Beginner here…

It's pretty easy in Houdini to rapidly multiply your geometry to unmanageable levels. Take a box, and add Polywire to it 3 times, for example. Works ok for the first 2, but the third really puts it over the edge. Spinning frisbee of wait-forever (mac).

Certainly, as far as *actual* use, if the requirement is “make an image with an incomprehensible complexity of tubework” there's perfectly tractable ways to do *that*.

But in the running Houdini application, once you've accidentally entered that parameter of death, Subdivide level 9 or whatever, and it goes into “Working. clak clak clak” mode, is there any way to interrupt?

The escape key works most of the time – provided you realize the error of your ways before houdini hits swap.

In windows at least, once you swap, you are dead. Linux is obviously more graceful. Never tried a mac.

G