Hi,

I'm playing around with Houdini for 8 or nine months now and for what ever reason the sculpt tool doesn't work, on any version and multiple computers.
So It got to be me, who's causing the problem ;-).

I can use the sculpt tool, but only once and only after a restart of Houdini, opening a new scene doesn't work. When I sculpt just a default grid and I leave the sculpt tool to do something else, when I get back to the sculpt tool it doesn't deform or smooth the mesh in any way. When I hit enter in de viewport (then the sculpt tool is visible and selected, the paint cursor does appear but it hasn't any effect on the mesh.
Making a new sculpt node doesn't help and sculpting on another object ether.

It feels like the tool remains open in one or another way.

So the main question is, what am i doing wrong?
Is there some sort of mode which I'm not aware of?

I'm currently running Houdini 9.5.303.

You need to identify the geometry that you wish the sculpt tool to act on.

Thus, interactively in the viewport you select the geometry first then call in the sculpt tool.

If you have selected all the geometry then the sculpt tool will work over the whole surface.
If you select just some of the primitives then the corresponding primitive numbers will show up in the group field of the sculpt tool, confirming that the tool will work only on those primitives.

An interactive way of working between multiple nodes is to stay in viewport and use the pgup and pgdn keys to navigate between the nodes and have interactive access to each nodes function.

Probbins,

Thanks for you're reply.

If I do understand you correctly, then I think we're talking about a differend thing. The tool does recognises the geometry I would like to sculpt on, but it doesn't deform it. The tool handle is visible and the parameter viewer reacts on right button or middle buttons clicks.

It feels like Houdini not in the right mode or something. Because it does work after a Houdini restart, but only once.

Check down at the very bottom right-hand corner of houdini. Does it say “Manual” ? If so, change it to Auto-Update.

It say's auto update as usual.
Houdini functions very well but the sculpt tool.

Let's put it this way, what is the workflow for the scult tool, step by step. Because I must skip a part.

The situation is as follows:

I've created a grid, add a sculpt tool, do some sculpting on the grid, I add a subdivide and do some other stuff.
Then I would like to sculpt a little bit more, so I select the sculpt node I've created earlyer on, set my display flag on it, go to the view port, hit enter, de sculpt cursor appears, I start sculpting but the object doesn't deform. The parameter view does respons on right button or middle button clicks.

No, if it works once and then stops then you are doing it correctly. One of my biggest complaints about H8 was the viewport, and the sculpt tool, powerful as it was, was one of the bugs that lead to my dislike.

So I've experienced what you're talking about. You should try putting your mouse in the viewport and hitting enter. This sometimes helps to kick Houdini in the butt and work. What I also tried was I'd apply another sculpt and once that one worked the other seemed to work and I could delete the new one. It's a weird thing.

Have you switched to H9 yet? Its a lot better in 9, but you can try the same techniques in 9 to get it work.

Have you tried sculpting with the edit sop, do you get the same issue?

Okay, I'm recreating your steps.

Fresh Houdini
I'll do everything in the viewport.

-call in a Grid - I use the ctrl key to bring the grid into world center.

- in the viewport use Tab and get a Sculpt tool - since the grid is already selected the sculpt tool is initiated and I'm sent to sop space where the sculpt sop node is attached below the grid sop.

- I use the alt key to make the sculpt tool a bit bigger and then sculpt a bit, works fine.

- still in the viewport I use Tab to get a sub-divide sop - this will prompt me to select geometry and I box select the whole grid, then press enter.

- still in the viewport I use Tab and get a Mountain sop.

- then I use the pgup key in the viewport and return to my sculpt tool. I can see this is so by watching the bar above the viewport that shows which tool I'm in.

- I can sculpt without a problem.

moonlightkiss
No, if it works once and then stops then you are doing it correctly. One of my biggest complaints about H8 was the viewport, and the sculpt tool, powerful as it was, was one of the bugs that lead to my dislike.

So I've experienced what you're talking about. You should try putting your mouse in the viewport and hitting enter. This sometimes helps to kick Houdini in the butt and work. What I also tried was I'd apply another sculpt and once that one worked the other seemed to work and I could delete the new one. It's a weird thing.

