HDRI Manager for 3ds Max, Maya and Houdini

HDRI Manager for 3ds Max, Maya and Houdini
An intuitive HDRI browser and importer for artists.

HDRI Manager is a simple and powerful plugin designed to streamline the way you work with HDRI files in Autodesk 3ds Max, Maya and Houdini.

Browse your HDRI library visually, and import your files directly into the scene as Dome Lights or Area Lights, with smart options like automatic project folder copying.

✅ Key Features:

• Visual browser for your HDR/EXR files
• Import as DomeLight or Area Light
• Compatible with multiple render engines
  V-Ray, Redshift, Corona, Arnold, Renderman, Solaris, Mantra...
• Built with Python (PySide6 for 3ds Max/Maya and PySide2 for Houdini)

🗂️ Library Setup:

Each HDR or EXR file should have a thumbnail (JPG, PNG or BMP) with the exact same name. These thumbnails are what HDRI Manager uses for the preview grid.

Example:

My_HDR.hdr My_HDR.jpg

You can use this other free tool to create your thumbnails
https://victorburtman.gumroad.com/l/phdhb?layout=profile

Folders can be organized with up to two levels for better structure.

📁 HDRI Library Structure

📁 HDRI_Gallery/                           ← Library root folder
├── 📁 Outdoor/                            ← Main folder 
│   ├── 📁 Forest/                         ← Sub-folder 
│   │   ├── 🖼️ forest_morning.jpg          ← JPG / PNG or BMP preview
│   │   ├── 🌟 forest_morning.exr          ← High-quality HDRI file
│   │   ├── 🖼️ forest_sunset.jpg
│   │   └── 🌟 forest_sunset.hdr           ← HDR alternative
│   │
│   ├── 📁 Beach/
│   │   ├── 🖼️ tropical_beach.jpg
│   │   ├── 🌟 tropical_beach.exr
│   │   ├── 🖼️ sunset_beach.jpg
│   │   └── 🌟 sunset_beach.exr
│   │
│   └── 📁 Mountains/
│       ├── 🖼️ alpine_peaks.jpg
│       └── 🌟 alpine_peaks.exr
│
├── 📁 Indoor/                             ← Another main folder
│   ├── 📁 Studio/
│   │   ├── 🖼️ white_studio.jpg
│   │   ├── 🌟 white_studio.exr
│   │   ├── 🖼️ black_studio.jpg
│   │   └── 🌟 black_studio.exr
│   │
│   └── 📁 Apartment/
│       ├── 🖼️ living_room.jpg
│       └── 🌟 living_room.hdr
│
├── 📁 Abstract/                           ← Folder without sub-folders
│   ├── 🖼️ gradient_blue.jpg              ← Files directly in the folder
│   ├── 🌟 gradient_blue.exr
│   ├── 🖼️ noise_pattern.jpg
│   └── 🌟 noise_pattern.hdr
└──

🛠️ How to Install:

• 3ds Max: Simply drag and drop the .mzp file into the viewport.
• Maya: Extract the archive and drag and drop the install.py file into the Maya viewport.
• Houdini: Open the install .hip file, the python script will do the rest.
  

🟢 v1.7 – 20/08/2025

All Platforms

• When using Arnold, if a .tx file version exists, it will be loaded instead of the .hdr/.exr. It has to be the exact same name, only the extension must change. Example :

  My_HDR.hdr My_HDR.tx

Houdini

• Added support for Arnold renderer.
  

🟢 v1.6 – 18/08/2025

• HDRI Manager can now be installed on earlier versions of 3ds Max and Maya (pre-2025).
  

🟢 v1.5 – 18/08/2025

• Fixed a small regression that would prevent HDRI Manager to open in 3ds Max.
  

🟢 v1.5 – 16/08/2025

Houdini

• Fixed an issue preventing HDRI Manager from opening on Mac systems.
  Some features — such as Copy files to project folder, Open folder, and Open in Photoshop — may still be unavailable on Mac and Linux.

Maya

• Fixed an issue causing incorrect sampling and resolution in Arnold Dome Light.

3ds Max

• The Color Correction feature now creates dedicated nodes for Redshift, Arnold, and Corona renderers.
  Scanline and V-Ray will continue using the native Color Correction shading node.

🟢 v1.4 – 13/08/2025

All Platforms

• Added support for 4K displays.
• Image Gallery tooltips now show the original resolution embedded in JPG thumbnails (when available). These metadata can be generated using the free HDRI Converter tool.
  

🟢 v1.3 – 10/08/2025

All Platforms

• Multiple selection is now disabled by default. You can re-enable it via the dedicated toggle button.
• Loading an HDRI now updates the currently selected light instead of creating a new one. If no light is selected, a new one will be created.
• Fixed an issue where the texture resolution was calculated from the thumbnail instead of the original HDRI.

Houdini

• In Solaris mode, the light is now loaded into the current LOP context. If no LOP context exists, it will be created within the Stage context.

🟢 v1.2 – 08/08/2025

All Platforms

• Added a search bar for quickly finding HDRIs by name

• Thumbnails without associated HDR or EXR files will no longer be displayed in the app
• Fixed a permission error that could occur when copying HDR files to the project image folder

Houdini

• Fixed an installation issue that could result in an incorrect project path.
  

🟢 v1.1 – 06/08/2025

All Platforms

• Fixed inverted scale ratios for area lights.
• Added "Quiet Mode" (enabled by default) to suppress console/listener output.
• General UI improvements for better clarity and usability.

3ds Max

• Scanline area light now uses a rectangle shape instead of a circle.
• Fixed missing icon in the installation package (app title bar).

Maya

• Added support for:
  • Maya Renderer
  • RenderMan
  • V-Ray
  • Redshift

Houdini

• Initial Houdini support: compatible with Solaris, Mantra/Karma, and Redshift.

🟢 v1.0 – 02/08/2025

• Initial Release