| On this page |
Houdini Engine for 3ds Max requires persisting certain user configuration datathat is not scene specific. This section will provide a description of the various configuration files and their purpose.
Location ¶
All of the plug-in’s configuration data is saved in a folder that 3ds Max defines as the “plugin configuration” folder. The location of this folder can be found in 3dsMax.ini which can usually be found in the local AppData folder forthat particular 3ds Max installation.
Editing Configuration ¶
Configuration settings are automatically saved to their appropriate file when 3ds Max shuts down. The plug-in will save all relevant configuration settings which are exposed via the plug-in’s user interface.
As an alternative, all configuration files are editable text files and can be manually edited.
User Settings ¶
User specific settings are saved in HoudiniEngine.ini.
Setting |
Type |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Assets\HDARepository |
String |
Specifies a search path for HDAs. When loading a scene and attempting to load HDAs that are used in the scene, the plugin will look in this search path (if necessary) for the required HDAs |
Bake\CreateLayer |
Boolean |
When this option is enabled, a new layer will be created when a geometry HDA is baked, and all baked nodes will be added to the layer |
Bake\DummyObject |
Boolean |
This option controls whether the dummy object node will be included in a geometry HDA bake |
Debug\PrintErrorLevelLogs |
Boolean |
When this option is enabled, error level logs will be printed to the MaxScript Listener |
Debug\PrintInfoLevelLogs |
Boolean |
When this option is enabled, info level logs will be printed to the MaxScript Listener |
Debug\PrintWarningLevelLogs |
Boolean |
When this option is enabled, warning level logs will be printed to the MaxScript Listener |
Debug\TemporaryDirectory |
String |
This specifies the folder where temporary debugging files will be saved |
Naming\UseOriginalInstanceName |
Boolean |
When this option is enabled, the plugin will prevent 3ds Max from appending a unique number to the end of instanced geometry nodes (in order to maintain the original node name) |
Naming\UseUnique |
Boolean |
When this option is enabled, all nodes in the scene that are produced by geometry HDAs will be prefixed to ensure unique node naming |
Nodes\AutoRecook |
Boolean |
This option controls the global default for auto-cooking. When this is enabled, the default behaviour for HDAs will be to auto recook whenever a parameter has changed |
Nodes\SliderCook |
Boolean |
This option controls the global default for how sliders behave in the parameter UI. When this is enabled, the default behaviour will be for HDAs to auto recook while a slider is dragged. When this is disabled, the default behaviour will be for HDAs to cook only once the slider has been dropped |
OnStart\AutoStartSession |
Boolean |
When this option is enabled, the plugin will automatically start a session when 3ds Max starts up |
OnStart\AutoStartWindow |
Boolean |
When this option is enabled, the plugin will automatically open the user interface for the plugin when 3ds Max starts up |
OnStart\LoadHDADirectory |
String |
When this directory is specified, the plugin will automatically load all of the HDAs in the folder when a new session is started |
Installation\OverrideHFS |
String |
When this setting is not empty, its value will be used to override the location of the Houdini installation used by the plugin |
Selection\GrabHDARootNode |
Boolean |
When this option is enabled, the root HDA node will also be selected when selecting any of its geometry in the scene |
Session\AudioDsoSearchPath |
String |
The directory where audio DSOs (custom plugins) are searched for. You can pass in multiple paths separated by “;” on Windows and “:” on Linux and Mac. The default Houdini search paths will be appended to the end of this string |
Session\DsoSearchPath |
String |
The directory where generic DSOs (custom plugins) are searched for. You can pass in multiple paths separated by “;” on Windows and “:” on Linux and Mac. The default Houdini search paths will be appended to the end of this string |
Session\Hostname |
String |
Specifies the hostname of the Houdini Engine session to connect to |
Session\HoudiniEnvironmentFiles |
String |
A list of paths, separated by “;” on Windows and “:” on Linux and Mac, to .env files that follow the same syntax as the houdini.env file in Houdini’s user pref folder. These will be applied after the default houdini.env file and will overwrite the process' environment variable values. You can use this to enforce a stricter environment when running engine |
Session\ImageDsoSearchPath |
String |
The directory where image DSOs (custom plugins) are searched for. You can pass in multiple paths separated by “;” on Windows and “:” on Linux and Mac. The default Houdini search paths will be appended to the end of this string |
Session\OtlSearchPath |
String |
The directory where HDAs are searched for. You can pass in multiple paths separated by “;” on Windows and “:” on Linux and Mac. The default Houdini search paths will be appended to the end of this string |
Session\PipeName |
String |
Specifies the pipe name of the Houdini Engine session to connect to |
Session\Port |
Integer |
Specifies the port of the Houdini Engine session to connect to |
Session\Type |
Integer |
Specifies the current session type |
Shelves ¶
Shelves are saved in hemax_shelves.json. The plug-in will attempt to load all of the shelves specified in this JSON file when the plug-in is started. The json schema for the file is as follows:
{
"shelves" : [
{
"name" : "Shelf Name",
"path" : "Absolute path to the directory of shelf tools"
}
]
}