Does anyone know if this is still the case (no auto-renewal, must re-purchase manually)?
Cheers
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Houdini Indie and Apprentice » license renewal question
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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Technical Discussion » FBX Exporting
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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Note that IIRC MotionBuilder won't import blendshape settings (even from Maya), so if you're considering using them in MB you'll have to set reconfigure them manually anyway.
Houdini Lounge » Is it ok to have Houdini Apprentice Licences (local) installed for learning purposes and commercial licences for production at one facility?
- AdamT
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I'd email sales for an answer to this (they're always extremely fast in responding).
When I moved from Apprentice to FX a few years back, I asked a similar question - I was told it was fine back then, but not really a great idea. Even if you avoid license server hassles, all it takes is one little accident to turn a .hip into a .hipnc (or same to an HDA or OTL).
Not sure I'd be comfortable with that in a company setting and users not yet familiar with Houdini.
When I moved from Apprentice to FX a few years back, I asked a similar question - I was told it was fine back then, but not really a great idea. Even if you avoid license server hassles, all it takes is one little accident to turn a .hip into a .hipnc (or same to an HDA or OTL).
Not sure I'd be comfortable with that in a company setting and users not yet familiar with Houdini.
Houdini Lounge » Why Doesn't Jeff Wagner's Mac Crash?
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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“Because it has Autopilot!”
(sorry, I saw the title and it screamed ‘dad joke’. Getting my coat.)
(sorry, I saw the title and it screamed ‘dad joke’. Getting my coat.)
Houdini Lounge » Houdini Roadmap video
- AdamT
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Fantastic look-ahead! It will be great if we can bring characters into a games pipeline at last.
As mentioned in a couple of earlier posts, will we see any FBX export (and/or game-related) improvements (blends esp)?
I agree it'd be nice to choose between new and old style icons. I don't mind progress, but sometimes nice to take it one step at a time while actually working
As mentioned in a couple of earlier posts, will we see any FBX export (and/or game-related) improvements (blends esp)?
I agree it'd be nice to choose between new and old style icons. I don't mind progress, but sometimes nice to take it one step at a time while actually working
Houdini Lounge » RIP Chris Maynard
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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Sadness
I'd only spoken to him a couple times, but he was incredibly dedicated to getting people into graphics, and poured himself into cmiVFX. A buzzing guy.
A tragic loss, but he did the best anyone can hope to: he helped pass on his (and others') knowledge and enthusiasm, and I reckon his legacy will live on for a long time to come. That's pretty awesome.
R.I.P. Chris.
I'd only spoken to him a couple times, but he was incredibly dedicated to getting people into graphics, and poured himself into cmiVFX. A buzzing guy.
A tragic loss, but he did the best anyone can hope to: he helped pass on his (and others') knowledge and enthusiasm, and I reckon his legacy will live on for a long time to come. That's pretty awesome.
R.I.P. Chris.
Houdini Engine for Unity » What's the current state of Houdini Engine support for Unity
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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Houdini Engine for Unity » What's the current state of Houdini Engine support for Unity
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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@damian, is is it worth putting in RFE's, or
Hi Damian, does this mean RFE's are no longer being accepted for the Unity plug-in?
damian
Yes, the Unity plugin is still supported in the sense that major bugs will be fixed as they come up and we do try to reply to questions on this forum as promptly as possible. However, new features are not planned in the short term. That could change anytime though.
Hi Damian, does this mean RFE's are no longer being accepted for the Unity plug-in?
Houdini Engine for Unity » Noob: Curves and snapping in Unity?
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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You can add basic snapping yourself by editing HoudiniCurveGUI.cs
Look for two instances of new_point_location being set (search the first lines quoted below), and modify this value to snap:
With snapping, it's easy to add points on top of points, so I'd suggest adding this after the second block above:
You'll want to define Vector3 m_last_point_location as a private var, and give it a suitable quirky value like 99999.12345 so it doesn't stop you drawing in a valid place.
I'd add the complete code (with options and additional handles) for pull request submission, but I'm not that familiar with git. Wouldn't turn my nose up to looking at a guide/howto.
Projecting to a mesh (natively projecting the curve, and not i.e. via Ray SOP inside an HDA) should be do-able by i.e. raycasting into the scene (Unity's Raycast, not RAY SOP). Might need a bit more work putting it into practice as you're relying on Unity's collision precision, but it should work fine. But this level of customization is definitely better off in an RFE anyway.
Look for two instances of new_point_location being set (search the first lines quoted below), and modify this value to snap:
Vector3 new_point_location = intersection;
// Grid Snap —————————————————-
new_point_location.x = Mathf.RoundToInt(new_point_location.x);
new_point_location.y = Mathf.RoundToInt(new_point_location.y);
new_point_location.z = Mathf.RoundToInt(new_point_location.z);
//—————————————————————
new_point_location = myCurve.transform.InverseTransformPoint( new_point_location );
// Grid Snap —————————————————-
new_point_location.x = Mathf.RoundToInt(new_point_location.x);
new_point_location.y = Mathf.RoundToInt(new_point_location.y);
new_point_location.z = Mathf.RoundToInt(new_point_location.z);
//—————————————————————
With snapping, it's easy to add points on top of points, so I'd suggest adding this after the second block above:
foreach (Vector3 p in myCurve.prPoints)
{
if (p == new_point_location)
return;
}
if (new_point_location == m_last_point_location)
return;
m_last_point_location = new_point_location;
You'll want to define Vector3 m_last_point_location as a private var, and give it a suitable quirky value like 99999.12345 so it doesn't stop you drawing in a valid place.
