qLib

A procedural asset library for SideFX Houdini.

Download the latest version here: https://github.com/qLab/qLib/archive/master.zip

About

qLib is a digital asset library for SideFX's Houdini. It is a collection of tools designed to work flawlessly with each other and Houdini's native toolset. It is driven by (and used in) real production environments, but at the same time it fully respects and conforms to all the important Houdini concepts.

Strong emphasis on the following things:

Backwards-compatibility: old scenes will not break over time
Performance: we press for VEX/multithreading as much as possible
Usability: our tools try to avoid the "in-house" look-and-feel

qLib is open source software licensed under the New BSD license. It's developed by VFX professionals from several studios working on feature films, game cinematics and commercials.

qLib Summary / Highlights (facebook)

Tools

Generation, manipulation and visualization of geometry attributes and groups
Boundary geometry generation and manipulation
A complete deformer suite, implemented through a common deformer framework
Reimplemented high-performance versions of certain original Houdini OPs
Workflow-related tools
A large collection of gallery items (node and subnet presets)
Shelf tools
Colour scemes, extra menu items
Experimental extras

Quick Installation

Download the latest version (see link above)
Extract and move it into the Houdini preferences folder in your home folder
Append provided houdini.env example file contents to your own houdini.env
- Alternatively, use a package json file (see below)

Installation

1. Getting qLib

You can either grab a compressed archive file (as mentioned above), or you can clone the official repository with git. (The archive way is the easiest, but with git you can update faster, revert to previous versions quick, etc.)

2. Adding it to the Houdini environment

Houdini 17.5 or higher ("plugin" method)

Create a folder called packages in your Houdini preferences folder (in your home dir)
Copy the qLib_linux.json (or qLib_windows.json) file into the packages folder
Edit the json file to point to the extracted qLib folder (edit the path in the "QLIB" line)

(Please note that qLib requires 17.5.321 or higher for its package to work.)

Older Houdini versions

We provide example houdini.env files (windows and linux) which can be appended to your houdini.env file in your Houdini preferences folder (the HoudiniXX.X/ folder in your home directory).

2a. Important note for facilities

If you're installing at a large facility with a package management system, do not rely on houdini.env files -- use your package manager to set up environment variables.

dangerstudios/qLib