Houdini Server

Control SideFX Houdini from AI assistants via the Model Context Protocol.

35 tools for node creation, parameter editing, geometry inspection, scene management, and arbitrary Python execution — all driven by natural language through Claude or any MCP-compatible client.

Features

• Node operations — create, delete, rename, connect, layout, cook, find nodes
• Parameter control — get/set values, list parameters, set expressions
• Geometry inspection — read points, primitives, bounding boxes, export .geo
• Scene management — new/open/save scenes, scene info
• Transform tools — get/set object transforms
• Code execution — run arbitrary Python or HScript inside Houdini
• Built-in documentation — 11 comprehensive HOM reference docs + 5 index files, searchable via MCP tools

Prerequisites

• Houdini (any edition — Apprentice, Indie, Core, FX)
• Python 3.10+
• uv (recommended) or pip

Setup

1. Start RPYC server in Houdini

Open Houdini's Python Shell (Windows > Python Shell) and run:

import hrpyc
hrpyc.start_server(port=18811)

Or use the provided helper script:

exec(open("/path/to/houdini-mcp/houdini_setup.py").read())

2. Configure your MCP client

Add to your MCP client configuration (e.g., .mcp.json for Claude Code):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "houdini": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "/path/to/houdini-mcp", "run", "server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/houdini-mcp with the actual path to this repo.

3. Connect

Call the houdini_connect tool first. Then use any of the 35 available tools.

Claude Code Skill (Optional)

The claude-skill/ directory contains a Houdini Python reference skill for Claude Code. To use it:

1. Copy claude-skill/houdini-python.md to your project's .claude/commands/ directory
2. The skill provides HOM API reference, SOP/DOP/VOP node guides, and scripting patterns
3. Invoke with /houdini-python in Claude Code

Tools

Category	Tools
Connection	houdini_connect, houdini_disconnect
Scene	houdini_scene_new, houdini_scene_open, houdini_scene_save, houdini_scene_info
Nodes	houdini_node_create, houdini_node_delete, houdini_node_rename, houdini_node_connect, houdini_node_cook, houdini_node_info, houdini_node_children, houdini_node_find, houdini_node_layout, houdini_node_set_flags
Parameters	houdini_parm_get, houdini_parm_set, houdini_parm_list, houdini_parm_set_expression
Geometry	houdini_geo_info, houdini_geo_read_points, houdini_geo_read_prims, houdini_geo_bbox, houdini_geo_export
Transforms	houdini_transform_get, houdini_transform_set
Execution	houdini_execute, houdini_hscript
Frame	houdini_set_frame

How it works

┌──────────────┐     MCP (stdio)     ┌──────────────┐     RPYC (TCP)     ┌──────────────┐
│  AI Client   │ ◄─────────────────► │  MCP Server  │ ◄────────────────► │   Houdini    │
│ (Claude etc) │                     │  (server.py) │                     │  (port 18811)│
└──────────────┘                     └──────────────┘                     └──────────────┘

The MCP server translates tool calls into RPYC remote procedure calls to Houdini's Python interpreter. Houdini runs an RPYC server (via hrpyc) that exposes the full hou module.

License

MIT