Is it possible to store bundles in a node and consequently export them in digital assets?

I'm looking for a way to bundle objects nodes from a rig to provide easy access to those objects to the animators. For instance : controllers, hidden objects, deformers, geometries, etc. I would like these bundles to follow my rig digital asset.

I come from softimage and looking for a similar concept to the “softimage groups”…

Bundles look promising, but they seem to be scene based… More like layers…

Any ideas?

Hi cval,

what about making a button and in a script create your bundles and include the geometries and lights you need to your bundles ?

I attached you an otl to try, for clarity I will be detailed, sorry if my explanation sounds obvious (and made for H14) :

- import the otl using File/Import/Houdini Digital Asset
- create a node “Bundle Maker” from the obj context
- try to click on the button ‘create bundles’ in the parameter and check your bundle tab, it should have created two bundles geometry and light and placed geometries and lights in it
- right click on the otl and go in “Type properties”
- in Parameter select the “Create Bundles” button and check the Callback Script attributes, it's calling the function placed in the Python Module created in the Script tab

Hope that help !

Cheers
Chris

Bundles are really scene based and the primary use tends to be for rendering in every case Ive dealt with. In your case it might be better using a set of visibility nodes if all the user has to do is animate. ie > select > move > key frame.

rob

If all the objects in your bundle are at the same “network level” (eg. the immediate network level inside your HDA), then you can create “node groups” for them. You can edit a group’s contents from the network view pane by selecting Viewing Controls > Show Groups from its right-mouse menu.

There are various scripting commands [sidefx.com] that you can use (use hou.nodeGroups() [sidefx.com] to get the list).

Hi guys,

Thank you for your answers!

@chistof: Thanks for your example. The solution I'm going to is similar to yours. I create a new digital asset with a parameter of type “operator list”. In this parameter I reference all the objects I want in my group. I then made a bunch of buttons to easily select objects in the group, add to, remove from, create a bundle from, toggle visibilities and selectabilities, etc… I will also create a python panel to manage these groups better.

@circusmonkey: I'm not sure I understand what you mean by “visibility nodes”? Is this a type of node? I've searched for them in the network editor, but did not find them…

@edward: Thanks for showing me about the “node groups”. I did not know about them. So if I understand correctly, these node groups will follow the subnetwork they are created in? That's great, I will look into that. The network level limitation, might be problematic however… I'll have to test..

Thanks again guys

I've done things like this, using the On Created script field in the HDA. Basically, an On Create that will execute scripting commands that make the bundles for you each time an HDA is placed in your scene.

It's all based around:

http://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini14.0/hom/hou/NodeBundle [sidefx.com]

so your On Create will create a new node bundle, then iterate whatever nodes are inside the HDA and add them to the bundle(s) as you like.

Cheers,

Peter B

Thank you pbowmar
Really interesting. I will have a look into that for sure