Heavy VFX (like massive smoke explosions) can be rendered separately and composited in. Especially since that sort of thing can make a big impact on render time and can be composeted in relatively easy. Aside from that you would usually have everything in one scene, or reference it into the same scene at render time.
Houdini has decent compositing tools. They may take some getting used to. But that's true for everything in Houdini.
Before you go into compositing, you will first have to:
Model
UV
(Possibly remesh and bake textures)
Texture
Set up materials
Rig (optional)
Animate (optional)
Render
- That's several years worth of education for just the basics, if you want professional-looking results. Just a fair warning.
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Houdini Learning Materials » How a 3D workflow works
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Houdini Indie and Apprentice » Snapping to center of polygon face.
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A relatively new awesome method to add point on primitive centers is to use an Attribute Wrangle set to “Run Over: Primitives” with the following code:
addpoint(0, @P);
removeprim(0, @primnum, 1);
First line adds a point to the center of every primitive. (I believe it uses the point average for the center).
The second line is optional and removes the original primitive.
addpoint(0, @P);
removeprim(0, @primnum, 1);
First line adds a point to the center of every primitive. (I believe it uses the point average for the center).
The second line is optional and removes the original primitive.
Houdini Indie and Apprentice » confused about the OP: command
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To your first question: Your solution seems to work fine. In fact, it seems slightly faster. I did not notice this option existed in VOPs and I will certainly use it now. The expression is just a more universal solution and so it works outside of VOPs.
To your seccond question: I think you are right. I think the error occurs because it is using backticks. I am fuzzy on this, but I think the backticks mean that the stuff in backticks gets evaluated as an expression before the parameter content is read out.
I think the fact that the expression editor gives an error for this, is based on how the expression editor is implemented. I guess it is a kind of bug. On the upside expressions in backticks are typically very short. They are also typically used in the font SOP, where you have a sufficient space in the parameter without the expression editor.
To your seccond question: I think you are right. I think the error occurs because it is using backticks. I am fuzzy on this, but I think the backticks mean that the stuff in backticks gets evaluated as an expression before the parameter content is read out.
I think the fact that the expression editor gives an error for this, is based on how the expression editor is implemented. I guess it is a kind of bug. On the upside expressions in backticks are typically very short. They are also typically used in the font SOP, where you have a sufficient space in the parameter without the expression editor.
Houdini Lounge » H15 daily builds?
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Bugs? Like Windows, Firefox, Adobe, Autodesk products? etc…
In production even os updates are fully controlled to avoid broken system in the middle of the production.
- An update can contain bugs, yes. But the update process is usually not responsible for creating the (bugs). Bugs are introduced with the addition of features in code, or through (ironically) other bug-fixes.
I already described how the risk can be minimized for a big production company: One person updates. That person tests relevant functions. If she/he does not discover issues, the rest of the company updates.
This is exactly the same thing that should happen with daily build updates and for pretty much the same reasons.
So nothing changes there, but the update per user is faster with an updater. In case an issue is discovered after the company wide update, the update method is inferior, because you would have to install a previous version. But this risk is minimized and the fix is apparent. So on average this would be a rare occurance and a quick fix. As a result the updater process is faster on average.
Do a professional players update the game during tournaments? I don't think so.Actually, with League of Legends that could theoretically happen between matches. Ranked games - witch could qualify you for professional play - also always require the latest build. Occassionally bugs are introduced or discovered after an update. In that case a hot-fix and a warning is distributed.
In production, the question is one of time-frame and necessety. If your product has to be finished in a week or so, hardly anybody would update unless it fixes a huge bug that affects the production. If your production takes months or even more than a year, there will likely be occasions where it makes sense to update everyone's build to fix various issues that were discovered over time or to make work a bit easier with new features.
If you don't have those 3 minutes, script that. There are plenty of automation tools that could help you do an automatic update system based on daily build's rss feed and your specific paths.I did not know that. But as far as I understand those solutions can only automate the download and install process. They do not work incrementally as an updater would, right? And that misses the advantages of the process I suggest.
