Hi! I'm new to houdini, so sorry for my (maybe simple questions, but I couldn't find answer

1) How to merge 2 verticles? (is there method to merging there “to center” or “to one of them”?)

2) Is there any way to set such a shortcut, that when I double click on edge it selects edge loop?

3) Is it possible in houdini 10 to view pre-selection highlights on the model?

Thank You very much!

To merge vertices you can use “fuse” operator. Just apply it to the geometry you want the vertices to be merged and then use the distance slide in the parameters (activate “display point numbers” in the viewport to use snap type).
If you want to merge only same vertices you can move them with snapping tool and then apply fuse operator (you can even group them with “group” operator, using a list or an expression to select them and then fuse).
Not sure what you mean with pre-selection highlights but take a look at the “group” operator in the help documents.

danilo2
2) Is there any way to set such a shortcut, that when I double click on edge it selects edge loop?

Not double click but you can type ‘l’ in the viewport to select the edge loop. When in selection mode, RMB in the viewport to bring up a list of shortcut keys.

3) Is it possible in houdini 10 to view pre-selection highlights on the model?

Nope, there is no pre-selection highlights in Houdini.

Cheers!
steven

thank you very much
I didn't thought that fuse will “merge” verticles thanks
When it's about the shortcuts, I know that l is loop tool , but I'm just wondering if there is a way that i can customize the shortcuts, in such way that f.e. loop will be when I double click on edge (as in maya f.e.)?

And I'll post additional question too How can I reselect edges in a operation - this is when i have f.e. bevel node - and this node bevels a lot of edges and in my work I wont to go back to this node and add few edges - can I just “select additionals edges to add them, or deselect them” in fast way?
I know, that i can write down numbers of edges I wont to bevel, but is a faster method - f.e. selecting?
thanks

I'm just wondering if there is a way that i can customize the shortcuts, in such way that f.e. loop will be when I double click on edge (as in maya f.e.)?

As far as I know there is no way to assign a “double click” hotkey. Check under “hotkeys” or under “preferences”.

How can I reselect edges in a operation - this is when i have f.e. bevel node - and this node bevels a lot of edges and in my work I wont to go back to this node and add few edges - can I just “select additionals edges to add them, or deselect them” in fast way?

If you want to change (add or remove) points, edges, primitives or vertices selection at a specific operation (node) just select the node in the network and right click on selection tool icon (on the left of the viewport…); here you can use “reselect for current tool”.

However for any operation you want to make you need first to select the type in the select tool menu (add, remove, toggle, replace), then select the geometry in the viewport (or in the network) an hit enter. Select the node operation in the network and once again in the select tool menu use “reselect for current tool”. After changing the selection hit enter.

Thank you very much! I'm so happy, that I can ask here and I've got so fast replies

Ok in my process of learning houdini I've got couple next questions
1) Can I assign this shortcut - while holding shift and mooving edge - it will extrude it? (as in max f.e.)

2) Are you modelling in Houdini, or is it better to model in other soft and to use Houdini for special effects as particles etc? (I'm new to Houdini and I don;t know it's power, but I like maya (with Nex) when it's about modelling)

Thank you

Can I assign this shortcut - while holding shift and mooving edge - it will extrude it? (as in max f.e.)

No. You can't assign mouse-related hotkeys. Shift + leftclick is usually used to add to selection.
I don't know how it works in 3dsMax, but you can do it without holding shift (select the geometry, press the hotkey, use the handle to move); just use a polyextrude SOP an then pressing Q hotkey you can always repeat the last operation, or you can just use a custom hotkey.
To assign hotkeys take a look at “Edit -> Hotkeys”. You can assign the same hotkey relatively to different context areas. If you can't find your way inside hotkey editor you can Ctrl + Alt + Shift leftclick an item in the user interface to open it in the hotkeyeditor. You can find more searching in “Help -> Houdini Help” documentation which has been very well done.

Are you modelling in Houdini, or is it better to model in other soft and to use Houdini for special effects as particles etc? (I'm new to Houdini and I don;t know it's power, but I like maya (with Nex) when it's about modelling)

Actually, I guess there are a lot of discussion opened around the net… I don't know if this the right place to ask about. However, since you asked about some modelling tricks, I can tell you, I don't know if things are now changed because I don't use Maya since they removed PLE, but I can remember when the process of modelling at some point was slowing down and I had to delete history. In Houdini I've never experienced such issues and i can tweak the geometry going back and forth trought the nodes (but you need to keep your nodes organized to avoid large networks).

Thanks
Actually in Maya the modelling process is still not so wonderfull as in Houdini. Of course I see there a lot of tools, that Houdini doesn't have, but I feel that the control over model is realy strong in Houdini

I see there a lot of tools, that Houdini doesn't have

People often say this, yes there are some, but when we ask what are all these tools that are missing no-one ever seems to come back with a list, so I suspect its not as many as you think, they are just named differently mostly.

