relative to those of a parent object.
	Architecture	Describes the way Houdini is built.

Next steps

	Elements of the scene	An overview of the different parts of the scene: objects, geometry, components, attributes, etc.
	Brush tools	Houdini includes various tools that let you select, assign color, comb, and sculpt geometry and attributes by “brushing” across surfaces with the mouse or a tablet stylus.
	Handles	Houdini displays controls on objects and components in the viewer called handles, which you can manipulate to set parameters.
	Configure Houdini	How to configure Houdini to match your project and workflow.
	General FAQ	Frequently asked questions about the user interface and general topics.
	Quick reference	A quick, basic introduction to using Houdini.

Guru-level

	Attribute Visualization	How to view custom attributes in the scene view.
	Create variations with takes
	Bundles	Bundles allow you to refer to a group of objects as a single unit. This is useful in situations such as lighting where you can link a bundle of lights all at once.
	Cooking	In Houdini, recomputing the look and contents of the scene when the underlying network changes is called cooking the scene.
	Speed up your scene

Platforms

	Color correcting the view	Describes the color correction toolbar.
	Jump to nodes affecting an object
	Storing and recalling data	Describes the memory toolbar.
	Advanced Viewport Shading