Free public beta planned for Houdini on Unreal Engine 4

Developers will be able to sample Side Effects Software’s Houdini Engine via a public beta in April that lets them use the tool with Epic’s Unreal Engine 4.

Houdini specialists in procedural technology, where developers build node networks to define a repeatable recipe that get wrapped into custom smart assets. These assets can then be loaded into the Unreal Editor while Houdini handles the nodes behind the scenes.

The public beta is planned for early April, with the Houdini Engine plug-in designed to work with Unreal Engine 4.7, which was released this week.

Those participating in the beta will be able to use their own assets or build new ones in various versions of Houdini. To find out more about the beta, head to www.sidefx.com/unreal.

"Many developers have already leveraged procedural techniques in building their content, and tools like Houdini will enable even more possibilities," said Unreal Engine general manager Ray Davis.

"By combining the power of UE4 with Houdini technology, developers will be able to create richer experiences quicker than ever."