Houdini 20.0 Nodes Render nodes

Labs Pyro Preview ROP geometry node

A mantra wrapper for previewing pyro renders.

This node type is hidden. It is no longer supported.

The pyro preview ROP is a wrapper for the mantra ROP with specific settings that are optimized for rendering volumes quickly for preview purposes. You can also create a light rig that mimics an environemnt light but renders a lot quicker.

Parameters

Add Light Rig

Create 6 distant lights for each axis with a master intensity controller.

Remove Light Rig

Delete all nodes in the light rig.

Render Control

Opens the render control dialog to allow adjustments of the render parameters before rendering.

Valid Frame Range

Controls whether this render node outputs the current frame (Render any frame) or the image sequence specified in the Start/End/Inc parameters (Render Frame Range).

Render Frame Range (strict) will render frames START to END when it is rendered, but will not allow frames outside this range to be rendered at all. Render Frame Range will allow outside frames to be rendered. This is used in conjunction with render dependencies. It also affects the behavior of the 'Override Frame Range' in the Render Control dialog.

Two possible cases where you'd want the strict behavior:

  • A 60 frame walk cycle written out to a geo, but part of a larger ROP net to render out a larger frame range.

  • A texture loop from 1-20.

Otherwise, you will usually set this to non-strict.

Render Current Frame

Renders a single frame, based on the value in the playbar or the frame that is requested by a connected output render node.

Render Frame Range

Renders a sequence of frames. If an output render node is connected, this range is generally ignored in favor of frames requested by the output render node.

Render Frame Range (Strict)

Renders a sequence of frames. If an output render node is connected, this range restricts its requested frames to this frame range.

Start/End/Inc

Specifies the range of frames to render (start frame, end frame, and increment). All values may be floating point values. The range is inclusive.

These parameters determine the values of the local variables for the output driver.

For example, if the parameters are set to:

Start

End

Inc

10.5

12

0.5 |

…there will be 4 frames rendered (10.5, 11, 11.5, and 12), so $NRENDER will have a value of 4. $N will have the following values at each frame:

Frame

$N

10.5

1

11

2

11.5

3

12

4

Render With Take

The output driver will switch to this take before rendering and then restore the current take when rendering is done.

Tip

use chs("take") to use this value in other parameters. See the chs expression function for more information.

Camera

The path the to camera object to use to render the scene, for example /obj/cam1.

Override camera resolution

Houdini render property
override_camerares

Normally the image resolution is set on the camera object. Turn this on to enable controls that modify or override the camera’s settings.

Resolution scale

Houdini render property
res_fraction

When Override camera resolution is on, allows you to scale whatever resolution is set on the camera. To completely override the camera’s resolution, choose “User specified resolution”.

Resolution override

Houdini render property
res_override

When Override camera resolution is on and Resolution scale is “User specified resolution”, lets you set the resolution of the output image, overriding the settings on the camera.

Pixel Aspect Ratio

Houdini render property
aspect_override

The pixel aspect ratio represents the width of a pixel divided by the height of a pixel. It is not the aspect ratio of the image (which is determined by the resolution of the image). This parameter does not affect rendering, it is only used to change how images are displayed, by stretching the pixels by this factor.

Output picture

Houdini render property
vm_picture
IFD property
image:filename

The image or device where the resulting image will be rendered. You can set this value to ip which renders the image in MPlay, or you can save it to an image. The following image types are supported: .pic, .tif, .sgi, .pic.gz, .rat, .jpg, .cin, .rta, .bmp, .tga, .rad, .exr, and .png.

Include $F in the file name to insert the frame number. This is necessary when rendering animation. See expressions in file names for more information.

Force Objects

Objects will be output regardless of the state of their display flag

Force Lights

Lights will be output regardless of the value of their dimmer channel

Env Light Intensity

Master intensity control for all lights in the light rig.

Render nodes

  • Agent

    This output operator is used to write agent definition files.

