Just a quick question to those who have experience with both platforms: is the Mac version of Houdini and Houdini Engine so far behind the Windows versions that Mac in effect is a second-class citizen?

The reason I'm asking is that I've laboured to get Houdini Engine for Unreal working under Mac since April to implement a large PDG network. Now, after six months, Support tells me that my HDAs work perfectly under Windows, but crash under Mac. They are investigating it, but I find it quite alarming that such a conspicuous bug should go unnoticed – unless very few people indeed are running Houdini/Houdini Engine under Mac.

SideFx also tells me that they devote considerably more resources to Windows development than they do to Mac development, which is natural given that most game development takes place on Windows. I'd rather not switch, but I will if I must as I don't want to lose more time.

Grateful for anything you might share of your experiences in this area.

Thanks.

This just in. Guess the answer is unequivocal. I will now have to deal with Windows, a platform I truly and deeply loathe. Still, Houdini is brilliant and the only tool up to the task. But the term "cross-platform" is not one it deserves.

If you were in the VFX world, the No.1 advice would be to go Linux. That's where the real brass band is marching.
Unfortunately Unreal for Linux, while existing, is very hit and miss and always behind. For your scenario Windows really sounds like the viable option.

As an AWS Solutions Architect, I spend most of my days with Linux, so yes - I'm a great fan of Linux and would use it in an instant if the rest of the toolchain was up to par. I'm not doing VFX or particle-based simulation, but I am doing generational vegetation generation involving many millions of trees and plants, so efficient handling of point clouds is essential.

Support now tells me that the problem actually has to do with Unreal's terrain handling on Mac. Well... I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and take a plunge into that cesspool they call Windows.