dcc-mcp-houdini

DCC-MCP · HOUDINI

Agent workflow

AI agents should use the shared gateway through dcc-mcp-cli; IDE users may continue to use the MCP endpoint. Prefer typed skills and tools over raw scripts.

Install or update the CLI

dcc-mcp-cli is the preferred control path for every shell-capable agent. If it is missing, ask the user before installing the latest official release:

# Linux/macOS
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dcc-mcp/dcc-mcp-core/main/scripts/install-cli.sh | sh

# Windows PowerShell
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dcc-mcp/dcc-mcp-core/main/scripts/install-cli.ps1 | iex"

Keep an official build current through the release manifest:

dcc-mcp-cli update check
dcc-mcp-cli update apply

update apply downloads and stages the latest CLI for the next launch. It does not update a running dcc-mcp-server; update that server in its own environment.

dcc-mcp-cli dcc-types
dcc-mcp-cli list
dcc-mcp-cli search --query "<task>" --dcc-type houdini
dcc-mcp-cli describe <tool-slug>
dcc-mcp-cli call <tool-slug> --json '{"key":"value"}'

dcc-types reports release-catalog support; list reports live sessions. If a tool belongs to an inactive progressive skill, call dcc-mcp-cli load-skill <skill-name> --dcc-type houdini before retrying. For post-task improvement, attach a stable session id with --meta-json, query dcc-mcp-cli stats --range 24h --session-id <task-id>, then pass the bounded evidence to the review_skill_improvement prompt from dcc-mcp-skills-creator.

SideFX Houdini adapter for the DCC Model Context Protocol (MCP) ecosystem. It embeds a Streamable HTTP MCP server inside Houdini/hython and exposes skills-first Houdini automation tools to agents.

High-poly honeybee LookDev and KineFX showcase

Houdini 22 honeybee LookDev turntable showing topology, MaterialX PBR, Solaris lighting, calibration references, and KineFX animation

This native Houdini 22 capture follows the lookdev-turntable contract and uses one original reconstructed honeybee throughout. The sequence exposes 178,716 topology edges across 64 anatomical meshes, MaterialX PBR fur, chitin, eyes and wings, Solaris HDRI lighting, a fixed camera-space ColorChecker and reference spheres, then a 37-joint KineFX animation rendered with Karma. Fixed exposure and color management keep the calibration references stable while the subject and lighting phases rotate independently.

The same portable high-density asset was also rendered natively in Houdini 22, Maya 2026, and Unreal Engine 5.8:

Original high-density DCC-MCP honeybee rendered in Houdini 22, Maya 2026, and Unreal Engine 5.8

Features

Embedded MCP Streamable HTTP server inside Houdini (OS-assigned instance port)
Auto-gateway with first-wins election (gateway port 9765)
Progressive skill loading (discover → load → unload)
Houdini Python (hython) and interactive UI-thread dispatch
Python 3.7+ package metadata for older Houdini runtimes
Bundled skills for scripting, scene inspection, node authoring, HDA execution, and automation
Wheel, sdist, and Houdini quickinstall ZIP release assets
Prometheus metrics endpoint (/metrics), job persistence, and workflow engine support
Optional licensed Houdini Docker E2E workflow

Agent install (recommended)

Let your AI agent do the setup. In an MCP-capable agent (Cursor, Claude, etc.), just say:

帮我参考 dcc-mcp/dcc-mcp-houdini/install.md 去安装

The agent reads install.md, runs the dcc-mcp-houdini-setup skill to install dependencies into Houdini's hython, generates an MCP host config, guides the Houdini package startup hooks step, and runs a smoke prompt to confirm the connection.

Installation

Release Wheel

pip install dcc-mcp-houdini

For an unreleased GitHub asset, install a release wheel directly:

pip install https://github.com/dcc-mcp/dcc-mcp-houdini/releases/download/v0.9.1/dcc_mcp_houdini-0.9.1-py3-none-any.whl

Houdini Quickinstall ZIP

Download dcc_mcp_houdini_quickinstall_<platform>_v<version>.zip from GitHub Releases, extract it to a stable folder, then run:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File install.ps1 -HoudiniVersion 20.5

For an isolated or custom package location, pass -PackagesDir explicitly:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File install.ps1 -HoudiniVersion 20.5 -PackagesDir C:\temp\houdini-packages

DCC_MCP_HOUDINI_PACKAGES_DIR provides the same override on every platform; on Windows, the explicit -PackagesDir argument takes precedence. Changing the HOME environment variable inside PowerShell does not redirect its automatic $HOME variable, so use this override for deterministic isolated installs.