  • Alembic

    Exports the scene to an Alembic archive. Alembic is a common exchange format for moving geometry and animation between different 3D software packages.

  • Archive Generator

    Generates disk-based archives which can be used by either mantra or RIB renderers.

  • Bake Animation

    Bakes animation from object transforms and CHOP overrides.

  • Bake Texture

    Generates a texture map from one or more objects' rendered appearance.

  • Batch

    Renders the input ROP in a single batch job.

  • Channel

    The Channel output operator generates clip files from a particular CHOP.

  • Composite

    Renders images from a compositing network.

  • DSM Merge

    Merges two or more deep shadow/camera map files.

  • Dem Bones Skinning Converter

    Converts any non-changing topology deforming mesh sequence into a bone-based animation.

  • Dynamics

    Saves the state of a DOP network simulation into files.

  • Fetch

    Makes a dependency link to a ROP in a different network.

  • Filmbox FBX

    Exports entire scenes to FBX files.

  • Filmbox FBX Animation

    Export animation from geometry-based skeleton to an FBX file.

  • Filmbox FBX Character

    Export a skinned character with geometry-based skeleton to an FBX file.

  • Frame Container

    Prevents frame dependency changes in the contained nodes from affecting its inputs.

  • Frame Depedency

    Allows an output frame to depend on one or more input frames.

  • GLTF Character

  • Geometry

    Generates geometry files from a SOP or DOP network.

  • Geometry Raw

    Generates raw binary files from a SOP or DOP network.

  • HQueue Render

    HQueue, or Houdini Queue, is a distributed job scheduling system.

  • HQueue Simulation

    HQueue, or Houdini Queue, is a distributed job scheduling system.

  • Hair Card Texture

    Renders hair textures for use on hair cards.

  • Karma

    Renders non-USD scenes using Houdini’s Karma renderer.

  • Labs 3D Facebook Image

    Quickly render a 3D scene to a 2.5D image that can be uploaded to Facebook.

  • Labs Flipbook Textures

    Renders, composites, and exports flipbook textures.

  • Labs JSON Exporter

    Export geometry attibutes to a JSON file.

  • Labs Marmoset Export

    The Marmoset Export ROP allows you to quickly generate an mview inside Houdini

  • Labs Niagara ROP

    Export point caches to be used with Unreal’s Niagara particle system.

  • Labs Sketchfab

    Uploads geometry to Sketchfab

  • Labs Vertex Animation Textures

    Exports a mesh and a set of textures to be used with a shader for complex real-time effects, such as: soft-body deformation, rigid-body dynamics, dynamically remeshed geometries, and particle sprites.

  • MDD Point Cache

    This output operator is used to write an MDD animation file.

  • Mantra

    Renders the scene using Houdini’s standard mantra renderer and generates IFD files.

  • Mantra Archive

    Generates disk-based archives which can be used by mantra.

  • Merge

    Merges several render dependencies into one.

  • Net Barrier

    Blocks the ROP network until synchronization occurs.

  • Null

    Does nothing.

  • OpenGL

    Render an image using the hardware-accelerated 3D viewport renderer.

  • Pre Post

    Renders ROPs before and after a main job.

  • Shell

    Runs an external command.

  • Subnetwork

    The SubNetwork output operator provides an easy way to manage large number of output operators.

  • Switch

    Renders one of several inputs.

  • Tractor

    Tractor is a program shipped out with Pixar’s distribution of RenderMan.

  • USD

    Renders a LOP network out to one or more USD files. This node is available as render node or as a LOP.

  • USD Render

    Renders an output image from the stage generated by a LOP network.

  • USD Stitch

    Merges USD files representing individual frames by composing them.

  • USD Stitch Clips

    Merges multiple value clips representing individual frames.

  • USD Zip

    Assembles USDZ archive files from existing USD files.

  • Wedge

    Re-renders the same ROP multiple times with different settings

  • Wren

    This output operator is used to drive the Wren rendering program.

  • glTF