Houdini 20.5 Reference Stand-alone utilities

sesictrl

Sets Houdini license server options from the command line.

You can use the hkey application to view and manage licenses and license server options using a graphical user interface. This utility lets you perform the same actions from the command line, allowing you to automate license server setup.

Warning

The Non-Graphical Houdini License Administrator requires all connected license servers version to be 18.0.287 or greater.

For more information on how to setup licensing for your use case see the Install and Licensing guide.

Available Commands

To obtain help information about a specific command run sesictrl <command> --help.

ping

Test whether a sesinetd server is reachable.

Ping:
    --help                                Help with ping host.

Host Options:
    -h [--host ] <host>                        Hostname to ping.

Account Options (Optional):
    --email <email>                        Email of sidefx account.
    --password <password>                Password of sidefx account.
    --client-id <client-id>                Client ID used for oauth2 authentication.
    --client-secret <client-secret>        Client Secret used for oauth2.

Example: sesictrl ping

print-license

Print all the licenses found on a connected sesinetd server. This is similar to legacy options -i, -a, and -s.

Print License List:
    --expiring <days> (=0)         Include licenses expiring in N days
    --show-all                     Include all licenses in print
    --brief-list                   Brief print license list
    -s [ --summary ]               Summarize the license list
    --format <format [text, json]> Format to output the license information in.
    --scrub-users                   Scrub the names of the users using a license. This
                                   allows users to stay anonymous.
    --help                         Help with printing license information.

Host Options:
    -h [ --host ] <host>           hostname

Hserver Options:
    --hserver-installed arg (=0)   Inform sesictrl if hserver is installed. If
                                   hserver is installed then sesictrl will try to
                                   start and reconnect to hserver in the event
                                   there were communication issues.

Account Options [Optional]:
    --email arg                    email of sidefx account
    --password arg                 password of sidefx account
    --client-id arg                Client ID used for oauth2
    --client-secret arg            Client Secret used for oauth2

Example: sesictrl print-license

print-server

Print server information about all connected sesinetd servers. This is similar to legacy option -S.

Print Server:
    --hide-server-code     Print server codes
    --hide-version         Print server version
    --help                 Help with printing server information.

Host Options:
    -h [ --host ] <host>   hostname

Account Options [Optional]:
    --email arg            email of sidefx account
    --password arg         password of sidefx account
    --client-id arg        Client ID used for oauth2
    --client-secret arg    Client Secret used for oauth2

Example: sesictrl print-server

install

Install a license key string to a connected sesinetd server. This option is similar to legacy option -I.

Install License:
    --license-info <license info>       License information to manually install license.
    --help                              Help with installing licenses.

Host Options [Optional]:
    -h [ --host ] <host>                hostname

Example: sesictrl install LICENSE Generic Houdini-Education 18.5 1 25-jan-2021 ...

redeem

Manually redeem entitlements. A list of entitlements and their quantities can be specified. If no entitlements are specified then all the available entitlements will be presented with the available options to redeem entitlements. This option is similar to legacy option -L.

Redeem Entitlement:
    -L [ --entitlements ] <id> <count>  List of entitlements to redeem
    -S [ --install-server-key ]         If the server key should also be redeemed
    -s [ --server-name ] <server name>  The server name to install the entitlements too.
    --help                              Help with redeeming entitlements.

Host Options [Optional]:
    -h [ --host ] <host>                hostname

Account Options [Optional]:
    --email arg                         email of sidefx account
    --password arg                      password of sidefx account
    --client-id arg                     Client ID used for oauth2
    --client-secret arg                 Client Secret used for oauth2

Proxy Options [Optional]:
    -p [ --proxy-host ] <host>          The full proxy url.

Example: sesictrl redeem

relinquish

Return a used license back to its connected server for use by another client. This command should be used in cases where a stuck license occurs as this will return a specific license instead of the alternative of restarting sesinetd. Restarting the license server is a last resort to a stuck license as every client has to fight over licenses and could cause clients to lose work if there is not enough licenses to go around. This option is similar to legacy option -R.

Relinquish License:
    -u [ --user-id ] <id>               User token used to return a stuck license back to the pool.
    --help                              Help with relinquishing licenses.

