The fastest way to keep Houdini projects portable is to start every one from the same folder template. When the tree is consistent, $JOB-relative paths line up automatically and nobody has to guess where caches or renders live.
The template
PROJECT/ <- point $JOB here
hip/ scene files (.hip, .hipnc)
geo/ cached geometry (.bgeo.sc, .vdb)
sim/ simulation caches (flip, pyro, rbd)
render/ rendered frames and AOVs
tex/ textures and source maps
comp/ comp output and COP work
abc/ Alembic caches and exchange
otls/ Houdini Digital Assets (.hda / .otl)
scripts/ Python, shelf tools, pre/post scripts
desk/ desktop and workspace layouts
audio/ audio for animation and sim timingWhy this shape
It follows the SideFX default project layout closely, so it plays well with Houdini's own conventions, and it keeps the four categories that matter cleanly separated: source (tex, audio), working files (hip, scripts, desk), caches (geo, sim, abc) and output (render, comp). Nothing lives on a local desktop, and every relative path has an obvious home. See the $JOB folder structure guide for what each folder is for in detail.
Generate the tree for free
You do not have to build the folders by hand. The free Houdini VEX Lab includes a $JOB project-structure generator that scaffolds this tree for you - no login and no billing, it is our free tool for Houdini artists. Point Houdini's $JOB at the new root and your paths resolve from the first save.
Keep projects to the template
A template helps on day one; keeping projects to it over weeks is the hard part. Hive scans a project folder in your browser and flags where it has drifted from the structure - caches outside geo or sim, textures on a local drive, HDAs missing from otls, scenes scattered outside hip. Between the free generator to start clean and Hive to stay clean, every project keeps the same shape. Nothing is uploaded; the scan is local.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free Houdini project folder generator?
Yes. The free Houdini VEX Lab includes a $JOB project-structure generator that scaffolds the standard tree for you, with no login or billing.
Where should I point $JOB?
At the project root - the folder that contains hip, geo, sim, render, tex and the rest. Then all your $JOB-relative paths resolve from the first save.
How do I keep a project matching the template?
Hive scans the project folder in your browser and flags files that drifted out of the expected folders, so projects stay consistent over time without uploading anything.