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:

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.

* “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:

1. Houdini decides whether your work is commercial / non‑commercial and what export / render limits you have.
2. 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)

1. Step 1 – Choose Houdini correctly
   • Decide what you want to do (learning / hobby / indie / full studio).
   • Get the matching Houdini edition from SideFX:

   Compare editions

   See what each Houdini edition offers.

   Houdini product overview

   Learn about Houdini's capabilities.

2. 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.
3. 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.