I'd add the complete code (with options and additional handles) for pull request submission, but I'm not that familiar with git. Wouldn't turn my nose up to looking at a guide/howto.
Projecting to a mesh (natively projecting the curve, and not i.e. via Ray SOP inside an HDA) should be do-able by i.e. raycasting into the scene (Unity's Raycast, not RAY SOP). Might need a bit more work putting it into practice as you're relying on Unity's collision precision, but it should work fine. But this level of customization is definitely better off in an RFE anyway.
Edited by AdamT - June 6, 2016 18:36:06
Houdini Lounge » Please Help us Beta Test the New Sidefx Website!
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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Really like the new design. The Store section doesn't seem to work .. I just tried to buy an Indie license, but it removes the Indie portion (leaving the Mantra Token + Houdini Engine license, total cost $0.00). Hitting Continue mails me those tokens…which is odd, or unexpected anyway.
Could it be because I also have a full FX licensed to the same email address?
Could it be because I also have a full FX licensed to the same email address?
Edited by AdamT - May 20, 2016 08:44:55
Houdini Lounge » Houdini 15 release date?
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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Bobthebuilder
So I suppose its not today either? …
Give them a chance to get out of bed at least
What SideFX lack in shiny marketing they more than make up for where it counts; product. Just hang on in there, the nail biting suspense is always worth it.
Houdini Lounge » Houdini 15 Sneak Peak
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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craiglhoffman
That's great news! Thanks!
It would be nice to do the last thing (create Normal Maps from high to low res geo) to avoid having to add another tool to the process, but I will take what I can get.
Maybe there is some way to script using XNormal from inside Houdini or something… Anyone want to make an Orbolt Asset to do this? Or maybe Side Effects could work out a deal to use XNormal tech inside Houdini since it is FREE.
Cheers,
Craig
I'll add my support to this
Looking like a fantastic update so far guys. Thanks so much for the hard work. You're really putting the competition to task!
Houdini Lounge » Houdini 15 Teaser
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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mantragoramandrake0
hmm when i checked the siggraph event speakers i have seen this:
Simplygon:
https://www.simplygon.com [simplygon.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xajDe8slf-0 [youtube.com]
Thanks for the minor heart attack!
That looks…fantastic. Glad I got to it while it was still public!
Houdini Lounge » Indie floating lincense
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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twelveplusplus
fwiw, i would prolly pay $250-300 for a floating indie license. are we haggling? lol (even if it could only float between two computers–ie, my laptop and desktop)
For an extra $100, you could run it on both machines at the same time
Technical Discussion » Clearing the geometry cache?
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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Yeah, and it clears some, but only a little (a little being e.g ~6.5GB/61.5GB, as illustrated in the attached screenshot), despite the cache readout itself saying otherwise.
So the lion's share is still in some mystery limbo. \bug, do you think?
So the lion's share is still in some mystery limbo. \bug, do you think?
Technical Discussion » Clearing the geometry cache?
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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Is there a way to clear the geometry cache?
I'm working with reasonably large networks - all geometry, no dynamics, and each subnet takes a significant amount of memory when cooked (running to >100GB), which doesn't get released even when re-opening the project in the same session: I have to quit and re-launch Houdini.
Hoping I've simply missed a trick I've not had to look out for before.
I'm working with reasonably large networks - all geometry, no dynamics, and each subnet takes a significant amount of memory when cooked (running to >100GB), which doesn't get released even when re-opening the project in the same session: I have to quit and re-launch Houdini.
Hoping I've simply missed a trick I've not had to look out for before.
Technical Discussion » Load digital asset c4d .hdanc
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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The filename is noncommercial (nc suffix). If that's what the version of Houdini you're using outputs, then it's pretty much a no.
Apprentice saves this format. Indie and above save their own formats.
Note also, and assuming you have a 15 day eval of Houdini FX for example, importing (or copy-pasting even) assets created in Apprentice, will turn the project into a non-commercial project, and all files exported from that project thereafter are noncommercial. There is a warning that this will happen when you attempt it.
Regardless, you can tell what you have from your saved project's filename:
A Houdini/FX project filename extension is .hip
An Apprentice project filename extension is .hipnc
Apprentice saves this format. Indie and above save their own formats.
Note also, and assuming you have a 15 day eval of Houdini FX for example, importing (or copy-pasting even) assets created in Apprentice, will turn the project into a non-commercial project, and all files exported from that project thereafter are noncommercial. There is a warning that this will happen when you attempt it.