Host Options [Optional]:
    -h [ --host ] <host>                hostname

Account Options [Optional]:
    --email arg                         email of sidefx account
    --password arg                      password of sidefx account
    --client-id arg                     Client ID used for oauth2
    --client-secret arg                 Client Secret used for oauth2

Example: sesictrl relinquish 717

return-license

Return an installed license back to the license accounts entitlement pool. To return multiple licenses provide a comma separated list of licenes that need to be returned (i.e. sesictrl return-license aaa,bbb,ccc,...).

Return License:
    -t [ --license-id ] <id>    Id of license to return
    --accept-prompts            Automatically accept prompts. This is useful for scripted setups.
    --help                      Help with returning a license.

Host Options [Required]:
    -h [ --host ] <host>        hostname

Account Options [Optional]:
    --email arg                 email of sidefx account
    --password arg              password of sidefx account
    --client-id arg             Client ID used for oauth2
    --client-secret arg         Client Secret used for oauth2

Proxy Options [Optional]:
    -p [ --proxy-host ] <host>  The full proxy url.

Example: sesictrl return-license 8fc37bf2

shutdown

Shutdown a remote running sesinetd server.

Warning

This command requires admin privileges to run.

Server Shutdown:
    -Q [ --no-prompt ]     Shutdown server without a prompt
    --help                 Help with license manager shutdown.

Host Options [Optional]:
    -h [ --host ] <host>   hostname

Example: sesictrl shutdown

gen-certificate

Generate a self-signed certificate suitable for use with HTTPS.

Certificate Generation:
    -o [ --private-out ] <private key file>            Location to output the private key
    -O [ --certificate-out ] <certificate file> Location to output the certificate
    -d [ --days ] <days> (=-1)                    Number of days from today the certificate should remain valid.
    -y [ --years ] <years> (=-1)                    Number of years from today the certificate should remain valid.
    --help                                            Help with generating a self-signed certificate.

Host Options [Optional]:
    -h [ --host ] <host>                  hostname

Example: sesictrl gen-certificate -o ~/auth.priv -O ~/auth.cert -d 365

query-users

List a set of usernames to query checkout information about the specified users.

Query Users:
    --users <users>        Users to query running servers.
    --help                 Help with searching for users on a running sesinetd

Host Options [Optional]:
    -h [ --host ] <host>   hostname

Account Options [Optional]:
    --email arg            email of sidefx account
    --password arg         password of sidefx account
    --client-id arg        Client ID used for oauth2
    --client-secret arg    Client Secret used for oauth2

Example: sesictrl query-users 12300

diagnostic

Create a server diagnostic. This is similar to legacy option -f.

Diagnostic Information:
    --list-expired         List expired licenses
    --list-lic-no-server   List licenses with unknown servers
    --help                 Help with server diagnostics.

Host Options [Optional]:
    -h [ --host ] <host>   hostname

Account Options [Optional]:
    --email arg            email of sidefx account
    --password arg         password of sidefx account
    --client-id arg        Client ID used for oauth2
    --client-secret arg    Client Secret used for oauth2

Example: sesictrl diagnostic

login

Login to an existing sidefx account.

Login to SideFX account:
    --help                      Help with logging in to a SideFX account
    --email arg                 email of sidefx account
    --password arg              password of sidefx account

Proxy Options:
    -p [ --proxy-host ] <host>  The full proxy url.

Example: sesictrl login email@sidefx.com password

logout

Logout of an existing sidefx account. Sesictrl/hkey must already be signed into an account to use the command.

Logout of SideFX account:
    --help                      Help with logging out of a SideFX account

Proxy Options:
    -p [ --proxy-host ] <host>  The full proxy url.

Example: sesictrl logout

partition-info

Display information of the current partition info used by the listed sesinetd server.

Partition Information:
    --help                 Help with showing partition information
    --show-users           Include current user information in partitions.

Host Options [Optional]:
    -h [ --host ] <host>   hostname

Account Options [Optional]:
    --email arg            email of sidefx account
    --password arg         password of sidefx account
    --client-id arg        Client ID used for oauth2
    --client-secret arg    Client Secret used for oauth2

Example: sesictrl partition-info

import

Import licenses from a .hlic file. This file lists licenses to install and disable. If this command is run twice with the same file the second run will do nothing.

