Houdini Python Stubs for VS Code

Description:

Unlock powerful IntelliSense support for Houdini’s hou module in Visual Studio Code! This free Stubs package provides enhanced autocomplete, function definitions, and type hints, making your Python development in Houdini smoother and more efficient.

Why You Need This: If you’ve ever struggled with the lack of proper code completion for Houdini’s hou module in VS Code, this package is for you. Houdini’s built-in Python module lacks accurate typing information, which can result in poor or missing IntelliSense support. These Stubs files solve that issue by providing detailed type information, helping your editor understand the hou module better.

Key Features:

• Accurate IntelliSense: Enjoy full autocomplete, function definitions, and parameter hints for the hou module in Houdini.
• Easy Setup: Simply download, extract, and configure the stubPath in your VS Code settings. No more guesswork!
• Optimized for Houdini 20.5: This package is tailored for Houdini version 20.5. Compatibility with other versions has not been tested.
• Free Video Tutorial Included: A step-by-step video guide to help you set up the Stubs and get started quickly.

How to Use:

Step 1: Extract the downloaded stubs file to any folder on your computer (make sure the folder path does not contain any Chinese characters) and take note of this path.

Step 2: Open Houdini, create a Python node inside a geo node, and enter the following code. Make sure to update the path for vscode_settings['python.analysis.stubPath'] to the path where you saved the stubs.

import sys
import pathlib
import json

vscode_settings = {}
# Get the path to the Python interpreter used by Houdini
pythonexe_path = pathlib.Path(sys.prefix).resolve().joinpath(‘python.exe’)
vscode_settings[‘python.defaultInterpreterPath’] = pythonexe_path.as_posix()

# Get paths from sys.path, remove duplicates while preserving order
sys_paths = [pathlib.Path(p).resolve() for p in sys.path]
unique_sys_paths = list(dict.fromkeys(sys_paths))
vscode_settings[‘python.analysis.extraPaths’] = [p.as_posix() for p in unique_sys_paths]

# Set the Python analysis stubPath to point to your stubs folder
vscode_settings[‘python.analysis.stubPath’] = ‘D:/pyro/stubs’

# Print the configuration as a JSON string
print(json.dumps(vscode_settings, indent=4))

Step 3: After running the code, you will see the relevant JSON settings printed in the Houdini console. If nothing appears, try opening the Python Shell window and run the Python node again. Copy the outputted JSON configuration and paste it into your VS Code settings (settings.json).

You can also refer to the example below:

{
“python.defaultInterpreterPath”: “D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/python311/python.exe”,
“python.analysis.extraPaths”: [
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/python311/lib/site-packages-ui-forced”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/python311/lib/site-packages-forced”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/bin/python311.zip”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/python311/dlls”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/python311/lib”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/bin”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/python311”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/packages/sculpt/python3.11libs”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/packages/kinefx/python3.11libs”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/packages/apex/python3.11libs”,
“D:/Program Files/sidefx_packages/SideFXLabs20.5/scripts/python”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/packages/kinefx/viewer_states”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/packages/apex/viewer_states”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/houdini/viewer_states”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/packages/kinefx/viewer_handles”,
“D:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini 20.5.278/houdini/viewer_handles”,
“D:/Program Files/sidefx_packages/SideFXLabs20.5/viewer_states”
],
“python.analysis.stubPath”: “D:/pyro/stubs”
}

Step 4: Restart VS Code, and try typing hou functions to see the improved autocompletion in action.

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By following these steps, you can significantly enhance your Python development experience in Houdini with proper IntelliSense support in VS Code.