Systems4 of 8
Licence18 of 33
Modelling tools38 of 38
Formats5 of 6
Price7 of 15
3D modeling program · SideFX
Houdini
Node-based 3D program for procedural modeling, animation and effects, with a free Apprentice version for personal projects.
In short
- Houdini Apprentice is free and limited to non-commercial projects; it renders at up to 1920x1080 and adds a watermark to most formats3.
- Houdini Indie costs $299 for one year or $449 for two, for commercial entities with under $100K USD in annual gross revenue2.
- Houdini Core and FX are sold as perpetual or rental licences, and the buy page shows no prices1.
- It exports FBX, OBJ, glTF, STL and USD, but not STEP11,12,13.
- It runs on Windows 11, Linux and Apple Silicon Macs; Windows 10 and older are not supported4.
Houdini suits artists who want to build models and effects from node networks, and it covers sculpting, UV tools, cloth and fluid simulation, Karma rendering and Python scripting5,9,10,2. The cheapest paid-work route is Indie at $299 a year2. The catch: the free Apprentice version bars paid work, and Indie is limited to $100K USD in annual gross revenue2,3.
Best for: Artists who want procedural, node-driven modeling and simulation.
Where the points come from
Systems 4 of 8 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Other systems | macOS, LinuxSupports Apple Silicon Macs on macOS 11 or later, and 64-bit Linux distributions. No web or iPad version listed4. | 4 / 8 |
Licence 18 of 33 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Free version without a time limit | YesApprentice is a free version for personal projects; its licence renews every thirty days automatically, with no end date shown3. | 10 / 10 |
| Free version allowed for paid work | NoApprentice must be used on non-commercial projects only3. | 0 / 6 |
| One-off licence you keep | YesCommercial products come with perpetual or rental licence types1. | 8 / 8 |
| Open source | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's licence agreement page15. | 0 / 5 |
| Free licence for students | Not publishedEducation licences are bought through the cart; the page does not say they are free1,14. | 0 / 4 |
Modelling tools 38 of 38 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Precise curve and solid modeling | YesDocumentation lists Bezier/NURBS surfaces among Houdini's primitive types6. | 5 / 5 |
| Digital sculpting | YesThe Sculpt node reshapes a surface with push, pull, flatten and smooth brushes5. | 5 / 5 |
| Node-based procedural modeling | YesGeometry nodes inside Geo objects generate geometry; the node list is documented for the current release16,5. | 5 / 5 |
| Rigging and animation | YesDocuments keyframe animation with an animation editor, and KineFX rigging for characters7,8. | 5 / 5 |
| Physics simulation | YesVellum handles cloth, hair, grains, fluids and softbodies9. | 4 / 4 |
| UV unwrapping | YesSOP list includes UV Flatten, UV Layout, UV Pelt and UV Project5. | 4 / 4 |
| Built-in ray-traced renderer | YesKarma, "Houdini's physically-based path tracer", is included with Indie19,2. | 5 / 5 |
| Scripting and add-ons | YesPython scripting through the Houdini Object Model, documented in the manual10. | 5 / 5 |
Formats 5 of 6 points
Price 7 of 15 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way to use it for paid work | $24.92/moIndie, $299 for one year divided by 12. It allows commercial use under a $100K USD annual gross revenue cap2. | 7 / 12 |
| Full-feature trial | Not publishedThe Try page offers the free Apprentice version; it states no timed trial of the full program3. | 0 / 3 |
The rule behind each line: how we score 3D modeling programs.
Plans and prices
As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.
| Plan | Price as listed | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice1 person, non-commercial | Free3 | $0 | Watermarked renders, 1920x1080 maximum |
| Indie (1 year)1 person, under $100K USD annual gross revenue | $299/year2 | $24.92 | Limited commercial use; Karma XPU included |
| Indie (2 years)1 person, under $100K USD annual gross revenue | $449 for 2 years2 | $18.71 | Two-year term |
| Core and FXStudios and artists | Not shown1 | Quote | Perpetual or rental licences; no price on the buy page |
The Indie price is shown for a one-year or two-year term2. Core and FX prices are not shown on the buy page1.
Strengths
- Free Apprentice version has a thirty-day licence that renews automatically and includes virtually all Houdini FX features, according to SideFX3.
- Geometry nodes inside Geo objects generate geometry16.
- Karma XPU renderer is built into Indie2.
- Python scripting is documented through the Houdini Object Model10.
- Vellum covers cloth, hair, grains, fluids and softbodies9.
Limits
- Apprentice is for non-commercial projects only and watermarks most renders3.
- Indie is limited to $100K USD in annual gross revenue and to three licences per studio2.
- Indie uses its own file format for saving scenes2.
- Windows 10 and older, and Windows Server, are not supported4.
- No STEP export is listed12.
What SideFX says
Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.
- SideFX says Apprentice gives access to virtually all features of Houdini FX3.
Other 3D modeling programs
- 1
BlenderAnyone who wants full 3D tools for paid work at no cost80/100$0cheapest way to use it for paid work - 3
FreeCADPeople who want free, scriptable solid modeling for designed parts50/100$0cheapest way to use it for paid work - 4
Rhino 3DDesigners who want precise curve and surface modeling and prefer to buy once48/100$30.92/mocheapest way to use it for paid work - 5
Cinema 4DMotion designers who want modeling, animation and rendering in one subscription48/100Not publishedcheapest way to use it for paid work
Houdini vs Blender · Houdini vs FreeCAD · All 9 3D modeling programs
Sources
- Buy Houdini, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Houdini Indie, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Try Houdini Apprentice, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Houdini system requirements, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- SOP nodes, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Primitives, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Animation, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Character, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Vellum, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Python scripting, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Import and export, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Geometry file formats, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- USD render node, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Houdini licensing, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Houdini license agreement, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Houdini documentation, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Filmbox (FBX), SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- glTF, SideFX. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Karma, SideFX. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Website: www.sidefx.com · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with SideFX.