Houdini 20.0 Nodes Geometry nodes

HeightField Output geometry node

Exports height and/or mask layers to disk as an image.

Since 16.0

If you save to a deep raster format (such as Houdini’s .pic, or EXR) you can store any number of layers in the file. For regular image formats, the node can store up to four layers by packing them into the color channels (RGBA).

Tip

To read a heightfield and/or mask to an image file, use HeightField File.

Parameters

Image Output

Save to Disk

Click to save the input volumes to the given file.

Filename

Path to the image file to write. The node guesses the image format to write from the file extension.

If Divide into tiled maps is on, the node will write to filenames with additional tiling information. For example, /path/name.tileinfo.ext.

Output Type

Whether to pack the layer data into color channels, or use separate image planes. This depends on the image format you are writing to.

Packed Raster

Each layer is packed into a channel of the output image. Use this option for regular image format such as PNG.

Deep Raster

Each layer is written as a separate deep raster plane in the output image. Use this option for deep raster formats such as Houdini’s .pic, or EXR.

Format

The number of color channels to write, for formats that support different numbers of color channels (such as TIFF).

RGBA

Write four channels. Use this with formats that support an alpha channel, such as PNG.

RGB

Write three channels. Most image formats support this.

Single Channel

Write a single channel. Use this with formats that support grayscale images, such as TIFF and PNG.

Type

The bit depth to use, for formats that support different bit depths (such as .pic, EXR, and PNG). If the image format doesn’t support the chosen type, the node will downsample the data to fit the format. For example, if you try to write 16b floating point to JPEG, the node will downsample the data to 8b fixed.

8b Fixed

Stores values from 0-1, quantized to 256 levels. Numbers outside 0-1 are clamped.

16b Fixed

Stores values from 0-1, quantized to 65535 levels. Numbers outside 0-1 are clamped.

16b Floating Point

Low precision floating point which supports values between +/-65535. Values between 0 and 1 have better precision than 8b, but worse than 16b Fixed.

32b Floating Point

Exact representation (matches the layer precision used in Houdini). Not supported by most image formats (use with .pic or EXR).

Use Resolution

Scale the volume data to a specific image size. When this is off, the output image uses the volume’s resolution.

Resolution

When Use resolution is on, the output image resolution to use.

Output File Sequence

Output separate images for each frame in a given frame range. When this is off, clicking Save to disk writes the data at the current frame to a fixed filename. When this is on, Save to disk writes separate files for each frame with the frame number included in the filename.

Frame Range

When Output file sequence is on, the frame range and frame increment to generate images for.

Flip Output

Flip Horizontal/Vertically

Flips the image in the specified direction.

Flop 90 Degress

Flops the image on its side. This operation cannot be scoped.

Terrain Layers

These controls specify which layers to save. When Output type is “packed raster”, you can specify one layer to pack into each available channel (according to the Format). When Output type is “deep raster”, you can instead specify space separated lists of layers to save as named image planes.

Packed raster

Tip

If the checkbox next to a color channel is not on, but the image format requires that color channel exist, the channel will be filled with 0s in the output image.

Red

When the checkbox is on, save this named layer to a color channel of the image.

Output Range

How to remap values in the data into the range the image can support. This is generally necessary with 8 bit and 16 bit fixed formats, which can only store values from 0-1.

No Remapping

Store the value as-is, clamping out-of-range values.

Auto Remap

Remaps values from their detected full range to the To Range.

Manual Remap

Remaps values from the From Range to the To Range.

From Range

When the Output Range is “manual remap”, the source range to map from.

To Range

When the Output Range is “auto remap” or “manual remap”, the output range to map to. For 8 bit and 16 bit fixed formats, this should be 0-1.

Green

When the checkbox is on, save this named layer to a color channel of the image.

Output Range

How to remap values in the data into the range the image can support. This is generally necessary with 8 bit and 16 bit fixed formats, which can only store values from 0-1.

No Remapping

Store the value as-is, clamping out-of-range values.

Auto Remap

Remaps values from their detected full range to the To Range.

Manual Remap

Remaps values from the From Range to the To Range.

From Range

When the Output Range is “manual remap”, the source range to map from.

To Range

When the Output Range is “auto remap” or “manual remap”, the output range to map to. For 8 bit and 16 bit fixed formats, this should be 0-1.

Blue

When the checkbox is on, save this named layer to a color channel of the image.

Output Range

How to remap values in the data into the range the image can support. This is generally necessary with 8 bit and 16 bit fixed formats, which can only store values from 0-1.

No Remapping

Store the value as-is, clamping out-of-range values.

Auto Remap

Remaps values from their detected full range to the To Range.

Manual Remap

Remaps values from the From Range to the To Range.

From Range

When the Output Range is “manual remap”, the source range to map from.

To Range

When the Output Range is “auto remap” or “manual remap”, the output range to map to. For 8 bit and 16 bit fixed formats, this should be 0-1.

Alpha

When the checkbox is on, save this named layer to a color channel of the image.

Output Range

How to remap values in the data into the range the image can support. This is generally necessary with 8 bit and 16 bit fixed formats, which can only store values from 0-1.

No Remapping

Store the value as-is, clamping out-of-range values.

Auto Remap

Remaps values from their detected full range to the To Range.

Manual Remap

Remaps values from the From Range to the To Range.

From Range

When the Output Range is “manual remap”, the source range to map from.

To Range

When the Output Range is “auto remap” or “manual remap”, the output range to map to. For 8 bit and 16 bit fixed formats, this should be 0-1.

Deep raster

Layers

A space-separated list of layer names (or patterns) to write as image panes. The values are written unaltered, so only use this parameter if the image format supports the full range of values in your data.

(0,1) Layers

A space-separated list of layer names (or patterns) to write remapped to the 0-1 range.

(-1,1) Layers

A space-separated list of layer names (or patterns) to write remapped to the -1-1 range. Only use this parameter if the image format supports negative numbers.

Report Output Files

Prints the paths of files that are written to disk.

Tiling

Divide into tiled maps

Divide the layer data into tiles and output a separate image for each tile.

Tile Method

How to divide the volume into tiles.

Tile Size

Generate tiles of a fixed maximum size, computing the number of tiles.

Number of Tiles

Generate a fixed number of tiles, computing the size.

Tile Size

The horizontal and vertical size of individual tiles, when Tile Method is “tile size”.

Number of Tiles

The horizontal and vertical number of tiles, when Tile method is “number of tiles”.

Tile Overlap

When extracting tiles, they will overlap their neighbours in the positive direction by this many voxels.

File Naming

Writing out multiple images per frame requires different filenames per tile. The generated names can be one of several standard naming conventions.

UDIM

Use the UDIM numbering scheme for the tiles. The UDIM naming scheme places tile (0,0) at 1001 and generally uses 10 as the X tile stride. Tile (4,2) would be placed at 1001+4+2×10, or 1025.

UV Tile

Numbers the column and row separately, starting at 1. Tile (4,2) would be u5_v3.

Frames

Numbers the tiles as a flat list of frames, by column then row.

XY Tile

Numbers the column and row separately, starting at 0. Tile (4,2) would be x4_y2.

UDIM Stride

When File naming is “UDIM”, the amount to increment the tile number at each row, usually 10.

Pad Tile Numbers

When File naming is “UV Tile” or “Frame”, zero-pad tile numbers to this many digits.

See also

Geometry nodes