Installation

The bundled setup script is the recommended way to install Natsura. It works on Windows, Linux and macOS, finds Houdini for you, and asks a few questions. If you would rather write the Houdini package file yourself, see Package Install.

Before you start

You need Windows, Linux or macOS, and a production build of Houdini that starts without licence errors. Natsura is built for Houdini 20.5. Setup marks each Houdini it finds as most tested (20.5), relatively tested (21.0) or untested (anything else). Natsura 0.7.3 runs in Houdini 22, but setup still marks it untested.

Each Houdini licence has its own Natsura build: Commercial, Indie, Education, Education FX, or Apprentice for non-commercial use (its zip is named noncommercial). Download the one that matches the Houdini you run, or the licence check will fail. See Activation & Licensing.

Download and unzip

Log in at natsura.com, download the latest build, and unzip it somewhere you will keep it, such as C:/Users/yourname/Documents/natsura/.

The folder holds:

natsura/
├── README.txt
├── Natsura.json      the Houdini package file
├── setup.bat         Windows
├── setup.sh          Linux and macOS
├── setup/            setup and launch scripts
├── houdini20.5/      the tools
└── houdini20.5_UI/

Run setup

On Windows, double-click setup.bat. On Linux or macOS, run bash setup.sh from a terminal in the folder. Pick from the menus with the arrow keys and Enter, and answer the yes/no questions with Y or N.

Setup first asks how you want to run Natsura:

• Natsura launcher (recommended): a shortcut that starts Houdini with Natsura loaded. Your normal Houdini is left alone, and updating means downloading the new build and running setup again.
• Package install: Natsura loads every time you start that Houdini version normally.
• Both.

Then it lists the Houdini versions it found, marked by how well tested each is, and the edition to launch, defaulting to the one that matches your Natsura build. Show more options lists every installed build from 20.5 up, plus Custom path for a Houdini somewhere else. If you chose the launcher, it asks whether to use the Natsura splash screen, the image Houdini shows while it starts (not the Welcome Screen).

If you chose the launcher or Both, setup leaves a shortcut named for your Natsura version in the folder (Natsura 0.7.3.0.lnk on Windows, a .app on macOS, a .desktop file on Linux), writes your settings to launch.conf, and moves setup.bat and setup.sh into setup/. With a package install only, setup moves the other system's script into setup/ and leaves yours at the top of the folder. A package install writes Natsura.json into your Houdini packages folder:

Windows   Documents\houdiniX.Y\packages\Natsura.json
Linux     ~/houdiniX.Y/packages/Natsura.json
macOS     ~/Library/Preferences/houdini/X.Y/packages/Natsura.json

On Windows this is your real Documents folder, which may be inside OneDrive. Setup ends by offering to launch Natsura.

Launch Houdini with Natsura

Double-click the shortcut. To open a scene on Windows or Linux, drop the .hip file onto the shortcut. On any system you can run the launch script:

setup\launch.bat myproject.hip     # Windows
setup/launch.sh myproject.hip      # Linux and macOS

With a package install, start Houdini as you normally would.

Natsura is running when there is a Natsura menu in Houdini's main menu bar and the Welcome Screen opens. On the first launch it asks a few questions, which Interface covers.

Licence key

Natsura asks for your licence key the first time a Natsura node cooks, not when Houdini starts. Copy it from your dashboard on natsura.com and paste it in. To change it later, use Natsura > Change License.

Changing your setup

launch.conf is plain text with one KEY=VALUE per line. HOUDINI_EXE is the Houdini to launch, USE_SPLASH turns the splash on (1) or off (0), and SPLASH_MESSAGE is the text drawn over it. Edit it and launch again. To change anything else, such as adding the package, run setup again: from the setup folder after a launcher install, or from the top of the folder after a package-only install.

Troubleshooting