Installation Instructions

Houdini UX is distributed and loaded as a Houdini package.

1. Download Release.

• Visit Houdini UX on GitHub and download the .zip or .tar.gz file of the latest release.

  

• Unzip it to anywhere you want and rename the top folder back to houdini-ux.

(→ Or just clone the repo of course, if you are git-savvy and prefer that…)

2. Copy and adjust package file.

• Copy package_template/houdini_ux.json into the packages/ directory within your Houdini home folder:

    $HOUDINI_USER_PREF_DIR/packages
  

  (→ Or into any other folder where Houdini package files will get picked up.)

• Update the HUX_ROOT env variable defined inside this houdini_ux.json file so that it points to your houdini-ux location:

  

3. Verify that package gets loaded.

• Start Houdini.
• Verify that the package got picked up:

  • in a Python Shell inside Houdini:

    

    >>> import houdini_ux
    >>> print(houdini_ux)
    <module 'houdini_ux' from '/path/to/houdini-ux/python/houdini_ux.py'>
    

• Display the houdini-ux shelf:

  

4. Create Demo Hotkeys

• Open the Hotkey Manager in Houdini.
• Click on the Gears icon and click “Save As…“:
  
• Save a new keymap with exactly this name:

  houdini-ux-demo (minimal)
  

  

• Now switch back to the Houdini keymap and then save another keymap with exactly this name:

  houdini-ux-demo (with pickwalking)
  

---

NOTE: The houdini-ux package contains Keymap Overrides that will automatically get picked up by correctly named keymaps.

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• Now activate the houdini-ux-demo (minimal) demo keymap.
• Finally restart Houdini for good measure.
  (Sometimes existing shelves and keymaps get confused otherwise…)

5. Verify that the Keymap Overrides got picked up.

• Select anything in the Objects context and hit Alt+I (→ “Isolate Selection”).

→ This should happen:

That should be it! :)

You’re now ready to check out Houdini UX.