I suspect I already mentioned this a looong time ago, but is there a way in 20.5 to keep the current SOP parameters open when selecting an other SOP or Object node ??

For instance; when you have to edit the parameters of several Transform SOPs, you have to first toggle from the previous parameter to Transform again and again and again....

It would speed up workflow soooo much if it were at least possible to somehow make the current parameter stick when selecting another Object or SOP, as in any other decent Application....

This is so frustrating.

Any pointers, besides "select all SOPs first..." ?

you can have 2 Parameter panes (either docked by splitting Alt+[ or floating by tearing off using Alt+Shift+C) and Pin one of them when you want something "pinned"

or RMB/ParametersAndChannels/Parameters.. on any node will open it's persistent floating Parameter Pane


but I may be misunderstanding as this has always been possible

ok, thanks.

But when I tear off a parameter pane it's "locked" to the selected node/SOP/object when the parameter panel was teared off. So when I have to edit many other parameters on lots of nodes, same story....
I can't even select another node to edit with this newly created parameter panel.

Also, when I want to tear-off whats under the cursor, I first have to carefully place the cursor before I can tear off the parameter, when its a tiny bit off I get the wrong panel, really ??

How do you do this when you need to edit Transform parameters or 30 or more SOPs after having to edit the Render properties of the same nodes ?

Why oh why does this not work as convenient in any other app; you select a parameter and it sticks when you select another node/SOP/object, way less clicky.

I waste so much time babysitting Houdini with quirks like this, it's like being in a wrestling match while trying to get some work done.

Yes the second option is persistent, but the first 2 options are second pinnable parameter editor floating or docked, which you can pin or unpin to hold the parms of current node or update with selection

toonafish
Why oh why does this not work as convenient in any other app; you select a parameter and it sticks when you select another node/SOP/object, way less clicky.

What do you mean sticks? Do you mean like the stack in Nuke? Or parameter directly on nodes like Blender?
You may want to mention the app you are referring to, since not all apps work the same way so saying "any other app" is not helpful

You can also always use Parameter spreadsheet to edit specific parameters on many nodes

For instance; when I select the Transform parameters, Shader or any other parameter in Maya after editing any other parameter, it sticks, so one can tweak parameters for many objects very quickly. And the same goes with parameter panels in other 3d apps I have used over the years like XSI, Blender, Lightwave, Modo, etc. even Real3D if I remember correctly :-)

But when I select a different object/node/SOP in Houdini it switches to the previous active parameter panel for every single node, so you have to keep manually toggeling as many times as the nodes that need editing.

Of course theres workarounds like the parameter spreadsheet, or first selecting all nodes one needs to edit. But why not a better GUI design for basic stuff like this ?

It's like a car door not opening from the inside, and the solution is rolling down the window and reaching out to open it from the outside...

Sorry about the rant, I know you're just trying to help, but I find obvious stuff like this that's still completely ignored so frustrating in Houdini.

ah, you are talking about the active Tabs showing the last state of the node rather than last state of previously selected node of the same type

that can get a bit annoying
I assume it may have historical reasons, especially since the tools can actually switch logic based on which tab is active ( and that not only if they are of Radio Folder type )

so adopting to the state of a different node's UI without being explicitly set on the current instance (directly or through multiselect and set) may actually unintentionally mess up states of some nodes if they are taking advantage of active tab state

nonetheless you can submit RFE to have a Preferences option for that if you haven't already

You kind of lost me there, but maybe I will. Though I suspect it will have as much effect as all my previous RFE’s and bug reports.

Maybe I need more sleep, but your wording is extremely confusing to read, and I don't understand the issue even after reading your posts 3 times.

Can you describe what the issue is step-by-step (for e.g. 1. Select a Transform SOP, 2. Edit the Translate X parameter, etc.) and describe what happens versus what you expect to happen?

Sorry about that...maybe I should have used the term "Parameter Pane Tabs" instead of just "Parameter Pane".

But it's very simple actually, it's Houdini remembering the last Parameter used for each and every node.

But just select a geo node and click on the "Render" Tab to maybe adjust the display setting to "hidden".

Then select another geo node and the Transform settings will be active by default in the Parameter Pane.

So if you need to adjust the Display Render setting as well, you'll have to first open the Render Tab again.

Rinse and repeat for every object that needs adjusting...

And quickly selecting all the objects that need adjusting in the Network View is not an option most of the time, because they are scattered all over, like in a rig for instance.

In any other 3D App I've used the Tab sticks to the last parameter used, so when selecting another Node, you directly have access to the Render settings and you can quickly edit the same parameters of a lot of objects in a row.

And that works sooo much faster.