Boning Li
LiBoNing
About Me
I build computational systems and tools that make them. Simulation, Generative systems, and Emergence.
Houdini Skills
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Recent Forum Posts
Does COP nodes not have a python api? Aug. 7, 2026, 11:17 a.m.
Yes, Copernicus has a Python API. You can read a COP’s cooked image as a hou.ImageLayer:
Use layerAtFrame(frame) for another frame. There’s also a Python Snippet COP for processing layers inside a COP network.
If your MCP server runs outside Houdini, the main issue is that the hou calls still need to execute inside the Houdini process/on its main thread.
import hou import numpy as np cop = hou.node("/obj/copnet1/file1") layer = cop.layer() w, h = layer.bufferResolution() channels = layer.channelCount() raw = layer.allBufferElements( hou.imageLayerStorageType.Float32, channels ) pixels = np.frombuffer(raw, np.float32).reshape(h, w, channels)
Use layerAtFrame(frame) for another frame. There’s also a Python Snippet COP for processing layers inside a COP network.
If your MCP server runs outside Houdini, the main issue is that the hou calls still need to execute inside the Houdini process/on its main thread.
LUTs in copernicus? April 22, 2026, 5:54 p.m.
Good point.Had the same need, so I built a small HDA that handles OCIO transforms plus 1D/3D LUT files.
Added it to my MotionCOPs toolkit, free to use:
https://github.com/Boning1011/motion-cops/blob/main/otls/cop_boning.mc_lut_apply.1.0.hdalc [github.com]
Added it to my MotionCOPs toolkit, free to use:
https://github.com/Boning1011/motion-cops/blob/main/otls/cop_boning.mc_lut_apply.1.0.hdalc [github.com]
How to add a user defined MaterialX compound in Solaris? Dec. 10, 2025, 1:06 p.m.
I found this in Sidefx's doc. There's a tool to convert the materialx file into a hda.
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/solaris/kug/materials.html#custom [www.sidefx.com]
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/solaris/kug/materials.html#custom [www.sidefx.com]
That .mtlx source file is then post-processed by two other tools:
$HHP/mtlx2karma.py - outputs the karmaNodeGraph.json file necessary for Karma to render these shaders correctly; this should be added to HOUDINI_PATH or user preferences directory
$HHP/mtlx2hda.py - produces the user-facing output HDA, should be added to any otls folder on HOUDINI_PATH or user preferences directory