COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS
Commercial licenses are for Studios and Artists doing paid work. There are a number of different ways to license these products to suit your specific needs. Learn how each license works and how to set up the relevant license servers.
Houdini License Servers
In order for Houdini to run, you need to set up a license server. By default a license server is created when you install Houdini but there are different locations where servers can be setup based on your license type. Here are the server locations that you may want to use depending on your need.
SideFX Login
If you leave your licenses on the SideFX servers then you can log in to access them. This lets you access your licenses from multiple computers but only one person and only one computer at a time. This method requires a stable internet connection to work effectively.
Local Server
You can install your licenses onto a local server that is node-locked to your computer. This will allow you to work even if your computer is offline. This is the best server to use if you are working on one computer for all of your work.
Network Server
A studio can set up a license server in a location that is accessible by many artists within a 100KM radius. As each artist grabs a floating license there are fewer licenses available for others.
A studio can also set up a server in a location that is shared by artists anywhere in the world. This makes it possible to use these floating licenses around the clock.
Where to Install your Licenses:
You can use the different server configurations depending on what type of license you have.
- Workstation licenses can be set up using Login and Local servers.
- Local and Global Access licenses can be set up on networks or on the cloud but can also be set up as SideFX Login or to a Local Server if needed.
WORKSTATION
[WKSTN]
LOCAL ACCESS
[LAL]
GLOBAL ACCESS
[GAL]
SIDEFX LOGIN
LOCAL SERVER
NETWORK SERVER
Non Graphical | Houdini ENGINE
In a Houdini pipeline, there are times when you do not need to see the Houdini interface but rather want to let it work under-the-hood. The Houdini Engine license allows you to do this in a couple of ways.
IMPORTANT: The Houdini Engine license CAN NOT run the interactive Houdini - only the non-graphical version.
Houdini Batch
In situations where you send renderings or simulations to a compute farm, you can use Engine licenses to run Houdini in batch mode. When rendering, Engine can be used to take Houdini scene files and output to USD for Karma licenses to render.
Engine Plug-ins
One feature of Houdini Engine is the ability to send Houdini Digital Assets [HDA] to HOST applications using plug-ins for Unreal, Autodesk Maya, Unity and 3dx Max. The artist who is creating the assets can run the Engine plug-ins using the Houdini Interactive license. Other artists who don't want to run Houdini can use Houdini Engine licenses to access interactive HDA files in the HOST app.
FREE Engine for Unreal/Unity
The Houdini Engine for Unreal/Unity is free license that commercial studios can use for studio-wide deployment of Engine Plug-ins. The ensures that procedural assets from Houdini work in Unreal and Unity for all artists. If your assets use PDG/TOP nodes then some tasks may require paid Engine licenses.