On Linux/macOS:

chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh 20.5

The package writes a Houdini package JSON into the user preferences folder. scripts/123.py handles an empty startup and scripts/456.py handles a loaded scene; both reuse one bootstrap that extracts bundled wheels into vendor/ and starts the MCP server unless DCC_MCP_HOUDINI_AUTOSTART=0.

Isolated background ROP workers receive DCC_MCP_BACKGROUND_RENDER=1 in their child environment. Package and custom 123.py/456.py startup hooks must skip MCP adapter autostart when that marker is present; the parent Houdini environment is not modified. Background render cancellation uses only live child-process handles owned by the current adapter process; status-file PIDs are never used as process ownership evidence.

Usage

import dcc_mcp_houdini

server = dcc_mcp_houdini.start_server()
print(server.mcp_url)  # Exact direct endpoint selected by the OS

start_server() is the interactive Houdini API and uses Houdini's budgeted event-loop pump. Headless Hython must keep its owning thread available for HOM work; launch the foreground pump instead:

hython -m dcc_mcp_houdini

or call dcc_mcp_houdini.serve_headless(...) from a dedicated Hython entrypoint. A plain headless start_server() fails before tools are registered instead of silently executing HOM on an HTTP worker.

Hython cannot report a reliable HIP dirty state: context snapshots omit scene_saved, while validate_scene returns dirty: null; GUI sessions report the real boolean state. Destructive open_scene and new_scene calls fail closed when that state is unknown unless the caller explicitly passes force=true.

Default minimal mode (DCC_MCP_MINIMAL=1) loads only:

houdini-scripting
houdini-scene

Use progressive discovery for heavier tools:

search_skills(query="hda")
load_skill("houdini-hda")
call houdini_hda__execute_hda

Local MCP debug (Cursor / Claude)

See docs/guide/local-mcp-debug.md and copy examples/mcp/cursor-houdini-streamable-http.json into your MCP host config.

Development

# Install dependencies
just dev

# Run tests
just test

# Lint
just lint-all

# Windows: build dcc-mcp-core with Houdini's Python and symlink
just houdini-version=20.5 houdini-dev-build-link-core-win

# Windows: start Houdini with debugpy
just houdini-version=20.5 houdini-dev-debug-win

# Build wheel + platform quickinstall package
just build-houdini-package platform=win64

Release Publishing

The Release workflow publishes to PyPI when release-please creates a new release. To backfill an existing GitHub release tag, run the Release workflow manually with tag_name=vX.Y.Z and publish_to_pypi=true. Publishing uses PyPI trusted publishing when configured, or PYPI_API_TOKEN when that secret is available.

Bundled Skills (33 packages, 220 tools)

Full authoritative index with ready-made task chains: src/dcc_mcp_houdini/skills/SKILLS_INDEX.md

bootstrap (default loaded)

Skill	Tools
`houdini-scripting`	`execute_python`, `get_session_info`

scene (partial default — `houdini-scene` only)

Skill	Tools	Load
`houdini-scene`	`inspect_selection`, `get_scene_info`, `list_obj_nodes`, `list_child_nodes`, `get_node_info`	default
`houdini-scene-edit`	`new_scene`, `open_scene`, `save_scene`, `get_selection`, `set_selection`, `find_nodes`, `list_cameras`, `get_bounding_box`	on demand

authoring (load on demand)