Import Licenses:
    --help                 Help with importing licenses
    --list                 List the contents of the import file.
    -f [ --file ] arg

Host Options [Optional]:
    -h [ --host ] <host>   hostname

Account Options [Optional]:
    --email arg            email of sidefx account
    --password arg         password of sidefx account
    --client-id arg        Client ID used for oauth2
    --client-secret arg    Client Secret used for oauth2

Example: sesictrl import ~/licenses.hlic

sesinetd-service

Interact with the locally running sesinetd service.

Warning

This command requires admin privileges to run.

Sesinetd Service:
    --help                       Help with sesinetd service commands.
    --service-type arg (=init.d) The service type [init.d, systemd].
    --operation arg              The operation to apply on the service [start, stop].

Note

Option --service-type is only available on Linux.

Example: sesictrl sesinetd-service start

hserver-service

Interact with the locally running hserver service.

Warning

This command requires admin privileges to run.

Hserver Service:
    --help                        Help with sesinetd service starting.
    --operation arg                The operation to apply on the service [start, stop].

Example: sesictrl hserver-service start

Login Licensing Support

Note

Login based licensing requires an active internet connection.

In Houdini 18.5 and later, Houdini has the option to use login licensing. Login licensing requires the user to be constantly logged in with their sidefx account otherwise it works similar to traditional licensing setups.

The recommended users for login licensing are indie and education users. In a studio setup the requirement to be constantly logged in may pose as a challenge and a traditional license server does not have this requirement.

Follow these steps to start using login licensing:

  1. Open hkey.

  2. Login to your sidefx account File menu ▸ Login….

  3. Open the dialog Change License Server File ▸ Change License Server….

  4. Clear all entries from the table Search these license server(s). To clear an entry click the - sign on each row.

  5. In the Found Server(s) table add www.sidefx.com (SideFX Login Server). To add an entry to the list of servers to use click the + button on the desired row.

  6. Once www.sidefx.com (SideFX Login Server) is the only entry listed in the Search these license server(s) table press the ACCEPT button at the button right of the dialog.

All uninstalled entitlements act as login licenses. This gives you freedom to customize your configuration to use all licenses in the cloud, on-site, or a mix using server chaining.

Browser based Houdini License Administrator

In addition to login licenses, you can view your licenses through the browser and control your license setup.

If you go to https://www.sidefx.com/services/sesinetd, this page uses your currently logged in profile as the login licensing profile. This webpage will also display all of your licenses both from your server list prior to visiting sidefx.com and all of your unredeemed entitlements.

Note

Browser based Houdini License Administrator requires an active internet connection and a running hserver.

API Key licensing

API key licensing gives you the freedom of login licensing without the need login through hkey. This is a great option for render farms or other setups that do not have an artist sitting at the machine that can keep logging in when required. To generate api keys either open hkey to Help ▸ View Api Keys Online or go to https://www.sidefx.com/oauth2/applications/ and select Register a new application.

Note

These keys will get refreshed when needed as long as the credentials are valid.

To enable api key support for hkey and sesictrl add HOUDINI_API_KEY_FILE="<file location>" to the houdini.env file. The format of the file is <client id> <client secret>.

Note

HOUDINI_API_KEY_FILE is only meant for hkey and sesictrl. Hserver uses option APIKeyFile instead. See hserver for further details on how to setup API keys for hserver.

Stand-alone utilities

  • abcconvert

    Convert between Alembic formats.

  • abcecho

    Print information about an Alembic file.

  • abcinfo

    Print information about an Alembic file.

  • chchan

    Copies channel collection to/from action channel format.

  • chcp

    Copies channel collection file to another format.

  • chinfo

    Prints information about a channel collection file.

  • claudio

    Copies CHOP data (clip) to/from audio formats.

  • clchan

    Copies CHOP data (clip) to/from action channel format.

  • clchn

    Copies CHOP data (clip) to/from channel collection format.