Log on and click download - 25 seconds.I actually went through the process just now. - For science!
Double click installer and install - ~2 min.
Update shortcut to Houdini - 15 sec
Total time ~3 min.
Download took about 13 minutes.
Install process took about 5 minutes (on an SSD).
That's actually far less than I thought. And honestly it kinda diffuses the speed gain argument. Still, an updater would probably need about a minute to download and install (a few megabytes).
The interesting part is that the updater would become a better solution the bigger Houdini gets.
- Well, at this point I am playing “devil's advocate” to explore this idea, but I think I am still doing quite well.
Houdini Engine for Unreal » Some questions
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Houdini Lounge » H15 daily builds?
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@pezetko
If several incremental updates don't get you the same result as one clean install, the updater is complete trash and its programmer(s) should consider changing professions.
Dependencies would break, if the updater overwrote locally edited files inside the installation directory. For example, this could be a document containing environment variables. If that was ever necessary, the updater could spit out a warning of some sort and back up the locally edited file. Such “dependencies” would also have to be restored if you do a full install. With the updater you would at least know why things suddenly don't work any more.
The main version would be the version you keep updating. If something actually breaks you can install a previous build from the daily builds and work on that. On average, a good updater would save all users a lot of time.
Think about it this way: Every modern game with online features has an automatic update function. And it works. It works so well, that you never hear a scandal about how it does not work. It simply does not happen, nowadays. Servers might be down or slow, but nobody has reason to complain about modern automatic updates.
Daily Houdini updates are not necessary for everyone all the time. I do not believe that. Never the less, bugs that affect many users are fixed about every other day and important features get added frequently, too. I find myself updating at least once a week, because of updates that actually influence my work. I suspect I am not the only one.
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I do not have numbers, but I think the feature would pay for itself. I think it is worth calculating.
If several incremental updates don't get you the same result as one clean install, the updater is complete trash and its programmer(s) should consider changing professions.
Dependencies would break, if the updater overwrote locally edited files inside the installation directory. For example, this could be a document containing environment variables. If that was ever necessary, the updater could spit out a warning of some sort and back up the locally edited file. Such “dependencies” would also have to be restored if you do a full install. With the updater you would at least know why things suddenly don't work any more.
The main version would be the version you keep updating. If something actually breaks you can install a previous build from the daily builds and work on that. On average, a good updater would save all users a lot of time.
Think about it this way: Every modern game with online features has an automatic update function. And it works. It works so well, that you never hear a scandal about how it does not work. It simply does not happen, nowadays. Servers might be down or slow, but nobody has reason to complain about modern automatic updates.
Daily Houdini updates are not necessary for everyone all the time. I do not believe that. Never the less, bugs that affect many users are fixed about every other day and important features get added frequently, too. I find myself updating at least once a week, because of updates that actually influence my work. I suspect I am not the only one.
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I do not have numbers, but I think the feature would pay for itself. I think it is worth calculating.
Houdini Lounge » H15 daily builds?
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Obviously the updater should not be fully automatic. We all agree on that.
It should give you the option to update any of your installed Houdini versions to any available higher daily build version.
So basically, if you click the update manager the following happens:
1. You are prompted which Houdini installation on your PC you want to update. (Dropdown of found installation locations and a browse option.) Press “next”.
2. You are offered a dropdown of daily builds with a higher version number (starting at the latest). This list does not include updates to higher versions. (So you cant update a Houdini 14 installl to Houdini 15 automatically.)
Press “next”.
3. You press ok, it checks files, downloads and installs. You are done.
It should give you the option to update any of your installed Houdini versions to any available higher daily build version.
So basically, if you click the update manager the following happens:
1. You are prompted which Houdini installation on your PC you want to update. (Dropdown of found installation locations and a browse option.) Press “next”.
2. You are offered a dropdown of daily builds with a higher version number (starting at the latest). This list does not include updates to higher versions. (So you cant update a Houdini 14 installl to Houdini 15 automatically.)
