Hi, there. I'm releasing an "early version" of a tool I've been working on.
The Wormhole Content Browser is a custom UI for Houdini that enables quick browsing, previewing, and importing of content into Houdini.
Some existing features:
File browser within a pane tab for easy integration with your desktop.
Access browser through parameter context menu to set parameter to a selected file.
Easily generate geometry previews using the viewport or mantra.
Thumbnails are cached to disk for quick access, especially for previously loaded large images.
Import files into SOPs, COPs, or CHOPs.
Plus more!
Note: This tool is in development, but the functionality currently provided is complete. I am offering this version for free to get people to bang on it a bit. I will continue to fix bugs and make limited improvements to this version. I am planning on adding more features like improving workflow interactions with Houdini, and tools to search through content in a future version that may not be free.
Here's a link to the gumroad project page: Wormhole Content Browser
Peter.