Ok, sorry for that You're right, I schould have posted some examples - here is my small list (but if there is something that houdini DOES have, I'm very happy and please, tell me where to find it

1) slide tool (!) (edges, verticles)
2) target weld - dragging one verticle to another will cause snap to it and immidiatly merge them.
3) projecting meshes - when I make retopology and I make lowPoly model on HighPoly surface, then I subdivide this LowPoly and I want to add detal , that this HiPoly does have.
4) Quad draw - drawing polys as with a brush (on a surface or in space)
5) Offset/magnify edges - when I've got 2 or more selected edges (or loops) I can slide them away or narrow to the center of them.
6) (!!! - very important) cut polygons, so that I can make new verticles not only on edge or anoher verticle, but on faces too (inside polygons)

And I've got additional 2 questions for you
1) How to shrink selection?
2) How to remember selection - this is i select something, and later i want to select exactly the same
3) It is possible to disable node, but save the new numeration of verticles,edges and faces? (of course appart of these made by this node)

Thank you very much

Yup they are all good ones, nice to see a list.

1. I wrote my own, but I really want to see this added to the edit sop, maybe H11

2. Houdini doesn't really work that way, you have to use the fuse sop.

3. Do you mean selectively subdivide? Not sure I follow, you can subdivide just a group of polys but maybe that isn't what you mean.

4. Yes I also want to see this at the moment you'd have to use the curve sop and then skin the result and join everything up with polyknit

5. This again needs to be part of a slide tool and preferably in the edit sop too.

6. Closest we have at the moment is subdivide that can give you a point in the middle of a face.


Questions
1. You can't shrink a selection at the moment, don't ask me why, I really hope they add this soon it been missing for sooooo long. I thought I'd seen something saying they had but I can't find the option at the moment.

2. To remember a selection use the group sop.

3. Not sure I understand the question, could you give more detail or rephrase it.

Simon
1. You can't shrink a selection at the moment, don't ask me why, I really hope they add this soon it been missing for sooooo long. I thought I'd seen something saying they had but I can't find the option at the moment.

This was added in H10. It's in the same menu where it says Select All, Select Boundaries, etc.

where is that menu though? its not under “select”

Thank you Simon
So I'll explain something that I've wrote:
2)

Houdini doesn't really work that way, you have to use the fuse sop.

I know that Houdini doesnt work that way, but it will be really nice, when it'll be possible to do it (of course automaticly there will be made some nodes etc) - and I thing it could be possibly to speed up work.
3) Sorry for that, that i didn't exactly told about this feature. Imagine that you have a HP model and you're making retopology on it. you've got now 2 models : HP and LP one. Now you're subdividing LP, but on HP model you have much detail - wrinkles etc. And this feature helps you to “project” this HP model on this subdivided LP, so after subdivision it will automaticaly, (hmm how to say this in english? ) “extrude” all details. I hope now it's more clear
6) This is not the same - Most time I want to make a lot of “cuts” in the middle of polygons, f.e. I'm cutting a circle, or star, or something else inside polygon. This is really hard to make now in houdini.

When It's about questions:

Not sure I understand the question, could you give more detail or rephrase it.

Ok here is example:
http://student.agh.edu.pl/~dwojciec/question.rar [student.agh.edu.pl]
(this is rared Houdini file)
this is really simple sample - you;ve got there 4 nodes in tourus - bevel,blast and extrude. Blast and Bevel and Extrude “have nothing common”. And now i want to remove blast node - but then numerous of polys changes and extrude is wrong. But I thing it should be possible, to remove blast and save current nummers? (of course this is really simple model and I can reselect everything, but in model, which have about 100 or more nodes its not possible. Additonal I'm not questing about only “blast” node - sometimes nodes like extrude, bevel, cut etc are changing numeration too)

Thank you

2. What you seem to be asking for here is just a shelf tool that puts down a fuse sop linked to a shortcut key, this is doable now but you have to roll your own.

3. I understand what you need now, but i have no idea how you would do that, does other software have this feature?

6. I realise this isn't the same, I agree it is needed, but this is as close as it gets at the moment I think.

As for your question about removing the blast node, I understand exactly now there is a very long thread on this forum from me going back some years explaining how this might be implimented in Houdini using attributes to store the point/vertex references, I'm still waiting for something like it to be implimented. I think it could now be scripted in python in a way but it would need to be integrated at a very low level for it to be practical when working. Basically it would decouple the modelling selections from the geometry points/vertex numbers. Its non-trivial and probably not always that useful given the amount of work involved in implimenting it.

Thank you Simon

3) Yes, I think a lot of software have it impemented - zbrush, modo, maya with plugin, maybe another but I don't use other


And when it's about this polygon numbers - I'll wait for implementation too and I hope that in H11 this feature will be available