Parameter Reference

Every parameter on the RPLidar In node, grouped as it appears in the interface. Names in code are the internal parameter names.

Main

Parameter	Name	Description
Mode	`mode`	Off / Live / Playback. The master switch. See Modes.
Create Control Null	`createnull`	Creates the master runtime-control null for this sensor (one per node) — Start / Stop / Reset buttons plus a Solvers list. See Live Simulation.
Create Generic POP Network	`createpop`	Builds a ready-to-run POP network wired to the solver-ready output, and registers it on the control null. See Live Simulation.
Use Recipe	`use_recipe`	Enables the recipe controls below. See Recipes.
Recipe File	`recipefile`	A recipe `.py` file — a whole downstream network (sim + look). None ship with 1.0; point this at your own.
Generate Recipe	`recipegen`	Builds the picked recipe file next to the node and registers its sims on the control null.

Sensor

Parameter	Name	Description
Test Sensor	`testdevice`	Prints identity, health, and scan modes to the console. While Live, prints stream statistics instead.
Scan Mode	`scanmode`	Standard (_{4k samples/s) or Express (}8k). Live only; changing it while Live restarts the stream.
Baud Rate	`baud`	Serial baud. 256000 is correct for the A2 family; other values are untested.
Units per Meter	`unitscale`	How many Houdini units represent one real meter. 1 = meters, 100 = centimeters.
Port	`port`	Serial port of the sensor's USB adapter (e.g. `COM3`). Blank = auto-detect the CP210x.

Crop

Parameter	Name	Description
Enable Crop	`cropenable`	Cull scan points outside the rectangle. Shows a red guide.
Center	`cropcenter`	Rectangle center on the ground (X, Z), relative to the sensor.
Size	`cropsize`	Rectangle extent along X and Z. Default 26 × 26 (the sensor's 16 m range spans 32 × 32).
Rotation	`croprot`	Rotation of the rectangle about the sensor's vertical axis.
Edit Crop in Viewport	`editcrop`	Enter the interactive crop handle — drag the sides to resize, body to move, ring to rotate. See Crop.

Camera

Parameter	Name	Description
Create Orthographic Camera	`makecam`	Create (or retarget) a top-down orthographic camera looking down at the sensor, up = +X. One per node. See Camera.
Camera to Crop	`camtocrop`	Move and zoom that camera to frame the current Crop rectangle.

Tracking

Cluster the scan into blobs and follow them across frames. See Blob tracking.

Parameter	Name	Description
Enable Tracking	`trackenable`	Master switch. Clusters the (cropped) scan into blobs, tracks them, and adds `id` + `v`. Off leaves the outputs unchanged.
Blob Mode	`trackmode`	Single (one primary blob, largest, held with hysteresis) or Multi (every blob, each with a stable id).
Solver Output	`solverout`	What Output 1 carries: All Points (the full scan cloud) or Blobs (only the tracked blob points).
Max Blobs	`trackmax`	Multi only — cap on how many blobs are emitted, largest first.
Cluster Gap (m)	`clustergap`	Max distance between neighbouring returns for them to count as one blob. Grows automatically with range. Raise to merge, lower to split.
Min Points	`minpoints`	Discard blobs with fewer returns than this — the noise floor.
Blob Size min/max (m)	`blobsize`	Keep only blobs whose physical width is in this range. A hand is roughly 0.05–0.15 m.
Subtract Background	`bgsubtract`	Track only what intrudes on the baked empty scene, so clustering ignores static clutter. Falls back to all points when nothing is baked.
Foreground Margin (m)	`bgmargin`	How much closer than the baked background a return must be to count as foreground.
Bake Background	`bgbake`	Capture the current static scene as that reference. Live only — bake with the interaction area empty. Shares its store with the Visualize map bake.
Position Smooth	`possmooth`	Smooths blob position over time. 0 = raw/snappy, 1 = heavily damped.
Velocity Smooth	`velsmooth`	Smooths the `v` attribute. 0 = raw, 1 = heavy.
Max Speed (m/s)	`maxspeed`	Association gate and velocity clamp — a blob can't move faster than this between frames and still be the same track.
Hold Time (s)	`holdtime`	Keep a lost track alive this long (coasting to a stop) before dropping it. Bridges brief dropouts.
Show Markers	`trackviz`	Draw a diamond + velocity line at each tracked blob. Guide geometry — stripped from Output 1.
Marker Color	`blobcolor`	Color of the blob markers (point `Cd`).

Recording

Parameter	Name	Description
Recording Directory	`recdir`	Where recordings are saved and listed from. Default `$HIP/rplidar-recordings`.
Recording File	`recording`	File used for Playback. Blank = newest in the directory.
Loop Playback	`loop`	Loop the recording; off holds the last scan.
Start Recording	`recstart`	Begin writing the live stream to a new file. Live only.
Stop Recording	`recstop`	Finish and select the new recording.
Delete Recording	`recdelete`	Delete the picked file (with confirmation).

Visualize

Parameter	Name	Description
Show Sensor Guide	`visualize`	Draw the origin sensor marker + range ring. On by default.
Guide Color	`vizcolor`	Color of the guide geometry.
Range (m)	`vizrange`	Radius of the range circle in real meters (A2M12 max 16 m).
Sensor Size (m)	`vizsensor`	Diameter of the origin sphere, in real meters.
Connect Points	`vizrays`	Draw a line from the sensor to each scan point (the beam fan). Off by default.
Ray Color	`vizraycolor`	Color of the connecting rays.
Store as Cd	`attrcd`	Bake the attribute colors below into `Cd` so they travel downstream. Off = the colors are shown for visualization only. See Attribute color.
Angle (enable)	`angle_enable`	Color the scan points by their `angle` attribute.
Angle Range	`angle_range`	Attribute value range mapped onto the Angle ramp (outside clamped).
Angle Ramp	`angle_ramp`	Color across the remapped angle range.
Distance (enable)	`dist_enable`	Color the scan points by their `dist` attribute.
Distance Range	`dist_range`	Attribute value range mapped onto the Distance ramp (outside clamped).
Distance Ramp	`dist_ramp`	Color across the remapped distance range.
Bake Current Map	`mapbake`	Capture ~1.5 s of the live stream into a static map. Live only.
Show Static Map	`mapshow`	Overlay the baked static map.
Map Color	`mapcolor`	Color of the baked map marks.

See Visualization and Attribute color.

Utilities

Parameter	Name	Description
Links	`gumroad`	Open the RPLidar In store page in your browser.
(Documentation)	`docs`	Open this documentation.
(Discord)	`discord`	Open the JVtools Discord.
(YouTube)	`youtube`	Open the JVtools YouTube channel.

Tooltips in Houdini (hover any parameter) are the authoritative, always-current descriptions. If this page and a tooltip ever disagree, trust the tooltip.