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Houdini Lounge » L-systems
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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I have never seen L-Systems required for a position, but I have used them in production. It's a handy tool to have in your box. If you know how to use them you will see opportunities to use them.
Houdini Indie and Apprentice » Houdini to Unreal 4 workflow
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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We are in very good shape. If you have more specific questions I can maybe help. exporting with FBX from Houdini 16 using Maya2016 compatibility to Unreal 4.16.x is working fine for me. There are a lot of little things to be aware of such as unit conversion, the difference in orientation, and moving various attributes to the vertex level as stated earlier in this thread to prevent import errors. It's easy enough to put together little digital assets in Houdini that you can append to your models to handle the repetitive house keeping tasks for export.
Houdini Engine is awesome particularly for Level/set design, but I feel like it's only worth while when you achieve a threshold of complexity with the team and project. I have not been using it recently.
As to whether Houdini is time efficient, that depends on the artist/animator. I think it's much easier to manage all the asset data in Houdini for export, because it's easier to see than in Maya or Max, but there's a higher technical IQ tax to pay. Just sorting through the various attribute SOPs to figure out how to get a model set up for export can be daunting for someone who isn't well versed in Houdini or game technology in general.
I haven't run into issues with rigged animation but I have been doing some lightweight animation. There are definitely limitations on what you can get into Unreal especially dependent on the target platform, but those limitations exist in Maya and Max as well; complex curve functions, bone limits, bones per vertex, various rigging tools, a lot of things to consider. I haven't tried to export blend shapes in a long time but I know I had them working in the past.
There is quite a lot of flexibility setting up a pipeline to go from Houdini to Unreal. I would have no issue using Houdini exclusively for cinematics in Unreal but I have no idea what your requirements are. The only way to know is start testing. I can probably help along the way if you have questions.
Houdini Engine is awesome particularly for Level/set design, but I feel like it's only worth while when you achieve a threshold of complexity with the team and project. I have not been using it recently.
As to whether Houdini is time efficient, that depends on the artist/animator. I think it's much easier to manage all the asset data in Houdini for export, because it's easier to see than in Maya or Max, but there's a higher technical IQ tax to pay. Just sorting through the various attribute SOPs to figure out how to get a model set up for export can be daunting for someone who isn't well versed in Houdini or game technology in general.
I haven't run into issues with rigged animation but I have been doing some lightweight animation. There are definitely limitations on what you can get into Unreal especially dependent on the target platform, but those limitations exist in Maya and Max as well; complex curve functions, bone limits, bones per vertex, various rigging tools, a lot of things to consider. I haven't tried to export blend shapes in a long time but I know I had them working in the past.
There is quite a lot of flexibility setting up a pipeline to go from Houdini to Unreal. I would have no issue using Houdini exclusively for cinematics in Unreal but I have no idea what your requirements are. The only way to know is start testing. I can probably help along the way if you have questions.
Houdini Indie and Apprentice » Houdini aprentice 6
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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If you go to downloads->Daily Builds, it looks like there are 32 bit builds of 12.5 for linux available.
Houdini Indie and Apprentice » Houdini to Unreal 4 workflow
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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What do you mean you can't get quads?
For what it's worth, I've not bothered to look to much into Unreal's rendering pipeline, but every game engine I've ever worked with compresses vertex data and stores/renders model geometry as triangles. It's how the hardware operates. I assume Unreal does the same. It used to be graphics hardware preferred triangle fans and triangle strips for performance because subsequent triangles in a strip or fan could be defined with a single vertex, but that concern seems to have gone by the wayside as hardware has improved. You should be able to send ngons through the exporter, but everything ends up as triangles.
You should also assume your geometry is being split on UV atlases and hard edges as well in the game engine even though you have a solid piece of geometry on export.
Is there a reason you need quads in the engine?
For what it's worth, I've not bothered to look to much into Unreal's rendering pipeline, but every game engine I've ever worked with compresses vertex data and stores/renders model geometry as triangles. It's how the hardware operates. I assume Unreal does the same. It used to be graphics hardware preferred triangle fans and triangle strips for performance because subsequent triangles in a strip or fan could be defined with a single vertex, but that concern seems to have gone by the wayside as hardware has improved. You should be able to send ngons through the exporter, but everything ends up as triangles.
