The plugin is now linked to Houdini 21.0.440 / HAPI 8.0.0
Source code and binaries are included for:
UE5.6, UE5.5 on Windows.
UE5.5 and 5.4 on Mac OS (Apple silicon / x64).
Please note that the source code available in the 5.0 branch is compatible with UE 5.0 - 5.6.
There are now two versions of the plugins available: 5.X and 5.X-PCG.
As the name implies, the PCG version has direct integration and support for Unreal's PCG.
Since PCG itself is still considered experimental by Epic - and due to plugin dependencies - we still offer the option to use Houdini Engine without requiring PCG to be enabled.
If your project is using PCG and you wish to use Houdini Engine 's PCG integration - please use the 5.X-PCG versions of the plugin.
Also, please remember that the plugin's binaries AND source code are always available with the launcher/installer for a given version of Houdini. If you install or want to use a daily build of Houdini, please use the version of the plugin binaries/source code included with it.
NEW MAJOR FEATURES:
- PCG support:
Allows using HDAs inside of a PCG Graph (not at runtime).
Similar to the public API, it supports using HDAs inputs, outputs, parameters etc.. directly inside a PCG Graph.
More info on PCG support can be found in the plugin's documentation
PCG is only supported in UE5.5 and up - and you need to use the dedicated 5.X-PCG versions of the plugin.
-
COPernicus support:
Added support for COPernicus textures and the COP Preview Material SOP.
Textures can now be fetched from COP nodes, and Unreal Textures can be sent to Houdini as COP nodes when using NodeSync. -
Houdini Asset Editor:
This is similar to Unreal’s Mesh Editor.
When double clicking on an HDA in the content browser, an editor opens, allowing you to set parameters, inputs, cook/bake HDAs
directly without the need to instantiate them in the world.
More info on the Houdini Asset Editor can be found in the plugin's documentation.
- Houdini Cookable:
This is a major internal refactor of the core systems plugin, that allows using Houdini nodes without requiring a Component and Actor.
All the logic and data needed to use Houdini nodes in Unreal has been moved from the Houdini Asset Component to a new Houdini Cookable Object.
This means HDA no longer need to be placed in the world to be cooked.
The plugin is fully backward compatible - old components will be converted to Cookable upon loading them with the new plugin.
But please note that some of the properties on the HoudiniAssetComponent have been renamed - some details unreal_property_XXX attributes that changed properties on the HoudiniAssetComponent itself will need to be updated.
Custom code changes made to the plugin that used the HAC directly will also likely need to be updated - please pay attention to the deprecation warnings.
More info on the Houdini Asset Editor can be found in the plugin's documentation.
CHANGES:
- Added a new “Bake to Asset” mode - that directly bakes to Content Browser assets.
- World input now have an auto update toggle, a button for manual update, and an updated UI.
- A new “Export Main Geometry” checkbox has been added to input's export options.
By disabling it, this allows exporting only colliders on a given input. - Geometry Collection UI update and bug fixes.