Smart Masks – Houdini MaterialX Pack

Smart Masks for Houdini MaterialX

Smart Masks are a quick and convenient way to layer PBR materials and add more detail and realism to your models – especially when they work without UVs.

Since MaterialX currently doesn’t offer built-in smart masks, I created a set of easy-to-use procedural masks for Houdini.
They’re designed to speed up your workflow, so you don’t have to build noises and blending setups manually every time you want to layer materials – perfect for procedural assets with no UVs.

Included HDAs

• (SOP) Util Creation – Generates all necessary utils plus some extras as attributes
• (VOP) Utils – Loads the generated utils into your MaterialX shader network
• (VOP) Wear Mask
• (VOP) Dirt Mask
• (VOP) Dust Mask
• (VOP) Moss Mask

Key Features

• Works without UVs
• Global scale and detail frequency controls
• Control over util components, procedural components, and the final mask
• Texture input – blend your texture with the utils instead of the built-in procedurals
• Well-organized internal network with labels and backdrops for advanced customization

Generated Utils

The Util Creation HDA generates the following attributes for use with or without the masks:

• Ambient Occlusion (AO)
• Random ID (grayscale)
• Random ID (color)
• Convexity
• Concavity
• Direction
• Shadow Mask
• Gradient

Requirements

• Created in Houdini 20.5 (Indie, Core, or FX) – should also work in earlier versions, but not tested
• MaterialX-compatible renderer (e.g. Karma XPU/CPU, Arnold, RenderMan...) all should work, but only tested with Karma
• Works in Solaris/USD workflows
• Sufficient mesh point density for best results
• No UVs required

General Terms

• You may not resell or redistribute the HDAs or source files.
• You may use the generated outputs (geometry, textures, renders) freely in your projects.
• Credit is appreciated but not required.
• No exclusivity – this product will remain available for public sale.