I built a free, open-source HDA library panel for Houdini — versions, notes, tags, preview videos, and which HIP files used each asset

[saelly]

I kept losing track of my own HDAs: five versions of the same tool across three
folders, no idea which HIP files used which one, and no record of what I changed
between them. So I built a panel that keeps all of it in one place. It has been
my daily driver for a while and I finally cleaned it up enough to share.

**What it does**

- Middle-drag a node into the panel to register it. Drag it back out into a
  Network Editor to import it.
- Every registration is a version with a comment, so you can go back to the one
  that worked.
- Thumbnails and preview videos, Markdown notes, tags with autocomplete,
  favorites.
- Search by name, tag or node type; browse by category.
- A Records tab showing which HIP files contain your assets and where in the
  node graph, and a Find tab for the ones in the scene you have open right now.
- A web tab, so Houdini's help is one click away without leaving the panel.

**Extras you can ignore**

- Team mode: a FastAPI/PostgreSQL server so a small studio shares one library,
  with roles, conflict handling and verified backups.
- Local AI: Ollama running on your own machine can suggest a note and tags from
  the thumbnail. Only metadata and the thumbnail are sent, and nothing is saved
  without your click.
- Library tools: integrity checks, backups, path repair after moving a library,
  and version comparison.

**Requirements**

Houdini 21 or newer. It uses Houdini's bundled Python and PySide6, so there is
nothing to pip install. Windows, Linux and macOS. FFmpeg is optional and only
needed for preview videos.

**Install:** copy one package JSON into your Houdini packages folder, set one
path in it, restart, then Windows → Python Panel → Individual HDA.

**Honest limitations**

- Local mode is built for a single writer. Several panels on one machine are
  fine; several artists writing to one library over a network drive is not, and
  that is what team mode exists for.
- Houdini 21+ only.
- It is a one-person project, so expect rough edges and please tell me about
  them.

MIT licensed, no account, no telemetry: https://github.com/seongcheoljeon/IndividualHDA

Feedback is what I am actually after. If you try it and it does not fit the way
you work, I would like to hear why.