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The Houdini Engine is officially supported on Windows and MacOS. You can unoficially install Houdini Engine using Linux and Source.
You can find older versions for Windows, MacOS, and Apple Silicon on the Houdini Engine for Unreal Github repository.
Installing Houdini Engine ¶
Windows
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Install the launcher if not already installed.
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Open the launcher.
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Click Houdini ▸ Install. If you are not already logged in the web browser will pop open asking you to login to your SideFX account. The launcher will move to the front once the login process has completed.
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In the
Choose a Version to Installselect either Production Build or Daily Build depending on your desired build version. If you need to select a specific version then selectChoose Another Versionand install the version desired. -
In the Preferences pop-up window, turn on Unreal Plug-in and click install.
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Locate the Houdini Engine directory. The default location is \Side Effects Software\Houdini Engine\Unreal\X.Y.Z.
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X.Y.Z means your Houdini Version.
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Copy the Houdini Engine folder to the Plugins folder of your Unreal directory. You can either copy it to Unreal’s engine version directory or your Unreal project directory.
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Unreal’s directory location is \Epic Games\UE5.0\Engine\Plugins\Runtime\HoudiniEngine and the project directory is \Unreal Projects\MyGameProject\Plugins\HoudiniEngine.
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Note
For Unreal Engine 5, you must use Unreal’s project directory.
Mac
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Download the
HoudiniEngine-v.X.Y.Z-UEx-MacOS.zipfrom the Houdini Engine for Unreal Github repository. -
Copy the Houdini Engine folder to the Plugins folder of your Unreal directory. You can either copy it to Unreal’s engine version directory or your Unreal project directory.
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Unreal’s directory location is /Users/Shared/Epic Games/UEX.Y/Engine/Plugins/Runtime/HoudiniEngine and the project directory is /Documents/Unreal Project/MyProject/Plugins/HoudiniEngine
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Note
For Unreal Engine 5, you must use Unreal’s project directory.
Linux
Houdini Engine is not officially supported on Linux. However, you can follow the Install plug-in from source instructions and use the source code.
Install plug-in from source ¶
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Follow the instructions for downloading Unreal Engine source code
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Make sure to complete all the steps so you have Unreal project files.
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Download the
Source Code.zipfrom the Houdini Engine for Unreal Github repository. -
Create a folder named Houdini Engine in Unreal’s directory or project directory.
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Unreal’s directory location is \Epic Games\UE5.0\Engine\Plugins\Runtime\HoudiniEngine and the project directory is \Unreal Projects\MyGameProject\Plugins\HoudiniEngine.
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Extract the
Source Code.zipcontent into the Houdini Engine folder.
Note
For Unreal Engine 5, you must use Unreal’s project directory.
Verify plug-in in Unreal ¶
Once you install the Houdini Engine, verify the plug-in is loaded properly.
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Open a new or existing Unreal project.
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In the main menu, you can see Houdini Engine as a new item.
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In the Houdini Engine menu, click Start Session.
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A Houdini Engine session connected confirmation appears on the bottom right.
Troubleshooting ¶
If you get a failed to start session or errors of Houdini Engine not connecting, your Houdini version may be incorrect.
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In the Unreal Engine main menu, click Edit then Plugins.
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For Houdini Engine, check if the X.Y.Z version number matches your Houdini version.
To change the connected Houdini version:
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In the main menu, select Houdini Engine then PluginSettings.
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In Houdini Location, select the checkbox next to Use Custom Houdini location.
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In Custom Houdini location, click the three dots and select the path to your Houdini version’s bin folder. The default location is \Side Effects Software\Houdini X.Y.Z\bin.
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In Houdini Executable, select your Houdini License type.
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Restart Unreal Engine.