User Guide
This guide will walk you through the main features of the Houd-ini AI Assistant and explain how to use it effectively to improve your workflow.
1. The Main Interface
The main panel is your central hub for interacting with the AI. Here’s a breakdown of its key components:
Conversation Area: The central part of the window where your chat with the AI is displayed.
Query Input Bar: Located at the bottom, this is where you type your questions. It features animated placeholder prompts to give you ideas.
Context Buttons: Below the input bar, you'll find "Analyze Context" and "Analyze Selection", which are crucial for scene-related questions.
Top Toolbar: A row of icon-based buttons at the top provides quick access to advanced features.
2. Core Workflow: Asking Questions
The power of the assistant comes from its ability to understand your Houdini scene. This is called providing "context."
Step 1: Provide Scene Context (Crucial!)
Before asking a question about your network, you must first tell the AI what to look at.
To Analyze Your Current View: Click the Analyze Context button. This will scan all the nodes currently visible in your Network Editor and load their information (parameters, connections, etc.) as context for the AI.
To Analyze Specific Nodes: Select one or more nodes in your network and click the Analyze Selection button. The assistant will analyze only those nodes and their direct inputs, which is faster and more focused.
Once context is loaded, a status message at the top will confirm it (e.g., "Context: 52 nodes (selection)").
Step 2: Ask Your Question
With the context loaded, you can now ask specific questions about it. Type your query in the input bar and press Enter.
Examples of Scene-Related Questions:
"Explain the purpose of the selected nodes."
"Why is the
polyextrude1node not working as expected?""Optimize this network for better performance."
"Write a VEX snippet to add noise to the
@Pattribute on the selected geometry."
General Knowledge Questions
You can also ask general Houdini questions without loading any scene context. The assistant will recognize these and provide an answer from its knowledge base.
Examples:
"Write a Python script to rename all nodes in
/obj.""Explain how quaternions work in VEX."
"What is the difference between a
copytopointsand aninstancenode?"
3. Interacting with AI Responses
The AI's answers are interactive. Depending on the content of the response, you may see several buttons appear below the message bubble:
📋 Copy Code: If the AI provides a VEX or Python code block, this button will appear. Click it to copy the entire code snippet to your clipboard.
🏗️ Build Network: If the AI suggests a sequence of nodes in a special
RECIPE:format (e.g.,RECIPE: box -> subdivide -> mountain), this button will appear. Clicking it will automatically create and connect these nodes in your current network pane.📝 Add Note: For AI responses that analyze your scene, this button allows you to create a sticky note from the AI's explanation and attach it to the selected nodes for future reference.
4. Advanced Features (Top Toolbar)
The icons at the top of the panel give you access to powerful, one-click features:
📄 Export as Documentation: Select one or more nodes and click this button. The AI will analyze them and generate a complete technical documentation page, including a description, key parameters, and code snippets. A preview window will open where you can save the result as a PDF or text file.
🐞 Debug Selection: If you have a node that is showing an error or not behaving correctly, select it and click this button. The AI will switch to its "Debugger" role, analyze the node for common errors (like incorrect VEX syntax or bad references), and provide a precise diagnosis and solution.
HDA Create HDA from Prompt: This feature allows you to describe a digital asset in plain English. For example, type "Create an HDA that makes a procedural fence with controls for post height and spacing" and click this button. The AI will design the internal network and promote the necessary parameters, creating a ready-to-use HDA in your scene.
Advanced Export: Opens a dialog with detailed options to export your scene graph to a JSON file, which can be useful for pipeline automation or detailed analysis outside of Houdini.
Clear Chat: Clears the current conversation history from the panel. It will give you the option to clear the session only or to permanently delete the saved history file from your project directory.
Settings: Opens the settings dialog where you can change your API key and select the AI model.
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