Have you switched to H9 yet? Its a lot better in 9, but you can try the same techniques in 9 to get it work.

I'm running 9.5.303 ;-), don't know how you got the idea I'm running H8. I never did, I was introduced to Houdini when 9.5 was in beta for Mac Os X. I run it on windows or Mac

probbins
Okay, I'm recreating your steps.

Fresh Houdini
I'll do everything in the viewport.

-call in a Grid - I use the ctrl key to bring the grid into world center.

- in the viewport use Tab and get a Sculpt tool - since the grid is already selected the sculpt tool is initiated and I'm sent to sop space where the sculpt sop node is attached below the grid sop.

- I use the alt key to make the sculpt tool a bit bigger and then sculpt a bit, works fine.

- still in the viewport I use Tab to get a sub-divide sop - this will prompt me to select geometry and I box select the whole grid, then press enter.

- still in the viewport I use Tab and get a Mountain sop.

- then I use the pgup key in the viewport and return to my sculpt tool. I can see this is so by watching the bar above the viewport that shows which tool I'm in.

- I can sculpt without a problem.

I actually do al the operations from the network editor, which is the, from my perspective, the most general workflow.
I'm currently on a holiday so when I get back tomorrow evening I'll have a look at it.
Still, normally I would like to have a sculpt tool somewhere in the network, and change it when ever I like. This the power of Houdini right?

@ Simon: I have a look at the edit sop, it hasn't passed my mind yet.

You can do this in the network view as well. I'm just setting up as straightforward a method as possible so that you can confirm that you have a problem and that it isn't user errror.

These are the steps I did in 9.5 and I know the tool works, so lets see if you can repeat them.

Nerox
I'm running 9.5.303 ;-), don't know how you got the idea I'm running H8. I never did, I was introduced to Houdini when 9.5 was in beta for Mac Os X. I run it on windows or Mac

Nerox
I'm playing around with Houdini for 8 or nine months now…

You mixed alpha with numeric in one instance only. It had me do a double take to assume you were using H9 and not H8 as well. :roll:

Try turning off accumulate to stencil.

@ Probbins
At this moment I'm working on a Mac Pro Intel (H9.5.303) and the sculpt tool works great, just like I expect it to be. Did exactly like you discribed and it works fine. I tried to stress it but it remained working.

So may be it does has something to do with the windows machine I was working on last Friday. I'll do another test later on today on that machine. It has also 9.5.303, although it runs on Windows XP 64.

@ Jesta
'Accumulate to stencil' wasn't checked, so that can't be the issue. Although it didn't seem to make any difference.

Hmmmm, this is a shot in the dark but perhaps re-install your mouse driver? Perhaps there is something wrong with that. Or check the mouse settings. Is it a wireless mouse? Change the batteries?
Goofy I know, but I've run into wonky mouse behaviour when the batteries are low. Not so specific as your example though.

On both machines I have a wacom intuos 3 A5 Wide as my ‘mouse device’.
I haven't thought about reinstalling the wacom drivers, I will give it a shot.

Nerox
At this moment I'm working on a Mac Pro Intel (H9.5.303) and the sculpt tool works great, just like I expect it to be. Did exactly like you discribed and it works fine. I tried to stress it but it remained working

The Brush / Paint tools (including Sculpt) are more or less broken on Windows for years. It's a known bug and it was also discussed here I think. Why they're still not working after all this time is beyond me.
http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&t=11320&highlight=Paint [sidefx.com]
http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&t=10329&highlight=Paint [sidefx.com]

Dragos

Ok!

That explains a lot, fortunately I'm able to boot in Linux. So That's a good reason to start using it ;-).

Has this been submitted as a bug to sesi?

Nerox
Has this been submitted as a bug to sesi?

Long ago.

D

Yesterday our R&D guy was complaining about AD (Something about a ‘auto’ = dutch for car and a desk, company), he had to wait at least half a year till the next release, before a bug was fixed which he relied on.
Sarcastic as I'm I told him that I knew a certain company that does daily builds, which is, from a bug solving point of view, better than not doing daily build. (of course, like expected, he didn't like my opinion. ;-).

Sadly enough daily builds doesn't mean everything will be fixed.