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Seamlessly bridge your Cinema 4D to Houdini workflow

Connect

Export

Import

LiveCam

Open Folder

Connect to Houdini

Establishes a live connection between Cinema 4D and your active Houdini session. The plugin automatically detects running Houdini instances and maintains a stable bridge for real-time data transfer. Click to toggle connection on/off.

Export to Houdini

Send selected objects or entire scenes from Cinema 4D to Houdini. Supports multiple formats including Alembic and FBX, with options for animation baking and hierarchy preservation. Respects your configured export settings.

Import from Houdini

Bring Houdini geometry back into Cinema 4D. Automatically converts between different geometry types and handles unit scaling. Supports modifiers for precise placement in your scene hierarchy.

Live Camera Sync

Synchronize viewport cameras between Cinema 4D and Houdini in real-time. Perfect for lookdev and layout work. Includes support for camera parameters like focal length, aperture, and focus distance.

Open Folder

Quick access to your export directory. Opens the folder containing your exported files in your system's file browser. Useful for managing exported assets and checking file outputs.

Current Session:

Filename:

Controls how exported files are named:

Random – Generates unique filenames to avoid conflicts and create new nodes each time
Objects/Document – Uses selected object names or document name for organized file naming
Custom – Allows manual filename entry in the text field below for precise control

When exporting with Objects/Document or Custom names and the file already exists, the plugin temporarily clears file references in Houdini to allow overwriting. This ensures a smooth workflow without file lock issues. With Random filenames, new files and nodes are created each time.

Note: The plugin intelligently handles existing files by preparing Houdini nodes before export and restoring them afterwards, all in optimized batch operations to minimize performance impact.

Export to:

Defines the destination folder for exported/imported files:

$HIP/c4d2hou – Uses Houdini’s project directory for organized project-based exports
$JOB/c4d2hou – Uses Houdini’s job directory, ideal for shared project workflows
$prj/c4d2hou – Uses Cinema 4D’s project directory (document must be saved first)
Choose… – Select any custom folder for flexible export locations

Export as:

Sets the file format for geometry export:

*.abc – Exports standard Alembic files for geometry transfer
.abc (Archive) – Creates Alembic Archive nodes in Houdini for optimized workflows
*.fbx – Exports FBX files with full geometry and material information
*.fbx (Subnet) – Imports as FBX subnets in Houdini with complete hierarchy

Freeze Geometry:

The button button enables hardlock mode, which temporarily locks geometry data directly into Houdini nodes rather than using external files. This is particularly useful for:

Eliminates file path dependencies and potential access issues
Speeds up repeated exports without file management overhead

When freeze mode is active:

Export destination automatically switches to temporary folder
Animation options are disabled (static export only)
Geometry data is baked directly into Houdini node parameters
File path selection controls become unavailable

The freeze state persists across plugin sessions, making it ideal for extended debugging work. Toggle off to return to normal file-based export workflow.

Import as (VDB):

Determines how VDB volume files are imported into Cinema 4D:

Volume Loader – Creates standard Cinema 4D Volume objects for general volume workflows
RS Volume – Creates Redshift Volume objects optimized for rendering with Redshift

Import as (Particles):

Controls particle system import behavior:

As Particle Geometry – Imports as Cinema 4D particle geometry with full particle system support
As Polygon Object – Converts particles to polygon meshes for standard geometry workflows
As Particle Group – Creates particle group objects for organized scene management

From/To:

Sets the frame range for animated exports:

Static – Exports only the current frame for single-frame geometry transfer
Document Range – Uses the full timeline range as defined in Cinema 4D’s timeline
Preview Range – Exports only the preview/playback range for focused animation segments

Scale:

Adjusts the scale factor between Cinema 4D and Houdini coordinate systems:

Default: 0.01 – Converts Cinema 4D’s centimeter units to Houdini’s meter units
Increase value – For larger objects that need more precision in Houdini
Decrease value – For smaller objects requiring finer detail work