Press “next”.
3. You press ok, it checks files, downloads and installs. You are done.
Houdini Engine for Unreal » Best practice for instanced collision generation.
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Are there any news on the RFEs? - I saw that an attribute for naming objects inside Houdini Engine was added recently. That was nice.
Does the instance blueprint internally use the same technology for instancing as the UE4 foliage painting tools?
Does the instance blueprint internally use the same technology for instancing as the UE4 foliage painting tools?
Houdini Engine for Unreal » Some questions
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In what build will that be?
As far as I understand, the advantage of using #72336 is that the baked object(s) are exactly at the position in the scene, where they were placed when the user tweaked the HDA's parameters in the UE4 scene. And the HDA (instance) in the scene, on which the user tweaked the parameters, gets deleted, too.
Is that it?
As far as I understand, the advantage of using #72336 is that the baked object(s) are exactly at the position in the scene, where they were placed when the user tweaked the HDA's parameters in the UE4 scene. And the HDA (instance) in the scene, on which the user tweaked the parameters, gets deleted, too.
Is that it?
Houdini Lounge » H15 daily builds?
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Even if Linux used to be the main platform for Houdini (which I doubt), I doubt it will stay that way.
Most game devs work on windows (because almost all PC games run on Windows and the dev tools for consoles run on Windows).
Anyways, the Java updater sucks, because it essentially tries to sell you stuff at every update. It is a kind of Malware.
But the Epic Games Launcher, Steam, League of Legends Launcher and many other beloved programs and games have very decent automatic updates.
Most game devs work on windows (because almost all PC games run on Windows and the dev tools for consoles run on Windows).
Anyways, the Java updater sucks, because it essentially tries to sell you stuff at every update. It is a kind of Malware.
But the Epic Games Launcher, Steam, League of Legends Launcher and many other beloved programs and games have very decent automatic updates.
Houdini Lounge » H15 daily builds?
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Again: The daily builds should still exist.
The thing is, with the Indy option and the use of Houdini in game development you get lots and lots of one-seat scenarios. In a game company you typically have only one or two technical artists that work with Houdini. The same is true for small and one-person companies (freelancers).
Aside from that, your separate installation argument does not hold up at all.
First of all, you can install a Houdini version especially for your current project (CProgramms/SideFX/Houdini_ProjectA) and you just update that one for that project. You could then give an admin the option to update an entire company at once. That way, a tech lead artist could test the latest daily build and if it works fine, he/she would give the ok for a company-wide update. And if something breaks, you could still install an older version. In total it's still faster and about as secure as any other update process. And you can update your seats relatively quickly and easily.
And what is dubious about an updater inside a program? We are not talking about malware, here. We are talking about an updater for a professional product. It's basically just a version tool like git, but it can only compare and pull.
The thing is, with the Indy option and the use of Houdini in game development you get lots and lots of one-seat scenarios. In a game company you typically have only one or two technical artists that work with Houdini. The same is true for small and one-person companies (freelancers).
Aside from that, your separate installation argument does not hold up at all.
First of all, you can install a Houdini version especially for your current project (CProgramms/SideFX/Houdini_ProjectA) and you just update that one for that project. You could then give an admin the option to update an entire company at once. That way, a tech lead artist could test the latest daily build and if it works fine, he/she would give the ok for a company-wide update. And if something breaks, you could still install an older version. In total it's still faster and about as secure as any other update process. And you can update your seats relatively quickly and easily.
And what is dubious about an updater inside a program? We are not talking about malware, here. We are talking about an updater for a professional product. It's basically just a version tool like git, but it can only compare and pull.
Edited by - Dec. 18, 2015 11:56:36
Houdini Engine for Unreal » Houdini Operator Path / Object Merge in UE4 not showing
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As far as I understand, you need at least a Houdini Indy Engine License (ca 100$) to use a Houdini Engine. If you get a Houdini Indy License (ca 200$) you can use Houdini Indy as well as Houdini Engine on the same computer.