Skill	Tools
`houdini-nodes`	`create_node`, `set_node_parms`, `connect_nodes`, `cook_node`, `layout_children`, `delete_node`
`houdini-object-ops`	`rename_node`, `duplicate_node`, `parent_node`, `set_node_flags`, `set_node_lock`, `get_transform`, `set_transform`
`houdini-parameters`	`list_parms`, `get_parms`, `get_parm_templates`, `get_expression`, `set_parms`, `add_spare_parm`, `remove_spare_parm`, `set_expression`, `clear_expression`
`houdini-node-graph`	`get_connections`, `connect_input`, `disconnect_input`
`houdini-geometry`	`create_primitive`, `create_curve_guides`, `get_geometry_info`, `list_attributes`, `list_groups`, `get_cook_status`
`houdini-mesh-ops`	`transform_geometry`, `merge_geometry`, `blast_geometry`, `group_geometry`, `add_normals`, `triangulate_geometry`, `convert_geometry`
`houdini-camera-light`	`list_cameras`, `create_camera`, `update_camera`, `frame_view`, `get_view_state`, `create_light`, `update_light`
`houdini-materials`	`create_material`, `assign_material`, `build_materialx_pbr`, `validate_materialx_pbr`
`houdini-lookdev`	`list_materials`, `list_assignments`, `get_material_parms`, `set_material_parms`, `get_shader_connections`, `connect_shader`, `disconnect_shader`, `reset_material`, `save_preset`, `list_presets`, `load_preset`, `delete_preset`
`houdini-hda`	`install_hda_file`, `list_hda_definitions`, `execute_hda`, `save_node_as_hda`, `promote_hda_parameters`, `author_hda_interface`, `publish_hda_library`, `validate_hda_contract`, `update_hda_definition`, `sync_hda_instance`
`houdini-chops`	`create_chop_network`, `create_motionclip`, `create_audio_driven`, `apply_filter`, `export_to_keyframes`, `get_channel_info`
`houdini-constraints`	`create_parent_constraint`, `create_blend_constraint`, `create_position_constraint`, `create_orient_constraint`, `list_constraints`, `delete_constraint`
`houdini-export-preset`	`list_export_presets`, `save_export_preset`, `load_export_preset`, `delete_export_preset`
`houdini-kinefx`	`create_rig`, `set_rig_pose`, `capture_joints`, `apply_mocap`
`houdini-light-rig`	`create_three_point_light_rig`, `create_area_softbox`, `create_hdri_world`, `list_light_rigs`, `set_light_rig_intensity`, `aim_light_at_object`, `group_lights`, `set_render_view_transform`, `get_lighting_summary`
`houdini-material-library`	`save_material_preset`, `list_material_presets`, `load_material_preset`, `delete_material_preset`, `get_shader_assignment`, `get_material_connections`, `set_material_attribute`, `assign_texture`, `list_images`, `reload_image`, `list_color_spaces`, `set_color_management`
`houdini-texture-bake`	`list_bake_targets`, `bake_textures`, `bake_ambient_occlusion`, `bake_lighting`, `transfer_maps`

interchange (load on demand)

Skill	Tools
`houdini-interchange`	`probe_file`, `import_geometry`, `export_geometry`, `export_alembic`, `export_fbx`, `export_usd`
`houdini-import-to-scene`	`import_to_scene`

pipeline (load on demand)

Skill	Tools
`houdini-render`	`capture_viewport`, `flipbook`, `get_render_settings`, `set_render_settings`, `validate_karma_stage`, `render_rop`, `get_render_job`, `finalize_render_outputs`, `cancel_render_job`, `create_render_layer`, `configure_aovs`, `manage_takes`, `get_render_stats`
`houdini-karma`	`configure_karma`, `set_material_override`, `configure_light_mixer`, `set_image_output`
`houdini-husk`	`render_with_husk`, `get_husk_job`, `cancel_husk_job`, `create_checkpoint`, `create_snapshot`, `set_husk_options`
`houdini-animation`	`get_timeline`, `set_timeline`, `set_keyframe`, `get_keyframes`, `delete_keyframes`, `list_animated_parms`, `validate_loop_contract`, `get_channel_info`, `export_channels`, `import_channels`, `bake_channels`, `cache_simulation`
`houdini-hda-automation`	`scan_hda_libraries`, `inspect_hda_definition`, `instantiate_hda`, `validate_hda`, `cook_top_network`, `execute_rop_chain`
`houdini-pipeline`	`set_project`, `get_project`, `tag_asset_metadata`, `get_asset_metadata`, `validate_scene`, `collect_dependencies`, `export_shot_package`
`houdini-dev`	`attach_project`, `reload_modules`, `run_entrypoint`, `run_script`, `start_debugpy`, `introspect_hom`, `ui_snapshot`, `ui_action`
`houdini-automation`	`run_python_file`, `set_frame_range`, `save_hip_file`, `load_hip_file`, `build_node_chain`
`houdini-gsplat-relighting`	`inspect_gsplat_relighting_input`, `prepare_gsplat_sop_chain`, `create_gsplat_relight_lop`, `create_gsplat_copernicus_raster`

