How to setup environment variables in Windows?

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HI,Everyone !
I sreached for it and got some results which are about in unix or mac.
I edited houdini.env file which is located in “My Documents\houdini9.5” for times,but it is not any change compare with before and after.So I really don't know how to setup a environment variables correctly,Anyone could tell me?

Thanks!
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# Open Control Panel
# Click the System icon and the window pops up
# Go to the Advanced pane
# Click the Environment Variables button
# There are two seperated windows showing two sets of environment
variables.

Select the “new” button for the upper window to create a new environment variable. Select the “Edit” button for the upper window to edit an existing environment variable.

Probably you need to create the “HOME” and “DISPLAY” variable, and edit the “PATH” variable.
Michael Fuchs -|- Owner Sparkling Design -|- Austria

Sparkling Design [sparkling-design.com]
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Here [garagegames.com] is how I did it in XP for my Dell system; where I allowed the default installation folder with whitespace which caused some issues with pathing.

Once I found out about the environmental variables, I tested and generated the above post and included some imagery for clarity.

I haven't had any issues with pathing yet….
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Thank-you for that post DrFrank. That is how you manage environment variables globally in Windows.

The houdini.env file should in theory also work in setting up environment variables.
There's at least one school like the old school!
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hey oldschool,

actually the houdini.env doesn't seem to work for me at all. e.g. just uncommenting the exampe NO_SPLASH doesn't have any effect

this is on windows

anything i'm missing?
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Hmmm. Works for me. I added:

HOUDINI_MAXTHREADS = 1

launch Houdini and only 1 thread is used for a fluid sim.
In the houdini textport typing:

echo $HOUDINI_MAXTHREADS
returns 1 (defaults to -1) so I know it is working in my case.

You need to put the houdini.env somewhere in the HOUDINI_PATH or in the local directory that you launch Houdini in.
If you double click on houdini files or launch from the Start menu, then this pretty much means your $HOME/houdini9.5 directory.
If you are working on a project with Houdini files that are double clicked on, you have the option of putting this file along side the hip files or inside a local houdini directory as $HOUDINI_PATH searches local and ./houdini directories.
There's at least one school like the old school!
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Thank u michael! I created a new environment variable named “houdini_setup”,and the value is “D:\Program Files\Side Effects Software\Houdini 9.5.170\”,Which is my Houdini installed.I'm not sure it's all correct.but it seems dones't work.
Cause I never setup any environment variables in windows system,So I dont know Where I can edit it ,How the system use it?…I know there're too many things I need to know ,but you just tell me How to setup a location of JOB($JOB). For example,I hope my JOB's location is E:\Houdini_Learning.that's all right!
Thank U again!
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this's the “environment variable”setting

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The houdini.env's settings

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In the houdini_setup file……

I think somewhere wrong :shock:

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I just wanna setup the HOME's place in windows system,I added the line
“ HOME = ”D“ ” into file “houdini.env”,which is located in C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\houdini9.5.
But it doesnt work ,Maybe somebody can tell me step by step .
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

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You can't set the HOME environment variable in the houdini.env file because HOME itself it used to find houdini.env in the first place.

You must do it like what Michael and DrFrankenRex said.

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Thank you Edward!It's true I cannt setup HOME's place after i tried.
But I'm not sure i can change the JOB's place to another place such as D.
I used way from 2 pics you showed to do it ,but it still in default place,What's wrong with my did,I dont known,
If it should be edited in file houdini.env???
Thank you again!
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After you change HOME to D in the Environment Variables dialog, then Houdini will create its configuration files in Dhoudini9.5. So if you want to change houdini.env for other variables, you should modify Dhoudini9.5/houdini.env.
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Thank you very much Edward
Let me try another time
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I am trying to modify the $EDITOR value in houdini.env file but having no success. This is on Windows XP.

Is

$EDITOR = “C:\blah\blah.exe”

not correct?

I see no changes after this is entered…

Thanks…
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try forward slashes instead, or double backslashes
$EDITOR = “Cblah/blah.exe”
$EDITOR = “C:\\blah\\blah.exe”
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Forward slashes are definitely the way to go. I found double backslashes don't work. Also, you don't want to use the $ in front of your variable name inside the houdinin.env file. For some reason it doesn't like double quotes “” either. I had to use singles '' to get it to work.

EDITOR = ‘CProgram Files (x86)/Vim/vim73/gvim.exe’
Graham Thompson, Technical Artist @ Rockstar Games
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Uhu. This works. Thank you.
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hay there is a while i try the export quicktime movie please help

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