# SideFX Labs

Repository: https://github.com/sideeffects/SideFXLabs
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/sidefx-labs
Homepage: https://www.sidefx.com/products/sidefx-labs/
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: houdini, toolset, tools, procedural, art, vfx, tech-art, unity3d, unreal-engine, real-time, game-development
Last push: 2026-09-02T22:28:19+00:00
Link (homepage): https://www.sidefx.com/products/sidefx-labs/
Link (site_page): https://www.sidefx.com/faq
Link (site_page): https://www.sidefx.com/docs
Link (site_page): https://www.sidefx.com/changelog
Link (site_page): https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/labs

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 91/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 100, release rhythm 74, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2744, "days_push": 0, "days_rel": 97, "gap_med": 0, "n_releases_24m": 1714}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1226, forks 209 (observed 2026-09-03T02:15:17.851143+00:00)

## What it is
SideFX Labs is a free, open-source, artist-friendly toolset for Houdini containing hundreds of Houdini Digital Assets (HDAs), Python modules, custom VEX functions, UI extensions, and game engine plugins for Unreal and Unity. It is developed outside the regular Houdini release cycle as a testing ground for new procedural tools, with community feedback shaping development.

## Use cases
- export procedural Houdini assets into Unreal or Unity
- generate terrains, biomes, and natural environments procedurally
- create pyro, particle, and destruction effects for games
- run a photogrammetry pipeline inside Houdini
- find ready-made HDAs for common VFX and modeling workflows
- prototype new Houdini tools before they ship in core Houdini

## When to choose
- you use Houdini for game development or real-time content creation
- you want free, maintained procedural assets and engine integration plugins
- you want early access to experimental SideFX tools like Project Dryad or Vitruvius

## When to avoid
- you don't use Houdini, since the tools require a Houdini installation
- you need production-stable, officially supported features rather than a testing ground
- you need a fully permissive license - the license is custom and not standard open source

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: active
- function: ui-components, image-processing, graphics, sdk, plugin-system, developer-tools
- domain: graphics, simulation, gaming-tools, media
- platform: windows, cross-platform, cpp, python
- tags: houdini, hda, vex, tech-art, vfx, unreal-engine, unity, procedural-content, photogrammetry, game-engine-plugins, game-development, macos, linux

## Member repositories
- sideeffects/SideFXLabs (main) score 91
- sideeffects/GameDevelopmentToolset (mirror) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-09-03T02:15:17.851143+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:15:25.031801+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/sideeffects/SideFXLabs (fetched 2026-09-03T02:15:17.851143+00:00, sha 356e36d0b05b)
  - homepage: https://www.sidefx.com/products/sidefx-labs/ (fetched 2026-08-29T12:23:48.962544+00:00, sha 082d4075ba5c)
  - site_page: https://www.sidefx.com/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T12:23:48.966782+00:00, sha f66685f931c5)
  - site_page: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/labs (fetched 2026-08-29T12:23:48.970027+00:00, sha a69b3b03474b)
  - site_page: https://www.sidefx.com/company/about-sidefx (fetched 2026-08-29T12:23:48.972813+00:00, sha b3bb6f1dbf23)
  - site_page: https://www.sidefx.com/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T12:23:48.965165+00:00, sha 07793a8af714)
  - site_page: https://www.sidefx.com/changelog (fetched 2026-08-29T12:23:48.968358+00:00, sha f50367c08d10)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.