I have purchased Houdini Indie on Steam. Is there any way to use it together with this plugin?

[mikhail-putilov]

Hi

Can't find any documentation on how to do that.
Currently what I did was:

1. Bought Steam version
2. Installed Houdini launcher
   • Worth to mention, Houdini Launcher does not recognize Steam version of Houdini
3. Purchased a free license for "Houdini Engine for Unreal"
4. Opened License Manager and installed the license from the step 3 (disregard Apprentice license, I don't use it):
   
5. Downloaded the "Houdini Engine for Unreal" from the release page https://github.com/sideeffects/HoudiniEngineForUnreal/releases/tag/v2.1.0 and followed the further installation instructions from the Github README page: https://github.com/sideeffects/HoudiniEngineForUnreal
   • Unpacked the plugin into my project C:\Users\misha\RiderProjects\<name of my project>\Plugins
6. Started UE 5.3
7. Went to main menu > Houdini Engine > Plugin Settings
8. Set up custom location of Houdini:
   
9. Restarted computer and run UE again
10. Saw in the UE Log:

Log          LogHoudiniEngine          Starting the Houdini Engine module...
Log          LogHoudiniEngine          Loaded libHAPIL.dll from custom path C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/Houdini Indie/bin
Log          LogHoudiniEngineEditor    Starting the Houdini Engine Editor module.
Log          LogHoudiniEngineEditor    Houdini Spline Component Visualizer Registered!
Log          LogHoudiniEngineEditor    Houdini Engine Editor module startup complete.
Error        LogHoudiniEngine          Starting up the Houdini Engine module failed: built and running versions do not match.
Error        LogHoudiniEngine          Defined version: 6.0.api:0 vs Running version: 6.2.api:0
Error        LogHoudiniEngine          Failed to connect to the Houdini Engine session - Failed to initialize HAPI

[mikhail-putilov]

Steam version is 20.0.590 and this plugin requires to have installed 20.0.506

I don't know what to do... I can't find a way to install 20.0.506 through Steam.

[Takarigata]

You need to compile this version which is compatible with the steam current one : https://github.com/sideeffects/HoudiniEngineForUnreal/tree/d6cbcbbcdba1bfd09e2caf416d6fea49dd1dbd1d
Put the plugins in your project Plugins dir or if you have a source compiled engine you can put it in your engine and compile it

[dpernuit]

Hi,

The steam version of HIndie ships with a version of the UE plugin (binaries and source) - as every version of Houdini.
The plugin can be found under the engine/unreal folder of your H install.

The steam plugin is no different than the regular plugin, but it will match the current H version that's available on steam.

You have the rest right - copy the plugin to unreal, and set the custom install directory - as the plugin is not always able to automatically detect the steam version's install folder.

Aside from that, there's nothing special to do for the steam version, and you don't need a free Unreal license - your steam license can perfectly run HE.

Alternative to the manual copy process - you can try to use the plugin installer tools (in the HoudiniEngine shelf in Houdini)

[JakeSJordan11]

Hey,

so is this the way it should work on a mac too?

If so it does not. I'm incredibly bummed here and trying to be productive, but I have had houdini indie (steam license) on my m1 max since the week it came out and have never been able to get houdini engine to work correctly in unreal. I get my hopes up, spend a bunch of time trying to work it out (like this weekend), I even contacted support which I guess can't help since I have a steam license. in the end it's always clouds.

That being said, I'd like to explain some of the issues I have come across in hopes to help

---

1. Getting The Houdini Engine
   I don't have a unreal plugin in my Houdini Engine folder.

when I open the steam houdini launcher this is what I see. I can't install Labs through it as it just hangs and crashes so that was done manually.

when I try to access it from the shelf tools inside of houdini I get this screen where the ui is unresponsive except for the folder icon that lets me pick any folder and one arrow thows an error

The only way that I can get the correct plugin version is to clone the repo and then checkout to the exact commit in which the update is made. I have also tried just making those updates myself in the same places that those commits make them.

2. Installing The Houdini Engine
   This part actually goes well nowadays. I make an unreal project go into it's top level folder and make a folder named Plugins (has to be a capitol P) then put the Houdini Engine in side and launch the project. It will ask to build and does so then launches. So that's all good. I've got the Houdini Engine plugin in unreal. The versions are matched up and I see the Houdini Engine menu at the top, but that's where it all falls apart again.

3. Attempting To Use The Houdini Engine
   I have houdini opened and open up session sync. I change the connection from TCPort to Named Pipe (the default is "hapi"). Hit start open up unreal engine go to houdini engine>plugin settings enter in my custom install location (have tried it with houdini and houdini indie as the houdini executable). Now in plugin settings change "TCP Socket" to "Named Pipe or Domain Socket", but the names don't actually match. In unreal it defaults to "/tmp/hapi". I've also tried with the houdini engine > plugin editor preferences and done the use custom location there as well. anyway I have tried the whole lock of combinations TCP and Named it's all the same output.

Failed to start the Houdini Engine Session

LogHoudiniEngine: Failed locating or loading libHAPIL.dylib
LogHoudiniEngineEditor: Error: Failed to start Session Sync - HAPI Not initialized

---

So that sums it up for the most part. If I could get some help on this that would be so awesome. Is there something I am missing or not seeing? Any information would be appreciated cause I have spent way too long on this haha.