How to solve the problem on MacOS where key combinations involving the ALT key don’t work in Houdini? For instance, when you need to expand VEXpression in a separate window.
This issue is not exclusive to Houdini; it also arises in various other programmes like Php/WebStorm, NetBeans, Eclipse, etc.
When you press ALT+[key], your Mac inputs special characters. However, all of this is embedded in the *.keylayout files. You can generate these on the website wordherd.com or use this one directly: DOWNLOAD. It’s an English layout (in 99% of cases, you won’t be using any other letters in Houdini).
This file needs to be placed in the [USERNAME]/library/keyboard layout/ folder. After doing that, open System Preferences, go to keyboard settings, press the plus sign under Input Sources, and add the file you just downloaded from the Others category.