Copy to Points
Scatter objects across points in Houdini
Also known as: Houdini Copy to Points · Houdini scatter · Houdini instance on points · Houdini scatter rocks · Houdini copy stamp
Definition
Copy to Points is a Houdini node that places a copy of an object on each point of another piece of geometry. It is the basic scattering tool: scatter points on a surface, set attributes such as scale, orientation and a random value on them, and copy trees, rocks, grass or props onto the points. Because the points carry attributes, each copy can differ in size, rotation or variant, which gives natural variation and quick results.
In production
Scatter points with a density that matches the area, remove points by slope, height or a mask, and copy different objects by variant using a random attribute. Use packed primitives so large scatters stay light. For games, export scatter results as instances or as a point list that the engine places, since a single, huge merged mesh is wasteful. Blender's Geometry Nodes and Unreal's PCG framework work similarly.
Tools that use Copy to Points
See also
Attributes (Houdini)
Data stored on points, primitives and vertices
GPU Instancing
One mesh, many instances, one draw call
PCG (Procedural Content Generation)
Rule-based placement of content in Unreal
Geometry Nodes
Blender's node-based procedural modeling system
Houdini Digital Asset (HDA)
Packaged Houdini network with parameters
Modular Kit
Reusable building blocks for environments