Regardless, you can tell what you have from your saved project's filename:
A Houdini/FX project filename extension is .hip
An Apprentice project filename extension is .hipnc
Houdini Lounge » Houdini 15 Wishlist
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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I'd like to see more Asset management, specifically with handling versioning and protecting existing HDAs from being adversely affected (i.e. broken) by changes to an HDA, and the ability to revert to previous versions and seeing what version of an asset is being used (without having to go to Type Management for each and every).
I often run into problems where I want to extend an HDA's functionality, and despite attempts at being careful I'll break existing instances of an asset, where they inadvertently get updated to the latest definition. I'm aware of namespaces and versions documentation, but it's not exactly user friendly, and I've come unstuck trying to follow the working practices for HDAs (or neglecting to because I'm thinking “this just going to be used once”) more than a few times.
Ideally I'd like to be able to mix asset versions without worrying about getting it right or wrong so much. I'd like to be able to view notes on assets before I select a definition to switch to, and I'd like to drop down mixed node versions in a network. Perhaps another toggle-able info layer in the network with version numbers next to nodes would be handy?
It's possible I'm just picking up bad habits because I work alone (no-one to correct me), but assets are a core philosophy and a huge Pro of Houdini, so anything to make them easier to work with would be a plus. Given H14 adds the Assets menu, I guess I'm not alone in thinking that?
I often run into problems where I want to extend an HDA's functionality, and despite attempts at being careful I'll break existing instances of an asset, where they inadvertently get updated to the latest definition. I'm aware of namespaces and versions documentation, but it's not exactly user friendly, and I've come unstuck trying to follow the working practices for HDAs (or neglecting to because I'm thinking “this just going to be used once”) more than a few times.
Ideally I'd like to be able to mix asset versions without worrying about getting it right or wrong so much. I'd like to be able to view notes on assets before I select a definition to switch to, and I'd like to drop down mixed node versions in a network. Perhaps another toggle-able info layer in the network with version numbers next to nodes would be handy?
It's possible I'm just picking up bad habits because I work alone (no-one to correct me), but assets are a core philosophy and a huge Pro of Houdini, so anything to make them easier to work with would be a plus. Given H14 adds the Assets menu, I guess I'm not alone in thinking that?
Technical Discussion » Texturing Help
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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Just assign textures to relevant material Map channels (i.e. diffuse), as you would in any 3D app.
More on how FBX files here:
http://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini14.0/io/fbx [sidefx.com]
(look under Materials subheading for supported features)
More on how FBX files here:
http://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini14.0/io/fbx [sidefx.com]
(look under Materials subheading for supported features)
Houdini Lounge » Xeons vs I7, the eternal struggle
- AdamT
- 184 posts
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Don't go with Xeons if you're just learning and not yet making money from using Houdini (I assume you don't have money to burn).
The only reason to get a dual Xeon workstation is if you need >64GB RAM (you don't need dual for this, but it's the MBs), or you do intensive rendering (or any other process that benefits from multithreading).
There are so many single threaded processes in Houdini (and most applications) that 30+ threads would be completely wasted, and the lower (not over-clockable) CPU speeds will mean a very measly performance unless you're in a position where it makes sense to buy into the vastly more expensive Xeons (think $2k+ per CPU). I've posted on another thread asking the same questions, it's jaw grinding when Task Manager shows an application using just 3% CPU processing power.
There are other Xeon gotchas such as more expensive EEC RAM.
Even the octo core i7 X series are in a similar ballpark for price:performance… a single threaded process isn't using 1/8th of your CPU, it's using 1/16th. Just get a nice fast i7, a motherboard that will let you fit a decent amount of RAM (you don't need to fill it straight away), and a good GPU…spend what you can save on a second GPU if you're thinking of doing anything with OpenCL.
SSDs - system, and scratch (for cache files) - are a good idea.
Regarding overclocking, it gets more difficult (unstable) the more RAM you add, so don't rely exclusively on that.
My few cents anyway.
The only reason to get a dual Xeon workstation is if you need >64GB RAM (you don't need dual for this, but it's the MBs), or you do intensive rendering (or any other process that benefits from multithreading).
There are so many single threaded processes in Houdini (and most applications) that 30+ threads would be completely wasted, and the lower (not over-clockable) CPU speeds will mean a very measly performance unless you're in a position where it makes sense to buy into the vastly more expensive Xeons (think $2k+ per CPU). I've posted on another thread asking the same questions, it's jaw grinding when Task Manager shows an application using just 3% CPU processing power.
There are other Xeon gotchas such as more expensive EEC RAM.
Even the octo core i7 X series are in a similar ballpark for price:performance… a single threaded process isn't using 1/8th of your CPU, it's using 1/16th. Just get a nice fast i7, a motherboard that will let you fit a decent amount of RAM (you don't need to fill it straight away), and a good GPU…spend what you can save on a second GPU if you're thinking of doing anything with OpenCL.
SSDs - system, and scratch (for cache files) - are a good idea.
Regarding overclocking, it gets more difficult (unstable) the more RAM you add, so don't rely exclusively on that.
My few cents anyway.
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