Installation

Natsura is distributed through the Natsura Launcher, which manages downloads, updates, and integration with Houdini.

⚠️ Important Note

Please follow the step-by-step instructions below.
Older video guides are included at the end as a reference only.

Step-by-Step Installation (recommended)

1. Sign up

• Go to the Natsura website.
• Create an account — required before you can download the launcher.
• Even for Apprentice users, an account is needed to access downloads and updates.

2. Download the Launcher

• Once signed in, download the Natsura Launcher for your platform (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
• Run the .exe (or platform equivalent) installer.

3. Run the Launcher

• Open the launcher.
• You do not need to sign in inside the launcher itself.

4. Configure Settings

• There is no default install directory — choose your own.
• Houdini should be detected automatically, but you may need to set it manually.
• If you are using Natsura Apprentice, make sure the path points to happrentice.exe.
  This is required — not selecting it can break examples or cause instability.

5. Install

• Click Install (or Update if already present).
• The launcher will set up Natsura inside Houdini.

6. Launch Houdini

• You can now run Houdini with Natsura in one of two ways:
  • Through the Launcher — boot directly into Natsura’s custom desktop or standard Houdini.
  • As a Houdini package — if enabled, Natsura will load every time you run Houdini normally.

Common Issues

• Shelf missing in Houdini
  → Ensure you targeted the correct Houdini version in the launcher.
  → Restart Houdini.
• Using the wrong Houdini version
  → Natsura currently supports Houdini 20.5 only.
  → Any Houdini 21 build will fail.
  → Always use the most recent 20.5 production build.
• Immediate errors on startup
  → Check you are running the right Houdini version (20.5).
  → If you see Python errors, make sure you don’t have a competing custom Python environment.
  → If you see Qt errors, remember Natsura uses Qt5 — not the newer Houdini Qt layer.
• Launcher permissions
  → Run the launcher in administrator mode (Windows) or with sufficient privileges (Linux/macOS).
• Apprentice installs
  → Ensure the path to happrentice.exe was selected correctly.
• Houdini package toggle
  → Enabling this adds a package to Houdini’s preferences so Natsura loads every time, even without the launcher.
  → Disable if you only want Natsura when run from the launcher.
• Completely removing Natsura
  → Delete the install directory you selected in the launcher.
  → Also remove the Documents/tavern folder.
  → This is a useful debug step if you installed without admin privileges and want to reinstall clean.

Getting Help

If you run into issues that aren’t covered here:

• Email support@natsura.com directly.

We’re happy to help you get up and running.

Quick Start Videos (old)

The following guides are out of date and do not reflect the current launcher workflow.
We’ve left them here for troubleshooting steps on Linux and Mac if needed.