Things that come in handy when working with Houdini.
Abbreviation Vocab
| OP/TLA | Full Name | Context | What it does (example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOP | Surface Operator | Geometry network | Build/modify meshes (Box, PolyExtrude) |
| DOP | Dynamics Operator | DOP network | Physics sims (RBD Object, Flip Solver) |
| COP | Compositing Operator | COP network | Image compositing (Blur, ColorCorrect) |
| VOP | VEX Operator | VOP network | Visual VEX graphs (Noise, Add) |
| ROP | Render Output Operator | /out context | Render/export (Mantra, Filmbox FBX) |
| XOP | eXternal Operator | HDK/plugins | C++ nodes from HDK or 3rd-party |
| SHOP | Shading Operator | SHOP context (legacy) | Materials/textures (Texture, Material) |
| OTL | Operator Type Library | File | Defines one or more HDAs (.otl asset libraries) |
| HDA | Houdini Digital Asset | Any network | Packaged, reusable node (e.g. procedural building HDA) |
| CHOP | Channel Operator | CHOP network | Audio/timed data ops (Waveform, Filter) |
| POP | Particle Operator | SOP/DOP networks | Particle sims (POP Source, POP Solver) |
| TOP | Task Operator | TOP network (PDG) | Defines work graphs; manages task dependencies |
| PDG | Procedural Dependency Graph | Core system | Underlying framework for TOP networks |
| LOP | Lighting Operator (Solaris/USD) | LOP network | USD scene ops (Stage Manager, Render Settings) |
| RenderMan_ROP | RenderMan Render ROP | /out context | Renders with RenderMan (AOVs, bucket settings) |
| RmanProcSOP | RenderMan Procedural SOP | SOP network | Instanced .rmanproc procedurals in-scene |
| PxrSurface_VOP | Pixar Surface Shader VOP | VOP network | Build standard PxrSurface materials |
| PxrDisplace_VOP | Pixar Displacement Shader VOP | VOP network | Create RenderMan displacement shaders |
| PxrVolume_VOP | Pixar Volume Shader VOP | VOP network | Define smoke/fire volume shaders |
| PxrRodLight | RenderMan Area Light VOP | VOP/Light context | Area-light shader for RenderMan |
| PxrEnvDayLight | RenderMan Environment Light | LOP/Solaris network | Daylight (sun/sky) lighting setup |
| USD Import SOP | USD Import SOP | SOP network | Import USD prims as Houdini geometry |
| USD ROP | USD ROP | /out context | Export the current stage to USDA/USDC/USDZ |
| Karma_ROP | Karma Render ROP | /out or LOP context | Render your Solaris (LOP) scene with the Karma Hydra delegate |