This page describes how to install the MetaHuman for Houdini plugin. Plugins for other DCCs (such as Maya) are also available on the plugins page. This guide assumes you are using the Fab.com website rather than the Unreal Engine Fab integration.
Prerequisites
An Epic Games account for Fab
Epic Games Launcher
Unreal Engine
Houdini 20.5 or later, with the SideFX Labs package installed.
Windows-10/11 or Linux
Though it should be compatible with any Linux distribution that supports GLIBC-2.28, such as Ubuntu 22.04, MetaHuman for Houdini has only been tested and confirmed in Linux Rocky 8.
The MetaHuman Character Rig SOP used to assemble characters is only available in Houdini 21.0 or later.
Installing MetaHuman for Houdini
To install MetaHuman for Houdini, it must be added to your Fab Library, added to a compatible Unreal Engine version in the Epic Games Launcher, and then copied into a location that Houdini scans for package files. For more information about installing Houdini packages, consult the Houdini documentation.
The Epic Games Launcher is not available on Linux. If you are installing MetaHuman for Houdini on Linux, follow the steps below on a Windows computer first, copying the ZIP file to the Linux computer.
Add MetaHuman for Houdini to Your Fab Library
MetaHuman for Houdini is available from Fab. To add the plugin to your library, follow these steps:
Sign in to Fab.com.
Go to the MetaHuman for Houdini listing.
Click Add to My Library.
Add MetaHuman for Houdini to a Compatible Unreal Engine Version
Once added to your library, the MetaHuman for Houdini plugin must be added to a compatible Unreal Engine version.
In the Epic Games Launcher, navigate to the Fab Library.
Find the MetaHuman for Houdini entry, and click Install to Engine.
Select a compatible version of Unreal Engine to install to.
Copy MetaHuman for Houdini to Package Directory
Once installed to a compatible version of Unreal Engine, to complete the installation process the MetaHuman for Houdini plugin must be copied to a location that Houdini scans for package files.
If you have previously installed MetaHuman for Houdini using the MSI installer, you should first remove it using the standard uninstall process for Windows.
Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to the
C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_X.X\Engine\Plugins\Marketplace\MetaHumanForHoudini_X.X\Contentdirectory, for the appropriate version of Unreal Engine.Extract the contents of the
MetaHumanForHoudini_X.X.zipfile.Copy the contents to one of the locations used by Houdini when scanning for package files. For example, to install for Houdini 21.0:
Windows:
C:\Users\<user>\Documents\houdini21.0\packagesLinux:
/home/<user>/houdini21.0/packages
Updating MetaHuman for Houdini
If you have previously installed MetaHuman for Houdini using the MSI installer, you should first remove it using the standard uninstall process for Windows.
If you have previously added MetaHuman for Houdini to a compatible version of Unreal Engine in the Epic Games Launcher, it must be updated there first before you can install a new version.
In the Epic Games Launcher, navigate to the Library.
Find the appropriate Unreal Engine tile and click on Installed Plugins.
Look for the MetaHuman for Houdini entry, and click Update.
Enabling MetaHuman for Houdini
No further steps are required to enable the HDAs in Houdini.
Open Houdini and you should now see the MetaHuman tab in the node graph editor for both OBJ and SOP levels.
| OBJ | SOP |
|---|---|
 |  |
Settings
MetaHuman for Houdini will store settings in your app data folder C:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Epic Games/MetaHumanForHoudini on Windows, or /home/<username>/.config/Epic Games/MetaHumanForHoudini on Linux.
Uninstalling MetaHuman for Houdini
If you have previously installed MetaHuman for Houdini using the MSI installer, you can remove it using the standard uninstall process for Windows.
For any other version, MetaHuman for Houdini can be uninstalled by deleting the MetaHumanForHoudini folder and MetaHumanForHoudini.json file from the installed location where Houdini scans for package files.