Dousen + Houdini
The Dousen addon for Houdini adds a Dousen shelf instead of a panel. Each geo node directly under /obj is an instance, and the shelf tools export HDAs, vertex animation textures and Alembic files to Unreal, publish them through DousenDesktop, and show Perforce lock status.
- Load: launch Houdini from the apps bar in DousenDesktop.
- Controls: the Dousen shelf; Houdini has no Dousen panel.
- Exports: HDA, VAT (mesh and textures) and Alembic, plus FBX for auto-publish.
- Perforce: shelf tools for status, checkout, sync and revert.
- Auto-publish: no toggle; a studio script sets
dousen_auto_publishuser data on /obj.
How does the addon load?
DousenDesktop ships the addon and loads it when you launch Houdini from the apps bar. The shelf tool Dousen: Send to Painter appears only if Substance Painter was connected when Houdini loaded the addon.
What becomes an instance?
Each geo node directly under /obj, unless a node inside it has the dousen_instance user data. To make your own instance, add that user data to a node. If its value is text, that text becomes the instance name.
What do the shelf tools do?
| Shelf tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dousen: Export HDA | Saves the selected node’s HDA to the HDAs folder under the source root and publishes it as mesh.export. |
| Dousen: Export VAT | Renders the selected ROP network set up for vertex animation textures and publishes textures and mesh together. |
| Dousen: Export Alembic | Exports the selected node to the Alembic folder and publishes it as mesh.export. |
| Dousen: Material Setup | Picks one catalog material for the whole asset. |
| Dousen: Send to Unreal | Does the same as Dousen: Export VAT. |
How does validation work in Houdini?
Run Dousen: Validate before you export. It prints results to the console and has no Fix buttons. The three export tools don’t validate, so an error doesn’t stop them. If the scene isn’t tagged, validation infers the asset type from the saved file path. Houdini’s HDA and VAT rules are listed in Asset validation.
Can Houdini publish on save?
There’s no toggle in the interface. A studio script can set the dousen_auto_publish user data on /obj to 1. Each save then exports one FBX and publishes one mesh.export event per instance, or animation.export for an animation instance. A save-triggered publish doesn’t run the validators, though it still checks instance names, so a naming rule set to error can stop it.
Where does Dousen save its data?
Houdini has no material picker panel. Dousen: Material Setup opens a dialog where you choose one catalog material for the whole asset. The assignment travels with the export to Unreal.
Convention tags, the material assignment and the auto-publish setting are stored as user data on /obj (dousen_convention_tags, dousen_material_assignment and dousen_auto_publish), so they travel with the .hip file. When another application sends a mesh to Houdini, Dousen creates a geo node with a file SOP inside it.
How does Houdini show Perforce status?
The shelf has Dousen: File Status (P4), Dousen: Check Out, Dousen: Sync & Reload and Dousen: Revert Checkout. The export tools and auto-publish run the Perforce pre-flight: if another user holds a lock on a file, the publish stops and names the lock. Otherwise Dousen opens the files for edit in the task’s changelist. See Dousen + Perforce.
Related
Dousen is free during the studio beta, with access by request, and free forever for teams of up to 5 users. Request early access.