Nicole Rager

Yes, thank you circusmonkey! I am still a novice in 3D, started learning 3D about a year ago so I am still working on improving my workflow and problem solving techniques. I really want to become a power user, so I will remember your advice for next time I encounter an issue! Thanks again

Zdimaria: Thanks, that's a great tip! I didn't even realize I could access MPlay from the toolbar, I'll definitely try that next time it acts up.

Thanks for the reply circusmonkey. I attached my hipnc file, though the fish templates and textures will break because they are being referenced from my $HIP directory, which is not included. All of the mesh and particles and whatnot are living in the “fish_underneath” geo, and everything else is named self-explanatory.

You are going to call me crazy because before I saved this out cleaned up, I did a “render frame range” and mantra suddenly decided to work! But still, feel free to look around and if you find anything that may be causing the random render hanging please let me know! I'm still a noob, just learned Houdini in January.

Thanks!

Build Version: 12.1.125 (I think? I am not sure how to find build version. It is a full-featured Apprentice HD license if that helps)

PC Specs:
CPU: intel i7 3770K 3.50 GHz
GPU: Nvidia Geforce GTX 660
RAM: 16GB
OS: Win7 64-bit Ultimate