You should also assume your geometry is being split on UV atlases and hard edges as well in the game engine even though you have a solid piece of geometry on export.
Is there a reason you need quads in the engine?
Houdini Indie and Apprentice » Houdini to Unreal 4 workflow
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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Make sure your model has UVs.
Create point normals.
Use attribute promote SOP to promote point normals to vertex attributes.
Using Houdini Indie 14, Unreal 4.7.3, Export settings Maya Compatible using FBX201400. Seems to work fine. I can mix and match smooth and faceted normals on a mesh, it renders correctly in Unreal and there are no import errors.
Create point normals.
Use attribute promote SOP to promote point normals to vertex attributes.
Using Houdini Indie 14, Unreal 4.7.3, Export settings Maya Compatible using FBX201400. Seems to work fine. I can mix and match smooth and faceted normals on a mesh, it renders correctly in Unreal and there are no import errors.
Technical Discussion » Can I create a 2d sprite sheet from an animated 3d model?
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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You could render a sequence of images and then use COPs to build the sheet. I'm sorry I don't have time to give you a good example, but take something like the Color COP, set it to 0,0,0,0 RGBA, set it's size to the output size you want, load your sprite sequence in a File COP, and use an expression to lay out the sequence over the tranparent color COP with the COmposite COP.
Technical Discussion » Slow VOPs feedback on Windows
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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Hey guys, we're running Houdini 10 (6XX) here on Windows, and we are having issues with VOPs running very slowly, to the point where VOPs are nearly unusable. Any ideas? I think most of the machines are running Geforce 9800 or 200 series cards. (No, moving to Linux is not an option).
Thanks
Thanks
Technical Discussion » Python SOPs and eror or warning messages
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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I'm writing some python SOPs and would like to know if it's possible to put my own useful error and warning message string in the SOP that can be displayed when a user middle clicks on the SOP.
Technical Discussion » SpinEdge function
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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That's the nature of Houdini. In general every operation is going to create a new node. It won't slow you down any, I've built models that had thousands of nodes. If you would like to clean up the network, you have some options. You can write the geometry out and read it back in with a File SOP, or you can lock a node and delete the incoming network.
Technical Discussion » [HCS] Dark Houdini Color Scheme
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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From the edit menu select Color Settings. From there you can select one of 2 default themes or download from the exchange.
Technical Discussion » The filter have no effcet in texture VOP?
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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It must be a bug. I just tried it in Houdini 9.1 and yep, none of the filters seem to work… Well it seems to be running some filter, but changing the filter type and width has no effect.
Technical Discussion » constrian object to viewport
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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Technical Discussion » Cloth Failures & Errors
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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Can you explain the file a bit? What is this and what are you trying to get the effect to look like?
Technical Discussion » Copy SOP geo orientation problem
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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Technical Discussion » Copy SOP geo orientation problem
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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Houdini Lounge » tutorials?
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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Let me preface this by saying I would like to see many well organised tutorials for Houdini as well, however…
I think part of the issue with creating tutorials for Houdini is that unlike a lot of other apps, many of the tools in Houdini do not serve a very specific purpose. For instance, you could have someone explain something simple like the point SOP: Here's what all the options are, here's what all the buttons do, you can assign color, alpha, position, normal, etc, but even knowing that you still don't have any idea as a new user exactly how many uses this simple little SOP has.
You don't get that often in other software. You get a tool that has a specific workflow and a specific purpose, so it really is all about memorization and then development of technique. Houdini requires a different level of understanding and is better learned through exploration. In Maya often you know that if X happens you hit button Y and the problem is solved. In Houdini there may be three different OPs that can address that same issue, dozens of techniques, and all those OPs and techniques have many other applications as well.
When I was learning it, what I did was I went through the available tutorials (which were far fewer than what is available now) and honestly even with the tutorials and knowing to press this button or that key, I was still completely frustrated. What I did was I abandoned the tutorials and just started playing. I forced myself to use nothing but Houdini every day for a couple weeks no matter how frustrating it was. It didn't try to do anything big. I just tried to figure out how to do small specific tasks I was used to doing in Maya and Max. At some point during the third week it all just started making sense.
