I downloaded the Indie free license of Houdini FX and ran it and noticed that it was showing Houdini ‘Apprentice’ as the version in the Splash screen and also I noticed that I could not export anything from Houdini FX into .FBX format to say .3ds Max or Unity (which I own and use).
In order to get Houdini FX to export to .FBX file format would I have to upgrade to the ‘paid’ Indie option ?

Also at the moment I am at the development stage of video game production, if the revenue from that video game surpasses $100,000 and I used Houdini FX to create assets within that video game, would I then be required to upgrade Houdini FX to a ‘paid’ commercial license within the financial year in which the game reached that $100,000 milestone and also for the following years in which the video game was still commercially available in the market place ?

regards,

DF

can you remember where you saw the “Indie free license of Houdini FX” ?
Houdini has 5 license types:
Apprentice - Free
Indie - this is the license type that has the $100,000 commercial limit.
Educational
Core
FX
see this page for the comparison:
https://www.sidefx.com/products/compare/ [www.sidefx.com]

if you need more specific information for your case, just contact support and they'll get you the info you need.

goldfarb
can you remember where you saw the “Indie free license of Houdini FX” ?

Yes, on the web page below, I got a little confused, sorry, it was the Houdini Engine (Indie) that was ‘Free’ but the Houdini Indie is $269 USD for 1 year and $399 for 2 years rental…

https://www.sidefx.com/buy/#houdini1 [www.sidefx.com]


Also I sent the same question above to your ‘media@sidefx.com’ team and I am awaiting an answer regarding if in the same financial year for a Houdini Indie license, revenue for a video game that used Houdini surpasses the $100,000 mark then will a commercial license be mandatory (I think the answer will be ‘yes’) and also will the license (Indie or Commericial) have to be renewed if the video game which used Houdini as a tool is still out in the market (I think the answer will be ‘yes’ also).

regards,

DF

I was initially confused by the licensing model and a little bit disappointed when I got to the bottom of it. Probably should have paid more attention to the literature at the start.

Here's my take. Houdini is an amazing piece of software, pretty much cutting edge. The down side is the steep learning curve, but for those who want to create high quality digital works and are willing to invest the time it will likely do whatever you want. However, if your are asking which version to use, then you're probably starting out. For me, it was which software should I learn to make my own video game? So I looked at the usual suspects and happened across Houdini.

OK, so what version do I choose?

1. Houdini Apprentice is free, but has NO access to the Houdini engine. This means you can't really do anything with your digital creation except produce low res pics or videos (and pat yourself on the back). Otherwise, what is created in Houdini stays in Houdini. No exporting to another engine.

2. Houdini Indie is commercial, it's the lowest tier licence (few hundred dollars) but gives you access to the Houdini engine and renders up to 4K, so nice high res pics and videos. It also means you can export your digital creation if you want, but equally you may be happy to stay with the Houdini engine. The only thing to note is that, if you are going commercial, there is a $100k limit (it is indie after all) so if you become a commercial success you'll need to go over to a full license which is expensive.

Bottom line, if you choose Houdini Apprentice I don't think you'll be disappointed (until you try to make a pic or video), but will probably be pretty much committed to the software at that point because of the time invested learning it. So the answer to your question IMO is go with Houdini Apprentice to give it a try, but with the knowledge that you won't be able to actually produce anything useful - for that you will need a commercial licence. If that doesn't appeal to you then you may be better learning another product from the get go.