Introduction to the HDK

Welcome to the Houdini Development Kit (HDK).

The HDK is a comprehensive set of C++ libraries. These are the same libraries that the SideFX programmers use to develop the Houdini family of products. With the HDK, you can create plugins which customize different areas in the Houdini interface. Here are some examples of what you can do with the development kit:

• Add custom expression functions
• Add custom commands (hscript or HOM)
• Add custom operators (SOPs, COPs, DOPs, VOPs, ROPs, CHOPs, and even Objects)
• Add output to a non-standard Renderer
• Add custom lighting or atmospheric effects to the renderer

The following sections will familiarize you with the basic workflow for creating your own HDK projects:

• Getting Started
• Creating Custom Plugins
• Compiling HDK Plugins
• Debugging HDK Code
• Build Tools
• Compatibility