Menus are diferent from HOUDINI to UE4
I created some HDAa with hundred of parameters.
But now, i realized that UE4 parameters are always showed in vertical, never in horizontal.
With this issue, working inside UE4 is very improductive, as I always moving the bars up/down looking for that parameter.

¿how to place the horizontal?? For example a pile of Toggle parameters in a row , not in column.

In the new v.18.5,, marking any shop doesnt display in viewport when exiting the node. Always shows output0 (output #0)¿? independent of the node selected.

In previous versions , as 17.5, the viewport showed the last node with blue display render flag activated.

¿what changed now?

Sorry toadstorm,
outside the INSTANCE node works fine (using copy_to_points), but for some reason, your solution dont work with INSTANCES. (HOUDINI 17.5.543)
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/nodes/obj/instance.html [www.sidefx.com]

I dont know its a bug or I made something wrong. I have the INSTANCE node option:
Point instancig: Full Point instancing
… and again the instances are showing stepped.

Yeah! Thats it.

I finally solved in the last week using “carves” in a bungler way.
But I think your solution is more clear.

I attach here an screen capture if anybody need it.

The problem is that target shape is not always to be perfect. Sometimes could be deformed.
The “copy-instances-to-prims” must be based on prims, not the object itself.

Need help to work with v4 orient values.
I undestand the N normal directions , but dont understand how to control the orient values.
I need this to place INSTANCES on those points with the v4 orient values on them.

In the example image atached:
1. The original object mesh.
2. The INSTANCED objects as I want.(a simple extrude for demostration pourpose)
3. The problem i have. The instanced objects are “steped” (marked in red). I want them maintaining the face direction (marked in green in pic2.)

Any help please, atach example file. Thanks

// set_prim_orient //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
vector up = {0,1,0};
vector nN = normalize(v@N);
matrix3 localrot = matrix3(maketransform(0, 0, {0,0,0}, {90, 0, 0}, {1,1,1}));
matrix3 rot = maketransform(nN, up);
p@orient = quaternion(localrot*rot);
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Probably you have those parameters marked as “invisible” in root.
I suggest you to maintain them “invisible” and create a new parametrized “transform” node.

As never use houdini to render (only for work 3d meshes), for that never read about it. In advanced search all results were related about mantra, but searching “ogl rop” as you said there is a lot of information before.
Thanks, now renders in 1 sec with the “OGL_Rop”

The Obj importer now reads .MTL files that contains path to textures filenames.
Works fine except for the “gamedevquickmaterial” always creates the material inside houdini with tint{0,0,0} and should be 1,1, 1 = white to see the texture.

Hello guys,

i need to render some objects from orthografic top camera (TOPcam). I need to render those objects as PREVIEW (no raytracing or advanced features).

The only sop I saw was “Import Geometry”.. but it only renders a white-black mate. ¿How to get the colors same as viewport??

Using matra render and downgrading features (samples, rays, etc) I can get the preview.. but it takes 3-5 minutes.

Thanks in advance.

Hello guys,
im trying to make a tool but there is something i can´t get.

I have a picture with colored points made in photoshop.

Then with the Scatter Sop inside houdini I got to place unique points (with attributes) in those colors.

Then with Instance node I got to place example tubes (wood) in r, b , y
and one platonic solid (treetop) in g (on top).

My problem here is how to get the proper dimensions for the tubes, for example from B (Blue point) to R (Red point) place a cylinder of that exact distance.

Its dificult for explain, i hope somebody understand it. I dont want any L-System tree method, because the point-color templates comes outside from houdini (paint, photoshop, inkskape, gimp..)

Thanks in advance.

I need a way to mask by color ID (splatmap) from one texture. I have 8 colors (red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, white). I need to perform a mask based on these colors… same way as software SUBSTANCE PAINTER makes with color ID.

For the moment I tried with a Cop2Net (composite network with chromakey, colorcorrect, levels, etc) with no luck.

