I guess, this has been asked a lot I can't seem to find anything.

Is there a way I can use my files I did during learning with apprentice (then .hipnc ones) in Indie to do the rendering in HD?

I know that there might be reasons why you wouldn't want companies using several NC-Versions and just one renderer. But all that work … hm. Sad. And a little late to find out.

Thanks for any hints.

(Tried copy-pasting from one instance (Appr.) to the other (Indie), but didn't work.)

You can use this online utility to convert the files:

https://www.orbolt.com/upgrade-houdini-files [orbolt.com]

Why is there a time cap for this offer? There are several tutorials/workshops out there (CGWorkshop, cmivfx to name a few) that provide their example scenes in the .hipnc format, which then can't be opened with Houdini Indie.


Just asking :]

Instead of swiftly killing Maya, 3DS Max and Blender by offering monthly payments for Indie and a unique file format for all version of their license (like 100% of every software ever made), Side FX takes the risk of getting swallowed by them with their ridiculous, hurtful, painful and wasting everyones time with incompatible file format.

No wonder there is no economy based on Houdini. You can't sell what you create and no one can even share their stuff, even for free.

This alone scares me away from Houdini. Purposefully making everything convoluted, obscure and unknowable. This very question is asked everywhere on the internet wiht vague answers. Why would I try Apprentice if I will loose everything when going Indie? I am not taking that risk.

Autodesk don't even do that and they are the worst.

I will add just so that everyone understand.

Maya Indie and 3DS Max Indie have 1 single file format for their respective software no matter the license.

Indie license should be sold with a more expensive monthly paiments (just so you can jump in without thinking too much). Houdini needs way more users before Blender completely swallow them with their new node system and amazing cheap plugins. I would and I am still thinking about going Houdini, but the last 10 3D software that I have used have died or are in a dormant state.

I remember telling in person the people at Softimage (before XSI) that they need to give demo software to people so they can try softimage before buying it. Or to get new users getting familiar with the software. They did not do that, but Maya did 3-4 years before them with a fully functional version with watermark. That was not just a demo, but the full software for free to anyone. This is what killed Softimage, they just lost their momentum. And Maya got past them. When XSI came out, plenty of new kids were already experts at Maya.

Houdini Apprentice and Indie (they were the first to do it) was a brilliant idea. But everyone should remember that Autocad is the leading 3D software because it is the most pirated sofware. You need users at all cost, because this is what makes your software relevant.

Different file format for different license is a big sign that I should be running away. It is so complicated that no one can give a definitive answer about how to convert them back and forth? Is that even possible? You want us to send our files to a shady website to convert them? I don't want to get my work or my ideas stolen.

MarquisDeSang
Different file format for different license is a big sign that I should be running away. It is so complicated that no one can give a definitive answer about how to convert them back and forth? Is that even possible? You want us to send our files to a shady website to convert them? I don't want to get my work or my ideas stolen.

what's to stop companies from using indie or apprentice for the bulk of work, and then renting a full license for a week to convert the work at the end? It would be trivial to automate a process to send apprentice files to the render farm if the full license could open apprentice or indie files. You would only ever need one 'full' seat.

jsmack, true because people are always just about money. And they will always try to find a way to scam. So once you go Indie, you can never ever return to Apprentice (without loosing your own assets)? For someone like me who now just make 3D animation for fun and have no intention of ever doing it again for money (because I make more money working as a programmer now), I feel that something in the middle of Apprentice and Indie would be perfect but does not exist yet.

Maya and 3DS are not doing that, they only have 1 true file format that can be shared for free or sold. There are probably people abusing this situation. But everyone gain by having more stuff to download, less work to do, more poeple attracted to that software.

There are scary story on the internet where a Indie license did not load correctly and the project opened as Apprentice and that has downgraded the project file to Apprentice. Scary stuff if true. Also, SideFX can cancel the Indie version at any time and we woul be stuck or force to pay full version, if only to export our scene.

Learning Houdini and using is not making any money out of it is doing a big favor, more talk, more tutorials, more exchanges, more users, more workers -> more sales. But as of now, the platform is too unstable for now to jump on Houdini. If SideFX cancel the Indie program, we loose everything. That is a huge risk I am not willing to take.

Going Houdini Indie is a leap of faith, investing in a software that can go Softimage XSI on you (at least the Indie version) is something to think about before investing so much time learning a sofware and creating your project with it.

In the end it is not just about money, but trust. The possibility that SideFX would pull the rug under the Indie users in favor of the full version is not impossible.

Houdini is a huge investment in time and it may not be available in 10-20 years, the license server could be eventually disconnected. SideFX has not, like all 3D software company mention what they will do when (because it will happen one day) they close the lights. Will they unlock the software for their old users? Who knows.

We need to think about these things, gone are the time you could learn a 3D software in 1 week. I still think Houdini is the best 3D software, the one that requires less external plugins, the most well though workflow. But while Houdini has only improvements to show every years, the free software in the mirror is getting 40+ new major features and improvements.

Going for Blender is the safest bet (objectively) because it is the only sofware that will always be available. No annoying license is a big deal. Lightwave 3D just died last year. Lightwave may not work in windows 11, but it still work on current computers. Not having to connect to a server is nice. Even a dongle is a problem, beucause dongles stopped working on mac M1 (EIAS 3D people are stuck with a dead sofware on mac M1). I wish honesty would be enough.

I am still thinking about my move, my beloved Strata CX is dead, Realsoft 3D is dead, EIAS 10 won't be a reality on Windows for a while.

If only SideFX could swear that they will always make Indie available or a similar offer...