BITMAP is a 3D generative art machine created by MHX. Every 24 hours, it autonomously selects an unremarkable Bitcoin block from the previous day, distributes its data to hundreds of on-chain computers around the world, and transforms it into a data sculpture.

https://github.com/mhxalt/Houdini-Octane-Generative-Pipeline

Bitmap Daily Generation Process

Bitmap uses a 3D generative system created by Mhx. Every 24 hours, a decentralized compute node receives a container containing SideFX Houdini and OTOY Octane Render to generate data-driven 3D constructions.

All the project files and the code that makes this possible are open-sourced. You can use it to recreate Bitmap or modify it for your own projects.

A step-by-step guide is available at the bottom of the page.

Made possible by for rendering 4K generations daily and by for compute and orchestration.

Video visualising what happens inside a cloud compute node every 24 hours

Houdini Octane Generative Pipeline

An automated GPU rendering pipeline using Houdini + Octane, Render Network, and Dispersed.

What This Does

This system automatically renders Houdini scenes with Octane on cloud GPUs and updates your NFT metadata daily. It's split into three parts:

Part A: Docker Image - A GPU-ready container with Houdini + Octane (useful on its own!)
Part B: Full Automation - Daily renders triggered via Cloudflare Workers + Dispersed + Render Network
Part C: NFT Deployment & Troubleshooting - Set up an ERC-721 NFT that updates with each render.

You can stop after Part A if you just want a cloud-ready Houdini/Octane environment.

PART A: HOUDINI + OCTANE DOCKER IMAGE

Part A: Houdini + Octane Docker Image

This section creates a GPU-ready Docker container with Houdini and Octane. No Cloudflare account needed.

Prerequisites

Software

Docker Desktop
NVIDIA GPU with drivers installed

Licenses & Accounts (Part A)

SideFX Houdini - Houdini Engine License
OTOY Octane - With unattended rendering token (email [email protected])
Docker Hub - Free account to push images

Additional for Part B

Node.js v18+
Cloudflare - Free account
https://dispersed.com/ API keys (email [email protected])
Render Network API keys - Request access

A1. Install Prerequisites

Install Docker Desktop

Download from docker.com/products/docker-desktop
Run the installer
Important: Enable WSL 2 backend (Windows) or Rosetta (Mac M1/M2)
Restart your computer

Verify installation:

docker --version
# Should show Docker version 24.x.x or higher

A2. Get Your API Keys

You need three sets of credentials:

SideFX Houdini API Keys

Go to sidefx.com/oauth2/applications/
Log in with your SideFX account
Click "Create new application"
Fill in:
- Name: Bitmap Render (or anything)
- Client type: Confidential
- Authorization grant type: Client credentials
Click Save
Copy your Client ID and Client Secret

⚠️ You must have an active Houdini license (Indie or higher)

OTOY Octane Unattended License

Email [email protected] and request an unattended rendering token for Octane.

They will provide you with a JWT token that looks like:

eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJ1c2VyX2lk...

Render Network API Keys

Follow the instructions at Render API Access Guide
For https://dispersed.com/ API access, email [email protected]

You will receive:

RC_PUBLIC_KEY - Your public API key
RC_SECRET_KEY - Your secret API key

A3. Create the .env File

After you clone the repo and cd into the directory, create your environment file:

cp .env.example .env

You'll fill this in as you go through the setup.

A4. Add the Octane Plugin

Download Octane 2025.3.0.0 Solaris from OTOY
Extract the downloaded file - it contains multiple Houdini versions
Find the file: Octane_2025.3.0.0_Solaris_Studio+_Win64.zip
Extract that zip - inside you'll find folders for different Houdini builds
Copy the folder Octane_2025.3.0.0_Solaris_20.5.684_Studio+_Linux
Zip ONLY this folder and name it octane.zip
Place it in the docker/ folder:

bitmap-generative-workflow/
└── docker/
    └── octane.zip
        └── Octane_2025.3.0.0_Solaris_20.5.684_Studio+_Linux/
            ├── bin/
            ├── config/
            ├── dso/
            └── ...

⚠️ Make sure the zip contains the Octane_2025.3.0.0_Solaris_20.5.684_Studio+_Linux folder at the root level

A5. Build the Docker Image

Open a terminal in the project folder and run:

cd docker

docker build -t bitmap/ho:20.5.684 \
  --build-arg SIDEFX_CLIENT_ID="YOUR_SIDEFX_CLIENT_ID" \
  --build-arg SIDEFX_CLIENT_SECRET="YOUR_SIDEFX_CLIENT_SECRET" \
  .

Replace YOUR_SIDEFX_CLIENT_ID and YOUR_SIDEFX_CLIENT_SECRET with your actual credentials from step A2.

☕ This takes 15-30 minutes. Go grab a coffee!

A6. Test the Docker Image

Run the container interactively:

docker run --rm -it --gpus all \
  --runtime=nvidia \
  --shm-size=16g \
  bitmap/ho:20.5.684

You should see:

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
  Houdini + Octane Environment Ready
  Run 'hython' to start Houdini Python
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Test Houdini:

hython -c "import hou; print('Houdini', hou.applicationVersionString())"

🎉 Congratulations! You now have a GPU-ready Houdini + Octane Docker image!

A7. Push to Docker Hub

To use this image with Dispersed or any other containerized cloud service, you need to push it to Docker Hub:

# Login to Docker Hub
docker login

# Tag your image
docker tag bitmap/ho:20.5.684 YOUR_DOCKERHUB_USERNAME/bitmap-render:20.5.684

# Push it
docker push YOUR_DOCKERHUB_USERNAME/bitmap-render:20.5.684

Replace YOUR_DOCKERHUB_USERNAME with your actual Docker Hub username.