It makes sense for SideFX to not give away their software for free. You can learn how to use Houdini with Houdini Apprentice, but you cannot really use it in a commercial way. Anyways, their price for the Indy stuff is very fair and affordable.
The installer is the same for Apprentice and Indy and the full versions. It's just a matter of what license you hold and which exe you run.
It makes sense for SideFX to not give away their software for free. You can learn how to use Houdini with Houdini Apprentice, but you cannot really use it in a commercial way. Anyways, their price for the Indy stuff is very fair and affordable.
The installer is the same for Apprentice and Indy and the full versions. It's just a matter of what license you hold and which exe you run.
Houdini Lounge » H15 daily builds?
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I've said this in another thread, but was shut down for my apparent blasphemy:
Houdini needs an optional update function.
With optional I mean that the daily builds should still be available, but instead of pulling and installing the whole installer you should be able to just pull the updates within Houdini.
The bandwidth that could be saved is only growing. The time that could be saved on installs is only growing. The technological foundation existed for ages. So the only reason not to do it, is the effort that goes into developing the update system. Should be worth it in the long run, though.
Houdini needs an optional update function.
With optional I mean that the daily builds should still be available, but instead of pulling and installing the whole installer you should be able to just pull the updates within Houdini.
The bandwidth that could be saved is only growing. The time that could be saved on installs is only growing. The technological foundation existed for ages. So the only reason not to do it, is the effort that goes into developing the update system. Should be worth it in the long run, though.
Houdini Indie and Apprentice » Trying to create trails...
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Depends on what your target medium and what your visual goal is. Whatever you can make work for you is fine.
https://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&t=42673&highlight=deadline [sidefx.com]
This seems something similar to what you describe, but that guy apparently has some kind of jitter problem at render time. I don't know why.
https://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&t=42673&highlight=deadline [sidefx.com]
This seems something similar to what you describe, but that guy apparently has some kind of jitter problem at render time. I don't know why.
Technical Discussion » Only Polywire to mesh particles? ++ strands from a plane...
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You could sweep the wires.
You could probably generate the tubes with VEX or VOPs, but that's rather complicated and a (big) speed gain is not guaranteed.
During development you can probably use fewer particles to speed things along.
You could probably generate the tubes with VEX or VOPs, but that's rather complicated and a (big) speed gain is not guaranteed.
During development you can probably use fewer particles to speed things along.
Technical Discussion » About Vop array limitations/bugs
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I am trying to do some stuff with UVs procedurally.
I have the border edges of every UV shell in one group. I have an ID attribute for each UV shell. Now I want to create groups of border edges that are shared by up to two different UV shells.
So if UV shell 1 shares edges with UV shell 21 and UV shell 33 I get two border Edge groups on UV shell 1.
I am probably missing the obvious method to do this. I suspect it can be done with the partition sop or something like that.
I have the border edges of every UV shell in one group. I have an ID attribute for each UV shell. Now I want to create groups of border edges that are shared by up to two different UV shells.
So if UV shell 1 shares edges with UV shell 21 and UV shell 33 I get two border Edge groups on UV shell 1.
I am probably missing the obvious method to do this. I suspect it can be done with the partition sop or something like that.
Technical Discussion » About Vop array limitations/bugs
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Houdini Engine for Unreal » Doesn't work.
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You might want to do it like the GoZ plugin in ZBrush and try to auto-detect the software (Unreal, Maya, Unity,…). If there is several install folders, ask in which to install the plugin. And if nothing is detected, offer a browse option.
But a notification would do, too.^^
But a notification would do, too.^^
Houdini Indie and Apprentice » random in Foreach
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Need to change your seed value based on the copy number. You will need to stamp for that.
Houdini Indie and Apprentice » random in Foreach
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You could just sort the faces randomly and delete a range. If you need to delete a specific amount of faces for each group, you could run a for each loop on each group and do the range delete there.
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