I am currently using C4D but am looking for something else. I am a hobbyist and will not be doing anything commercial, what I am mostly interested in is modeling cars, spaceships and space scenes, industrial scenes.

so as the title goes, which Houdini is right for me? what is the difference between Houdini Apprentice and Indie? If I read it correctly on SideFX site, Apprentice is free where Indie is $199 a year. My Maxon MSA is $400, so the $199 is not an issue.

what is Houdini Engine if I don't export for games?
what is Mantra Tokens?

thanks,
bob

if you're a hobbyist and simply want to see if Houdini is right for you then Apprentice is your best bet - as you said it's free…and almost completely unrestricted…ALL tools are available.

if you want to get past some of the restrictions of Apprentice - commercial use (under $100,000) watermarked renders, use of third party rendering then Indie is the way to go.

Engine is (basically) a plugin that will allow you to build Houdini Digital Assets (tools) in Houdini (Indie or Full) and then use those tools in Maya, C4D, Unreal, Unity and 3DSmax. Engine is NOT an exporter - it's using Houdini INSIDE another application.

I'd recommend getting a copy of Apprentice and play around with it - try to redo something that you've already made in C4D, get a feel for the tools etc…then if you feel that Houdini is Awesome!…look a bit deeper and see if you can use tools made in Houdini (HDAs) inside C4D…if so then get yourself an Indie license.
note that there is a forum dedicated to C4D users.
mantra tokens are rending licenses.

thank you very much for the reply, it does help clear up my question. I've downloaded Houdini and will play around with it. I like it is an all inclusive package.

EDIT: I did have one other question. can I use Houdini on dual monitors? In C4D I can undock any window and move it, I have my view port on the second monitor.

peace,
bob

Yes you can, houdinis UI is pretty flexible.

If you're wanting to get into modeling in Houdini, Rohan Dalvi just completed a great tutorial for procedural modeling that looks amazing. It does cost something, but worth it as the Houdini rabbit hole is very ‘deep.’

https://vimeo.com/167533844 [vimeo.com]

I too came from a C4D background and am really enjoying the Houdini procedural approach. Working in Houdini is like never having to use the “Make Editable” button in C4D. You can change your mind and make changes in the pipeline.

Hope this helps,

Jim

Thank you for the link Jim.