Commercial Use
Natsura is a plugin for SideFX Houdini.
It does not include Houdini. You must get a separate Houdini license from SideFX.
If you use Natsura, you must respect both:
If you don't already have the right Houdini license, you are not ready to use Natsura.
1. Houdini editions – what SideFX allows
Very short version (details are on SideFX’s site):
- Houdini Apprentice – FREE, NON-COMMERCIAL ONLY
- For learning and personal work
- Non-commercial scene format
- Resolution / export limits and watermarked output
- Houdini Indie – Limited commercial
- For small studios / individual creators under SideFX’s revenue and usage caps
- Houdini Commercial (Core / FX) – Full commercial
- For studios and unrestricted commercial work
If you’re unsure what you’re allowed to do: assume the strictest case and ask SideFX.
2. Natsura editions vs Houdini editions
This table is about what we support / intend.
It does not override SideFX’s rules in any way.
| Natsura license | Supported Houdini editions (from Natsura's side) | Commercial use of Natsura?* | Key idea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natsura Apprentice | Houdini Apprentice only | No | Learning / hobby only. Non‑commercial. |
| Natsura Indie | Houdini Indie, Houdini Apprentice | Yes (Natsura side) | Commercial OK only where Houdini itself allows it. |
| Natsura Pro | Houdini Commercial, Houdini Indie, Houdini Apprentice | Yes (Natsura side) | Pro feature set. Houdini's rules always win. |
| Natsura Studio | Houdini Commercial, Houdini Indie, Houdini Apprentice | Yes (Natsura side) | Studio feature set. Same Houdini constraints as above. |
* “Commercial use of Natsura?” = whether our license permits commercial work.
It does not mean Houdini allows commercial use in that configuration.
3. How to pair them in practice
Think in two layers:
- Houdini decides whether your work is commercial / non‑commercial and what export / render limits you have.
- Natsura decides which features you get and what Natsura‑side commercial rights you have.
3.1 Learning / non‑commercial only
- Houdini Apprentice
- Natsura Apprentice (or higher, if you already own it)
Result:
- You are strictly non‑commercial because Houdini Apprentice is non‑commercial.
- Your exports / renders are still limited and watermarked as per SideFX’s rules.
3.2 Small‑scale commercial (indie)
- Houdini Indie
- Natsura Indie, Pro, or Studio
3.3 Full commercial / studio
- Houdini FX/Core (commercial)
- Natsura Pro or Natsura Studio
4. Higher Natsura tiers on Houdini Apprentice
From a purely technical point of view:
- Natsura Indie / Pro / Studio can run while Houdini is in Apprentice mode.
That does not turn Apprentice into a commercial license.
If Houdini is running as Apprentice:
- You are still non‑commercial only.
- You still have watermarks, resolution limits, export restrictions, etc.
- Mixing Apprentice content into a commercial pipeline can violate SideFX’s EULA.
We:
- Do not encourage or endorse using Houdini Apprentice in any way that breaks SideFX’s terms.
- Will always point you back to SideFX’s EULA if your use‑case is “borderline”.
If you want to do paid work with Natsura:
5. Mental model (read this before complaining about licensing)
- Step 1 – Choose Houdini correctly
- Decide what you want to do (learning / hobby / indie / full studio).
- Get the matching Houdini edition from SideFX:
- Step 2 – Pick Natsura to match your Houdini choice
- If your Houdini is non‑commercial, treat Natsura as non‑commercial too.
- If your Houdini is Indie, stay inside SideFX’s Indie rules and revenue caps.
- If your Houdini is Commercial, use Natsura Pro/Studio as needed.
- Step 3 – The strictest rule wins
- If there’s any conflict between what Natsura allows and what Houdini allows,
Houdini’s EULA wins for how you can use Houdini and its outputs.
- If there’s any conflict between what Natsura allows and what Houdini allows,