I think the best way to approach Houdini is to do the basic tutorials, so you know how to navigate, even if you don't really understand what you are doing, and then download all the hip files you find scattered on forums, broken or not, and pick them apart. There are tons of them out there. That's the one great thing about people who use Houdini that you don't find with any other application. You go to odforce or come here and you are going to find examples everywhere from professionals who use the software every day on major films, commercials and televisions shows, showing you some clever ideas. When was the last time you went to a Maya or XSI forum and saw some senior TD freely posting a file demonstrating how to do something, anything at all, much less something clever or difficult? Usually you have to pay for the information these guys are sharing.
I think part of the issue with creating tutorials for Houdini is that unlike a lot of other apps, many of the tools in Houdini do not serve a very specific purpose. For instance, you could have someone explain something simple like the point SOP: Here's what all the options are, here's what all the buttons do, you can assign color, alpha, position, normal, etc, but even knowing that you still don't have any idea as a new user exactly how many uses this simple little SOP has.
You don't get that often in other software. You get a tool that has a specific workflow and a specific purpose, so it really is all about memorization and then development of technique. Houdini requires a different level of understanding and is better learned through exploration. In Maya often you know that if X happens you hit button Y and the problem is solved. In Houdini there may be three different OPs that can address that same issue, dozens of techniques, and all those OPs and techniques have many other applications as well.
When I was learning it, what I did was I went through the available tutorials (which were far fewer than what is available now) and honestly even with the tutorials and knowing to press this button or that key, I was still completely frustrated. What I did was I abandoned the tutorials and just started playing. I forced myself to use nothing but Houdini every day for a couple weeks no matter how frustrating it was. It didn't try to do anything big. I just tried to figure out how to do small specific tasks I was used to doing in Maya and Max. At some point during the third week it all just started making sense.
I think the best way to approach Houdini is to do the basic tutorials, so you know how to navigate, even if you don't really understand what you are doing, and then download all the hip files you find scattered on forums, broken or not, and pick them apart. There are tons of them out there. That's the one great thing about people who use Houdini that you don't find with any other application. You go to odforce or come here and you are going to find examples everywhere from professionals who use the software every day on major films, commercials and televisions shows, showing you some clever ideas. When was the last time you went to a Maya or XSI forum and saw some senior TD freely posting a file demonstrating how to do something, anything at all, much less something clever or difficult? Usually you have to pay for the information these guys are sharing.
Houdini Lounge » Paint FUR
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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You can paint attributes on geometry that can be used to determine where fur will grow or where guide hairs will be placed. You probably would want to paint this information in a texture map instead though. Painting the attributes on the geometry may require very dense geometry in some cases to get the variation over the groom you will want.
You can use the comb SOP to comb surface normals and the paint SOP to paint attributes which will effect the groom's style. It's not a particularly artist friendly process though, especially if you are used to tools like Shave and a Haircut.
Fur is quite doable in Houdini 9 with some effort, longer hair styles are much more difficult without a reasonable hair brush tool at least.
Drop down a fur sop, look at the help card and check out the examples at the bottom. They are helpful.
You can use the comb SOP to comb surface normals and the paint SOP to paint attributes which will effect the groom's style. It's not a particularly artist friendly process though, especially if you are used to tools like Shave and a Haircut.
Fur is quite doable in Houdini 9 with some effort, longer hair styles are much more difficult without a reasonable hair brush tool at least.
Drop down a fur sop, look at the help card and check out the examples at the bottom. They are helpful.
Technical Discussion » Houdini 9 Apprentice HD: Crashing a lot on my pc.
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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SimonSYmek
Weird, I've been running H9 at work on xp 32 bit for a few weeks now and haven't had a single crash yet.
I have H9 running on a Vista 64 machine and I find it shockingly stable compared to previous versions on Windows. Vista 32 seems to be pretty stable as well.
Technical Discussion » can not see data in the channel editor
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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andrewlowell
yes I knew about the “K” shortcut, and it's customizable. My point is that I'm being forced to use a shortcut for the set-key. I would like button to click on, it's a more finalizing feeling for me o well.
Right click on your shelf and select new tool, name it whatever you want and give it some icon. In the scirpt tab set the language to hscript and enter this command:
chcommit -s
Accept changes, you now have a button that will set keys on scoped channels in the channel editor.
Technical Discussion » Limited number of cloth constraints??
- MichaelC
- 344 posts
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Did you manage to get all the constraints working? Like I said I got all but one working, so there still seems to be an issue here. Do you tink you could post your new version of the solution?
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