I have a bunch of nodes which I want to duplicate, but I want to have them “linked” to the original nodes. So any changes made to the nodes will propogate accross all the copies of that node.
What is a good way to do this?

Selected Desired Nodes > Right Click on One of Them > Actions > Create Reference Copy

Thanks! perfect

Edit: Not quite perfect actually. When i reference copy a subnet, the contents of the subnet are not referenced, is there a way around that?

Sorry…don't think there is a simple way for that, other than writting out your own Python script.

If you have to instance the whole subnet it's better to make HDA out of that subnet.

I meet exactly the same problem. I think there should be a method to achieve this, like ‘local function’ in programming which only be used in a very small context.
However, I'm quite new in Houdini. I'm not sure if it's correct to use a programming brain thinking network in Houdini.

As pezetko said, HDA is the way to do this. HDA stands for Houdini Digital Asset.

You right click your subnet and select “Create Digital Asset”.

You instance your Digital Asset multiple times in your network.

Then if you need to edit it, you right click any of them and select “Allow editing of contents”, then edit it, and then right click again and “Save node type”.

All instances will then be updated. In all files that use this Digital Asset.

The invoke SOP is probably the most similar to the concept of a function in Houdini. You can define a compiled node network, and invoke it with different inputs elsewhere in the scene.

However, most of the time an HDA is the correct approach for what OP is after.

Thnak you, friends~~

I just realized that the HDA can be embedded into a hip file… they do fit the concept of ‘local function’!
(I tried ‘invoke’ node while some nodes aren't supoort compiling)

thanks~