Forums Houdini Engine for Unreal Cannot package project with Houdini plugin enabled (UE 4.21.2 Houdini 17.5.173)

Cannot package project with Houdini plugin enabled (UE 4.21.2 Houdini 17.5.173)

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jtsadlerjr
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1 posts
Joined: Dec. 2018
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Steps to reproduce:
1. Create a new project in 4.21.2 based on C++ Third person template.
2. Make sure Houdini plugin is enabled and try to package project for Windows(64-bit).
3. Receive the following error.

UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)): Running: C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_4.21\Engine\Binaries\DotNET\UnrealBuildTool.exe MyProject Win64 Development -Project=C:\Users\jtsad\OneDrive\Desktop\MyProject\MyProject.uproject  C:\Users\jtsad\OneDrive\Desktop\MyProject\MyProject.uproject -NoUBTMakefiles  -remoteini="C:\Users\jtsad\OneDrive\Desktop\MyProject"
 -skipdeploy -Manifest=C:\Users\jtsad\OneDrive\Desktop\MyProject\Intermediate\Build\Manifest.xml -NoHotReload -log="C:\Users\jtsad\AppData\Roaming\Unreal Engine\AutomationTool\Logs\C+Program+Files+Epic+Games+UE_4.21\UBT-MyProject-Win64-Development.txt"
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):   Using Visual Studio 2017 14.16.27023 toolchain (C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community\VC\Tools\MSVC\14.16.27023) and Windows 10.0.17134.0 SDK (C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10).
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):   Houdini Engine : Looking for Houdini Engine 17.5.173 in C:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini Engine 17.5.173
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):   Houdini Engine : Looking for Houdini 17.5.173 in C:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 17.5.173
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):   Houdini Engine: Found Houdini in C:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 17.5.173
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):   ERROR: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):             at UnrealBuildTool.UEBuildBinary.<>c.<SetupBinaryLinkEnvironment>b__37_1(FileItem Item) in D:\Build\++UE4\Sync\Engine\Saved\CsTools\Engine\Source\Programs\UnrealBuildTool\Configuration\UEBuildBinary.cs:line 752
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):             at System.Linq.Enumerable.WhereSelectListIterator`2.MoveNext()
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):             at System.Linq.Enumerable.Any[TSource](IEnumerable`1 source, Func`2 predicate)
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):             at UnrealBuildTool.UEBuildBinary.SetupBinaryLinkEnvironment(ReadOnlyTargetRules Target, UEToolChain ToolChain, LinkEnvironment LinkEnvironment, CppCompileEnvironment CompileEnvironment, List`1 SharedPCHs, ISourceFileWorkingSet WorkingSet, DirectoryReference ExeDir, ActionGraph ActionGraph) in D:\Build\++UE
4\Sync\Engine\Saved\CsTools\Engine\Source\Programs\UnrealBuildTool\Configuration\UEBuildBinary.cs:line 752
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):             at UnrealBuildTool.UEBuildBinary.Build(ReadOnlyTargetRules Target, UEToolChain ToolChain, CppCompileEnvironment CompileEnvironment, LinkEnvironment LinkEnvironment, List`1 SharedPCHs, ISourceFileWorkingSet WorkingSet, DirectoryReference ExeDir, ActionGraph ActionGraph) in D:\Build\++UE4\Sync\Engine\Saved\C
sTools\Engine\Source\Programs\UnrealBuildTool\Configuration\UEBuildBinary.cs:line 193
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):             at UnrealBuildTool.UEBuildTarget.Build(BuildConfiguration BuildConfiguration, CPPHeaders Headers, List`1 OutputItems, List`1 UObjectModules, ISourceFileWorkingSet WorkingSet, ActionGraph ActionGraph, EHotReload HotReload, Boolean bIsAssemblingBuild) in D:\Build\++UE4\Sync\Engine\Saved\CsTools\Engine\Source
\Programs\UnrealBuildTool\Configuration\UEBuildTarget.cs:line 2173
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):             at UnrealBuildTool.UnrealBuildTool.RunUBT(BuildConfiguration BuildConfiguration, String[] Arguments, FileReference ProjectFile, Boolean bCatchExceptions) in D:\Build\++UE4\Sync\Engine\Saved\CsTools\Engine\Source\Programs\UnrealBuildTool\UnrealBuildTool.cs:line 1503
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)):          (see C:\Users\jtsad\AppData\Roaming\Unreal Engine\AutomationTool\Logs\C+Program+Files+Epic+Games+UE_4.21\UBT-MyProject-Win64-Development.txt for full exception trace)
PackagingResults: Error: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)): Took 4.4392212s to run UnrealBuildTool.exe, ExitCode=5
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bobcober
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I would recommend disabling the plugin for packaging - it is not needed for runtime afaik
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dpernuit
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Joined: Sept. 2016
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Hi,

Thanks for reporting this, we're already aware of that issue actually and are working on fixing it.

So far, I can only offer a workaround for it:
You should be able to package the project if you move the Houdini Engine plugin from the unreal engine plugin directory to your project's plugin directory.

(from UE4/Engine/Plugins/Runtime/HoudiniEngine to PROJECT/Plugins/Runtime/HoudiniEngine)
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eitch
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36 posts
Joined: Oct. 2017
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Thank you dpernuit!
Finally unreal houdini engine for android!!!!
You made my day !
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eitch
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36 posts
Joined: Oct. 2017
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I was wondering if there is a workaround for substance materials or if there is some kind of workflow. The only way I got it to work is by using the Merge Actors tool in unreal to force bake the substances. Certainly not the best way, but hey, it works
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Tertium
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1.5 years have passed, the same here. But thanks for workaround!
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tuatec
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Joined: July 2021
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Not sure if this is a valid workaround but in my case the packaging worked afterwards.

What I did was change:
...
{
"Name" : "HoudiniEngineRuntime",
"Type" : "Runtime",
"LoadingPhase" : "Default"
},...
to
...
{
"Name" : "HoudiniEngineRuntime",
"Type" : "Editor",
"LoadingPhase" : "Default"
},...
in <path/to/install>\UnrealEngine\UE_4.26\Engine\Plugins\Runtime\HoudiniEngine\HoudiniEngine.uplugin
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jhtop96
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Joined: Sept. 2021
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I had the same problem. But I fixed the engine plugin's .uplugin file through your solution, but I get the same error. Do I have to download and use the engine source code from GitHub instead of the Epic library?
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spieluhr_x
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Joined: May 2006
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2022, same issue with the Houdini Engine when packaging projects for Windows(64-Bits) in UE 4.27.2

Disabling the plugin leads to another error so it wasn't an option.

The only thing that worked was removing the plugin completely (Delete the C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_4.27\Engine\Plugins\Runtime\HoudiniEngine)

Or the tuatec solution, which is the best solution so far.
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