Houdini Extended Collector

upd 07.10.2025:

fixed: small case with UDIMs selection list (now it treats them as a sequence)

upd 05.10.2025:

added: Console verbose added (currently processing item)

fixed:

1. The collector now correctly collects files from the scene very root (where the $HIP lays). In a previous version it caused an error, fixed now.
2. Fixed a small error case with Filecache nodes in an explicit mode.

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This is an extended scene collector for houdini. Extended means that it not only collects all files but also fixes all paths is a scene, so the collected scene is ready to open-and-work, no need to reassign assets! I use this collector on an ongoing basis. Tested in Houdini 19.0, 19.5, 20.0, 20.5.

Main features are:

Two modes:

1. Collect to selected folder. Collects all scene dependencies into the specified folder and changes all paths inside the scene, so they will be constructed from $HIP. Copies updated scene to the same folder. An original scene does not change. Use this mode for sending a scene to another computer or directory (uploading a scene to a render farm, archiving a project, giving it to another team).
2. Collect to current HIP project. Copies all scene dependencies to a current HIP scene folder and changes assosiated paths so they are constructed from $HIP if necessary. Use this mode if you don't need to collect the whole project and just want to copy all necessary files into the current HIP folder.

Main features:

• Collect all scene textures, alembics, bgeos etc.
• Check size of each element and a total size
• Easy informative UI:
  • manually remove assets or parameters from collecting (including one-click sequences)
  • open asset folders or see source nodes
  • see which node uses which reference
• Works with filecache nodes in both constructed and explicit modes
• Works with sequences
• Works with UDIMs
• Works with USD including recursive search of nested usds
• Case-insensitive

Note: when working with frame-dependent sequences (usually constructed from $F) only references within the scene frame range will be parsed and copied. For example you have a JPEG file sequence with a range 1-1000 and a scene frame range is 1-100, then only 100 JPEGs will be copied (don't expect the collector to copy an unused part of a sequence). Adjust frame range in necessary. Usually you need a full frame range of all your render nodes.

Note2: collector will try to parse and copy from the OUT context by default. Usually you don't need this, so just remove them from a list manually, or delete these nodes before collecting to save parsing time

Known restrictions / issues:

• Only Windows tested
• There is a known restriction/bug for /out context: sometimes Mantra and Redshift ROP nodes are not parsed. But it's not a real problem because usually you don't need them.
• Only parameter references supported (like in a normal pipeline, no custom VEX path attributes existing only in a code).

How to install:

1. Download ZIP file
2. Unzip the contents of the archive into your Houdini home folder (e.g. C:\Users\<USER>\Documents\houdini19.5) so as a result you will have C:\Users\<USER>\Documents\houdini19.5\DimaYCollector
3. Pick one file DimaYCollector.json from there and move it into packages folder of your houdini user directory (create it if it does not exist). The full path for example can look like C:\Users\<USER>\Documents\houdini19.5\packages\DimaYCollector.json
4. After Houdini launch, find a new DimaYCollector shelf and a single tool "DimaYCollector" on it.
5. Enjoy!

This script on the github:

https://github.com/BlackAgate/DimaYCollector