Can anyone recommend a program for editing the OTL file? I thought I could use Visual Studio but it doesn't seem to work.

Do you know about expanding and collapsing OTL files? When expanded, the component files are mostly ASCII and a text editor can be used.

From the commandline:

%> hotl
Usage: /usr/apps/houdini/houdini-9.0.743/bin/hotl-bin -x DestDir OTLFile
Expands the OTL into a directory. Each operator
definition is expanded into a separate subdirectory.

Usage: /usr/apps/houdini/houdini-9.0.743/bin/hotl-bin -c SrcDir OTLFile
Creates a new OTL by collapsing together the
external files listed in the source directory. This
directory should match what is generated by this
application using the -x option. If the -b option
is specified, a backup copy of the OTL is created.


These are the two commandline usages you should be most interested in.

HTH,
Jason

That's awesome. Thanks! But it seems like a lot of extra steps just to edit something in the dialog script. I miss that option in H8 that allowed you to edit the script quickly. In H9 if I want to change the default value I have to delete it from the parameters then change them in the operator and then drag it back into the parameters. This seems rediculous. Am I missing something? Is there an easier way of changing the defaults.

bobster
That's awesome. Thanks! But it seems like a lot of extra steps just to edit something in the dialog script. I miss that option in H8 that allowed you to edit the script quickly.

Agreed! At some point a modal based approach was discussed. (Which I would love to see in Houdini 9.1)

@bobster:
For defaults? All you have to do is go to the second tab on the right of the “Edit Operator Properties…” dialog called “Channels” and the default value is listed right there.

Wolfwood

bobster
That's awesome. Thanks! But it seems like a lot of extra steps just to edit something in the dialog script. I miss that option in H8 that allowed you to edit the script quickly.

Agreed! At some point a modal based approach was discussed. (Which I would love to see in Houdini 9.1)

I agree also. I miss dialogue scripts. They were a handy way to cut and paste big chunks of UI.

Thanks Jason. I totally missed that.

nobodyinparticular
I agree also. I miss dialogue scripts. They were a handy way to cut and paste big chunks of UI.

You can copy and paste parameters in the Type Properties (or Edit Parameter Interface) UI directly (ctrl-c, ctrl-v). And if you really like dialog scripts and vim, you can save selected parameters to a .ds file (RMB menu, or ctrl-c to copy the parameters, then ctrl-v into your favorite text editor), or import parameters from a .ds file. With importing, you can even keep the link to the .ds file “live”, in that you just have to hit “Refresh Imports” and the file will be re-loaded.

Although direct editing of the dialog script was removed in H9, every reason I had ever heard for hand-editing a dialog script was replaced with a feature in the UI that lets you do the same thing. If there are more specific features of hand-editing that you feel are missing, please mention them here and I'll let you know if there is a way to do the same thing in the UI.

Mark

mtucker

nobodyinparticular
I agree also. I miss dialogue scripts. They were a handy way to cut and paste big chunks of UI.

You can copy and paste parameters in the Type Properties (or Edit Parameter Interface) UI directly (ctrl-c, ctrl-v).

Is this suppose to work between two different dialogs? Say you have two type properties windows open and you wish to copy parameters from one to the other. Should Ctrl-c and Ctrl-v work in this case or is copy/paste only valid within a single type properties dialog?

Although direct editing of the dialog script was removed in H9, every reason I had ever heard for hand-editing a dialog script was replaced with a feature in the UI that lets you do the same thing. If there are more specific features of hand-editing that you feel are missing, please mention them here and I'll let you know if there is a way to do the same thing in the UI.

Something similar to search and replace across a block of parameters would be great. ( s/jim_/mark_/ )

You can copy/paste between different dialogs, or even different Houdini sessions, or between Houdini and vim (though not from vim to Houdini).

The ability for global search/replace from the UI is already an RFE. It's definitely one of the holes left by the inability to edit the script directly.

Mark

The only gap that I experience often enough is related to the post I've recently repeated about duplicating the Mantra ROP HDA where the instant you edit the Type Properties, the dialogue is permanently corrupted. Here there must be a subtlety involved in the Mark E's hand-crafted .ds script which gets ironed out when the .ds is rewritten.

My other gripe is really only about supprting Ctrl+C/V for copy/pasting parameters. It's so automatic a habit and I growl when I can't do it. :twisted:

mtucker
You can copy/paste between different dialogs, or even different Houdini sessions…

…Although direct editing of the dialog script was removed in H9, every reason I had ever heard for hand-editing a dialog script was replaced with a feature in the UI that lets you do the same thing. If there are more specific features of hand-editing that you feel are missing, please mention them here and I'll let you know if there is a way to do the same thing in the UI.

copy and paste does not seem to work in the UI; not between 2 UI editor windows nor between 2 houdini sessions. If the UI editor is designed to replace the capabilities available hand-editing the dialogue, it seems to me that it needs more work.

mtucker
You can copy/paste between different dialogs, or even different Houdini sessions, or between Houdini and vim (though not from vim to Houdini).

Sorry Mark. For the longest time I thought Houdini didn't support this, when in fact it just seems to be busted on Linux. I tired this on windows and it works great.

Wolfwood is using KDE, FWIW.

Cheers,

J.C.

jason_iversen
The only gap that I experience often enough is related to the post I've recently repeated about duplicating the Mantra ROP HDA where the instant you edit the Type Properties, the dialogue is permanently corrupted. Here there must be a subtlety involved in the Mark E's hand-crafted .ds script which gets ironed out when the .ds is rewritten.

My other gripe is really only about supprting Ctrl+C/V for copy/pasting parameters. It's so automatic a habit and I growl when I can't do it. :twisted:

That first one is definitely a bug, and has been submitted.

Sorry to confuse anyone, I'm strictly on Windows so I never knew this didn't work on Linux. I've submitted a bug. I guess until it gets fixed everyone should switch to Windows machines

Mark