Strange error on startup

   390   3   0
User Avatar
Member
4 posts
Joined: Oct. 2006
Offline
I'm getting this error every time I start up houdini: "Magic Bullet Looks did not initialize successfully."
but does houdini even use Magic Bullet Looks?

I tried uninstalling the Red Giant plugins I have installed but it doesnt seem to make a difference

Once I close the dialog box houdini loads up fine, but its a bit of a pain to do that every time!

Houdini 21.0.440 on windows11
Edited by lricho - Sept. 3, 2025 01:09:07

Attachments:
mbl_error.png (567.9 KB)

User Avatar
Member
2 posts
Joined: Sept. 2025
Offline
That error usually pops up because Houdini is detecting the Red Giant / Maxon plugin hooks on startup even if it doesn’t use Magic Bullet Looks itself. A couple things you can try:

Make sure you’ve fully removed the Red Giant plugins (check both the Program Files\Adobe\Common\Plug-ins and any Documents\houdiniXX.X plugin folders).

Clear your Houdini environment variables (houdini.env) if there’s any reference to Red Giant/Maxon.

Run Maxon App and make sure there are no lingering services trying to load Looks.

If nothing else, a clean uninstall of Maxon/Red Giant and then reinstall Houdini usually clears it.

It won’t hurt Houdini, but cleaning out the leftover plugin hooks should stop the dialog.
User Avatar
Member
4 posts
Joined: Oct. 2006
Offline
Thanks! Clearing out the maxon plugins then giving a reboot helped. Didn't have to reinstall houdini, thankfully.
User Avatar
Member
5 posts
Joined: Nov. 2012
Offline
Is there any cleaner way to do this, another user of the same machine needs those plugins for After Effects, so I can't just remove it.
  • Quick Links