Holiday Challenge is warming up as December approaches!

Houdini Versions, Orbolt Assets and You!

This post covers the differences between Houdini/Houdini Apprentice when creating Orbolt assets.

Below is a handy chart highlighting the major features of each version of Houdini Apprentice.

One of the requirements of Apprentice version is that the software be used for non commercial work only. The good news is that it sill can be used to create assets that can be sold commercially on the Orbolt website! Any assets created with Houdini Apprentice or Houdini Apprentice HD will be converted at upload stage to fully commercial format. This lets anyone download Houdini Apprentice for free and start creating assets without any cost.

The author decides if they want to give away the asset for free or charge for it. If the asset has a set price, an automatic Trial version will be available. This allows users to download and try the asset for 3 days free of charge. The time starts at the moment of download. It gives everyone a chance to play with the assets in the store, without any risk. Once the trial expires the user can choose to purchase the asset if they would like to continue to use it.

Any assets that are sold will have two prices that the users can choose from. The Apprentice version, which will usually be cheaper to fall in line with Houdini Apprentice/HD pricing. This version can be used for non commercial projects and will taint the Houdini session into non commercial format. The commercial version of the asset can be used without any restrictions for commercial or non commercial projects.

Any questions or concerns don't hesitate to ask at: support@orbolt.com

Don't launder your money, clear your cache! Yes we've updated the server to roll in some new features: Version history, enhanced uploads, and copy-protection for free assets. Upload your otl file and see what's new!

Version History:
Now when you upload or update an asset, you can new describe what changes you have made since the last version. This information is visible every Asset's page in the Orbolt Asset store, and will soon be available inside Houdini when you're prompted to update an asset.

Copy Protection for Free Assets:
Authors are now able to copy-protect free assets, should they desire. Until now, only paid assets could be copy-protected. Now, you can still give your asset away for free but hide how it works.

Upload Enhancements:
The upload page has been redesigned and streamlined to make it easier to upload assets. Managing icons has been simplified, especially when the otl file contains an icon that is different from the previous version's icon.