  • clcp

    Copies CHOP data (clip) to another format.

  • clinfo

    Prints information about a CHOP data (clip) file.

  • dsmconvert

  • dsmmerge

  • dsparse

    Parses and displays dialog scripts.

  • gabc

    Convert between Alembic and Houdini geometry.

  • gconvert

    Convert between Houdini polygon formats.

  • gdxf

    Converts DXF polygons to/from Houdini format.

  • geodiff

    Display Geometry Differences.

  • geps

    Converts EPS files to Houdini polygon format.

  • giges

  • ginfo

    Prints polygon file statistics.

  • glightwave

    Converts LightWave files to/from Houdini format.

  • gpdb

    Converts .pdb files to/from Houdini format.

  • gplay

    Geometry viewer.

  • gply

    Converts .ply files to/from Houdini format.

  • gptex

    Makes a ptexture image file from a geometry file.

  • greduce

    Reduces polygons in a file.

  • gwavefront

    Converts .obj files to/from Houdini format.

  • hcollapse

    Collapses a directory structure.

  • hcpio

  • hexpand

    Expands hip files into a directory structure.

  • hkey / License Administrator

    Opens a graphical user interface for viewing and managing licenses and license server options.

  • hoiiotool

    Swiss-army knife of image operation tools.

  • hotl utility

    Command line utility to work with .hda/.otl files.

  • hrender

  • hsc

  • hscript

    Command line HScript interpreter.

  • hserver

    Houdini communicates through this proxy server to the sesinetd licensing daemon.

  • htexcache

    Query or modify the disk texture cache.

  • husk

    Command line utility for rendering a USD file using Karma or some other Hydra client.

  • i3dconvert

  • iautocrop

    Crops images based on pixel values.

  • icineon

    Convert images from 10-bit Cineon format to an 8 bit format.

  • icomposite

  • iconvert

    Converts an image of one type to another type.

  • icp

    Isolate a region of an image in a new image.

  • idenoise

    Removes noise from an image file.

  • idiff

    Display Image Differences.

  • iflip - Flip Image

  • iinfo

    Outputs information about an image.

  • ilut

    Generates a lookup table (LUT) from standard channel formats or another LUT.

  • ilutcomp

    Generates a single lookup table (LUT) from from two LUTs.

  • ilutinfo

    Prints information about a lookup table (LUT) file.

  • imaketx

    Creates mipmapped .exr or .rat textures from image files.

  • imdisplay

    Sends an image to an mdisplay window.

  • iprint

    Prints the RGBA values for an image as text.

  • iquantize

    Reduces the number of colors in an image.

  • isixpack

    Generates an environment/reflection map from six images representing the six sides of a cube, or a cross image.

  • itilestitch

    Assemble a series of image files with crop windows into a single image.

  • izg

    Converts Z-depth images to 8-bit grayscale images.

  • Launcher

    The Houdini Launcher downloads, installs, upgrades, and uninstall Houdini and its components.

  • mcacclaim

    Converts an Acclaim motion file to a Houdini script and channel file(s).

  • mcbiovision

    Converts a BioVision motion file to a Houdini script and channel file(s).

  • mcmotanal

    Converts a Motion Analysis TRC motion file to a Houdini script and channel file(s).

  • mcp

    Convert an image sequence to a movie file.

  • minfo

    Prints information about movie files.

  • mqserver

    Message Queue Server for PDG/TOPs

  • py23convert

    Convert Python 2 expressions in HDAs to Python 2/3.

  • renderstatsoverlay

    Generates a (possibly scaled down) version of a rendered image with render statistics baked in.

  • renderstatsreport

    Generates an HTML page containing render statistics from an EXR image.

  • sesictrl

    Sets Houdini license server options from the command line.

  • sesinetd

    The Houdini license server. This program runs in the background managing Houdini licenses.

  • siminfo

    Prints simulation cache file statistics.

  • spiff

    Display Text Differences.

  • spy

    Shell utility for navigating the UNIX filesystem.

  • usdview

    Command line utility for viewing and inspecting USD scenes.

  • vexcache

    Query or modify the VEX compile cache.

  • vexexec

    Execute a cvex shader.