CI and Houdini Docker

Normal CI runs without Houdini installed: unit tests, skill validation, Python 3.7 syntax checks, wheel/sdist build, and quickinstall ZIP assembly.

Live Houdini E2E is in .github/workflows/e2e.yml. It defaults to sabjorn/hbuild-worker:21.0.559-base and runs only when SideFX licensing secrets are configured. See docs/ci/houdini-docker.md.

Project Structure

dcc-mcp-houdini/
├── src/dcc_mcp_houdini/        # Python package and bundled skills
├── packaging/                  # Quickinstall ZIP assembly
├── tests/                      # Unit and packaging tests
├── tools/                      # Dev, lint, and syntax scripts
├── examples/                   # Usage examples
├── docs/                       # Guides and CI notes
├── justfile                    # Task runner
└── pyproject.toml              # Build config

Requirements

Houdini with Python 3.7+ (hython or interactive Houdini)
dcc-mcp-core >= 0.19.70
Quickinstall bundles the latest non-prerelease dcc-mcp-core >= 0.19.70,<1.0.0 by default, or the validated core_version passed to a release backfill; no old-core pin is active.
See pyproject.toml for full dependencies

License

MIT

Download files

Download the file for your platform. If you're not sure which to choose, learn more about installing packages.

Source Distribution

dcc_mcp_houdini-0.31.6.tar.gz (9.1 MB view details)

Uploaded Aug 12, 2026 Source

Built Distribution

If you're not sure about the file name format, learn more about wheel file names.

The dropdown lists show the available interpreters, ABIs, and platforms. Enable javascript to be able to filter the list of wheel files.

dcc_mcp_houdini-0.31.6-py3-none-any.whl (542.3 kB view details)

Uploaded Aug 12, 2026 Python 3

File details

Details for the file dcc_mcp_houdini-0.31.6.tar.gz.

File metadata

Download URL: dcc_mcp_houdini-0.31.6.tar.gz
Upload date: Aug 12, 2026
Size: 9.1 MB
Tags: Source
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? Yes
Uploaded via: twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14

File hashes

Hashes for dcc_mcp_houdini-0.31.6.tar.gz
Algorithm	Hash digest
SHA256	`fe343749d5497d3016ed378d9c4614e9dfb38d5fa12acb8b5fc1448578dff6c9`
MD5	`cfa0743d73a32f5ab84dab1c9d2cd4fc`
BLAKE2b-256	`62fa142317637ea45f4276c86eb8c15df663fa28a23820a740a2cf2ff8d44277`

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for dcc_mcp_houdini-0.31.6.tar.gz:

Publisher: release.yml on dcc-mcp/dcc-mcp-houdini

Attestations: Values shown here reflect the state when the release was signed and may no longer be current.

Statement:
- Statement type: https://in-toto.io/Statement/v1
- Predicate type: https://docs.pypi.org/attestations/publish/v1
- Subject name: dcc_mcp_houdini-0.31.6.tar.gz
- Subject digest: fe343749d5497d3016ed378d9c4614e9dfb38d5fa12acb8b5fc1448578dff6c9
- Sigstore transparency entry: 2436277180
- Sigstore integration time: Aug 12, 2026
Source repository:
- Permalink: dcc-mcp/dcc-mcp-houdini@bbd8148ba44bc4c7e5801c37e3593a272ae223b3
- Branch / Tag: refs/heads/main
- Owner: https://github.com/dcc-mcp
- Access: public
Publication detail:
- Token Issuer: https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com
- Runner Environment: github-hosted
- Publication workflow: release.yml@bbd8148ba44bc4c7e5801c37e3593a272ae223b3
- Trigger Event: push