Hey Everybody

I would like to control my mountain height parameter with some kind of “soft selection”

I attached an image (at least i hope so), so i would like to control the height with something like this:


honestly i don't have a clue how can i:
-make a soft selection like this (color would be also ok if i can use it as “mask” to control height or point position)
-how to tell Houdini to use that soft selection as mask to control mountain height

I also tried color node with attribvop but in vex builder i can't combine my unified noise output:noise with ramp


I attached there the hip file, but it's on the bottom of my post :

Image Not Found

The best would be to use attrib vop because of vex builder. i try avoid magic codes as possible

Thanks for the help in advance!

Attachments:
mountain_height_soft_selection.jpg (106.8 KB)
mountain_height_attribvop.jpg (779.5 KB)
cliff.hip (356.0 KB)

Attachments:
szadam_cliff_chunks.hda (15.3 KB)

Attachments:
soft_selection_translate.hip (133.9 KB)
soft_selection_translate.JPG (150.5 KB)

Ahhh, this is pure diamond!
And You did it in vex builder, not with magic codes, so double Thank You!

Thank You very much, this is exactly what i need!

Now i try to remake like this with more unified noise (which node is the base of the mountain as i can understand), so i may control different areas of the mesh with masking, and i can give different type and intensity of noises to the mask areas!

Just one more question. is there any slope or cavity kind of masking in vex builder?
At detailing it would be supercool to get something like “cavity” masking so i can put more detail to the “inner corners (orange)”, more wear to the edges (blue)
rock

Thank You again, this example is a very big help to me!

Attachments:
cavity_corners.jpg (140.2 KB)

Attachments:
masking_mountain.jpg (246.7 KB)

Attachments:
direction_mask_displacements.JPG (102.7 KB)
dir_mask_for_displacements.hip (260.8 KB)

You did again exactly what i need!
i'm not saying i can understand every node that You are using (because of lack of proper math knowledge), but those commentaries are super useful to a noobie as me!

I have to apologize because i forgot to mention i'm using a tricky normal transfer because of the good displacement results.
I attached a picture that shows what is my problem.

When i’m using mountain node it gets the normals of A at shading, but gets the normals of B to the displacement
I have to define somehow the normals of A and give it back in the second attribvop (where the actual displacement is happening) to get “proper” normals to shading.
But important to use the normals of B at displacement (unified noise) in the attribvop to get good displacement result.

I could save You time if i mention it sooner, but i was not sure if it's important or not!

A big Thank You again and also thanks for the answer in advance

Attachments:
normals_ab.jpg (618.0 KB)

Attachments:
vcolor_blur.jpg (119.5 KB)
color_recall.jpg (415.7 KB)

Attachments:
store_normals_and_blur_mask.hip (221.5 KB)

Thank You for the fast reply and for the hip file again!

It's only an inconvenience but would be much better to get access to attribblur (or some kind of blur) right at the mask creating “ ”space“ (in vex builder)
Now i have to separate every mask i want to blur into different attribvop nodes to able to connect them into an attribblur (at least i didn't figure out how can i use bind_export in the attribblur. (shot attached)

Bigger problem is that i can't see how can i use both the normals (mesh A and B) within one ”connection line“ (or how we call a connection stream in Houdini) shot attached

To this problem, my question is how can i get normals from mesh A (plus the masks are binded from the same “connection line”,
but get normals from mesh B to proceed the displacement vectors right
i need somehow to get both (mesh A and B) normals, but once i have to use mesh A normal to get proper shading (plus i need the masks from mesh A) and at the “same time” i need mesh B normals to the displacement effect.

I guess somehow i have to merge the two connection line, and i have to store somehow both the normals (mesh A and B)
Or maybe i just need the normals of A but i still have to merge my ”mesh A ward“ with ”mesh B ward" because i need the detailed mask to use with the smooth normals/position in displacement.

Thank You for your patient

Attachments:
mesh_AB_normals.jpg (785.7 KB)
attribblur.jpg (321.6 KB)

Ok, i still have problems

I attached the hip file + a shot.
I tried to “mimic” the mountain node settings to make the problem more “visible”
On bottom left the bad result, on bottom right the good result.

It seems mountain node somehow (and that's the problem i can't even see theoretically how) mix the original shading + the displacement with the smoothed mesh but the displacement is also part of the “shading” (normals)

Image Not Found

Attachments:
ntrans_vs_mountain.jpg (571.2 KB)
cliff.hip (679.1 KB)

Attachments:
group_by_color.JPG (82.7 KB)

Attachments:
bad_reference.JPG (28.7 KB)

Hey mate!

I figured out half our ago how i will use mountain node with your store P and N method.
I also tested it out, so it works for sure!

Basically i have 3 “player on the field”.
1-mask that controls where the mountain should work
2-store P and N to get a “mountain pass” free version
3-call the stored P and N (as You showed me before) and simply mix the “mountained” and “mountain free” versions of my mesh, and that do the right thing!

With this method i don't need any group, so we don't need the dark magic at this time

However i'm really curious (no i'm not ) how that mountain node works.
I opened it, but i have no chance to understand what is going in that mountain

Now groups are unnecessary, but a quick question. Am i assuming right that group can't store soft selection? I mean as i look at the picture You posted right now it seems binary to me.
But it's strange to me, because what is the obstruction to store “transition” (soft selection basically) in a group?

I attached the hip file if You are curios about the “solution” (more like a hack ).

Thank You again for your help, and quick replies!

Attachments:
cliff.hip (483.8 KB)

Attachments:
cliff.hip (484.8 KB)