First wrong assumption that you are making is that it need to compete with Max/Maya/Modo/Whatever. It doesn't have to. It may complement each of those applications. There is a Houdini, and there is a Houdini Engine. Most of you would need only Houdini Engine. You are not the type of guys who build tools, so what you would…
One issue is that the Indie restrictions seem to be similar to the limitations of MayaLT, which makes it unusable for a lot of artists. In particular : A practical example : I have been doing a few assets with LT just for the sake of putting the app to the test, only to realize later that it was impossible for me to work…