¿¿Any ideas on how to only mask an specific color??

Thanks in advance.

As I said before , using boolean-intersection works very well for that particularly scene. But the question here is how to transfer UV from high to low (simple object), that is the problem.
Inside Maya there is an automated tool Maya>Mesh>Transfer attributes > UV, that does this thing perfect,.. but i plan to abandon autodesk software and stay with houdini.
¿why there is no such tool in houdini?

The UV is overlaped. The scene is a photogrametry rock (with mapped UV and textures). Then, inside Houdini, is programed to perform a “cluster” of rocks changing their position/rotation/size.
The problem here, as its duplicated n times, the polygon count is increased a lot in the final cluster. For that I need to reduce the polygon number from high to low and maintain the UV positions.
I dont konw if the method exposed by L.Kruel only works with padding&flating uv islands (not overlaped).
I dont want to recreate a new uv shell because the textures are done(payment asset). Using simplebaker way takes long to render for the thing “procedural cluster” I want and always get artifacts.
And finally, using bool-intersect got pretty results but sometimes are problems with normals and overlaping prims.

Hey guys, I need help. Following your discussion I get it to work with grayOlorins example file, but I got extrange seam lines in the edges around the UV-island .
I attach an image with the problem. The line is reducted if I increase the number of polygons, but it remains there.

Thanks Matthias_k & Vusta.
The examples you both posted here solved my problem.
The example “simple_hole_in_the_wall-1.hip” posted by Mathias with the ability to place the door in one particular wall + position it, … priceless for me!. Thanks very much Matthias , I appreciate your help.

Cannot send you original file of the Company because is more than 102MB with opdefs: extra files and textures.
I made a small one apart with only the code needed for this thread.
I supose to be working the same way (problems included).

In previous post I forget to mention: using Houdini 16.0.577 and UE4.15.

Hi again guys,

-Created a Block Multiparm list with some parameters (“instance_type” and “instance_position”).
-Inside “INSTANCES” node I created some points and asigned previous parameters to them.
-Exported the HDA to UnrealEngine4.
And the problems begins….

1. By default UE4 takes default parameter for all instances created with Houdini Block_Multiparm_List(in this case position=0.01 and type=0.. the screen below has the parameters changed in ue4 after.)
¿How to save the parameters in Houdini for each value in Block_Multiparm_List?

2. http://www.sidefx.com/docs/unreal16.0/_attributes.html [www.sidefx.com]
Using “unreal_instance” attribute name doesnt work with the Houdini “INSTANCE” node. When creating new instances pressing the + Icon, the meshes are defaults from Houdini.. never replaced automatically by the UE4 meshes..for example:
StaticMesh'/Game/StarterContent/Props/SM_Rock.SM_Rock'

3. Using Attribute Wrangle(Points) inside “INSTANCE” node also doesnt work. The “Attribute Create” node must be used here, in other way, with the Wrangle our HDA will not be builded in UE4.(Error generating Mesh!)

4. Clicking in the + Icon for generting new Instances in UE4 ,.. do not update the Houdini Instance Inputs Slots ¿?. The unique instance slot must be replaced with a Ue4 mesh to refresh this screen part with the new instances.
Also, removing INSTANCES from Houdini parameters do not update the Houdini Instance Input Slots. ¿?

is it possible to share the scene?

The photo I uploaded? Yes of course you can.

Both examples you uploaded are fantastic.
For the first one is dificult to understand the relation between “Resample>segments” and “Marker>modulo” , changing those numbers alters the number and positions of the doors.. but dificult to control them.

The second one has the issue with the Bool, it breaks also the corners making dificult to place a door after in such place.

Thanks again Mathias,
after using Refine in a quad_grid + Copy to point , the corners breaks the simulation. I solved it using with the Resample node and deleting the corners (with Sort to point (0,0,0) + Delete 0,1,2,3 points).

The image below is for place a Door in a wall.
¿Is there any trick or best way to do??
Im very newbie.