Found 75 posts.
Search results Show results as topic list.
Technical Discussion » BUG?: update problem with transformaxis SOP
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Technical Discussion » BUG?: update problem with transformaxis SOP
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
I noticed that there is an update problem with digital assets that have transformaxis in them.
What I did:
- copy a simple digital asset (grid with a transformaxis) from libary test.otl to a new library test_v002.otl with the digital assets manager.
- went in the digital asset and added a color SOP before the transformaxis sop. Set it to green. Save digital asset.
- “Use this definition” in the asset manager to go back to the old version test.otl. The Color disappeared as expected.
- “Use this definition” again to go to test_v002.otl again. Now the asset doesn't update properly. I can't see the color in my viewport although the color sop is actuallly there in the tree.
I tried refresh digital assets, but that didn't help. Restarting houdini did the update though. I also tried this with a normal transform sop, and that didn't give any problems.
I wonder if this is specific to the transformaxis sop and if there are other operators that don't update properly.
What I did:
- copy a simple digital asset (grid with a transformaxis) from libary test.otl to a new library test_v002.otl with the digital assets manager.
- went in the digital asset and added a color SOP before the transformaxis sop. Set it to green. Save digital asset.
- “Use this definition” in the asset manager to go back to the old version test.otl. The Color disappeared as expected.
- “Use this definition” again to go to test_v002.otl again. Now the asset doesn't update properly. I can't see the color in my viewport although the color sop is actuallly there in the tree.
I tried refresh digital assets, but that didn't help. Restarting houdini did the update though. I also tried this with a normal transform sop, and that didn't give any problems.
I wonder if this is specific to the transformaxis sop and if there are other operators that don't update properly.
Technical Discussion » Houdini and Ubuntu 6.10, Edgy
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
PagefanYou're right, you should be able to redirect those. For mantra output, I render the log to a file and read it with logviewer. I can nicely see what's going on for renders. Lacking other info though… If anyone knows how to redirect everything, I would like to hear about it.
Dries: i do prefer using the teminal these days because houdini does print out messages that could be usefull debugging scripts etc. etc.
PagefanThat's the same in Ubuntu with Alacarte. But that program puts everything in $HOME/.local for you. (Just like in Suse, me thinks.) I like to install .dekstop files in /usr/local/share/applications. That directory is on a share and so everyone that uses those programs, have the icon and everything installed. Install once, use everywhere. Alacarte should mature into a tool that let's you decide System Wide or User Wide.
In Suse you can add your own applications via the menumaker in the configuration manager. It's all gui based so no need to worry about where to put icons and scripts etc.
For your interest, the order defined by freedesktop.org is: /usr/share;/usr/local/share;$HOME/.local
/usr/share is for software included with your distro, /usr/local/share is for non-distro software. So globally install non-distro software would bring you to /usr/local/share
I have to admit it took me a while to figure this out. But as said before, there is a guideline that pins all this. Distro's should take care just a little bit more. Most of them are only off by a few minor things. I got the feeling they are finally moving in the right direction.
Technical Discussion » Houdini and Ubuntu 6.10, Edgy
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Do you have houdini and mplay installed in the menu and well integrated in Gnome or KDE under Suse, John? My latest experience with OpenSuse (10.2) was that it was as hard to do so for third party software in Suse. So I fired up the terminal and launched houdini from there all the time. But when you think about it, that's not much of a whopping desktop experience. And in Debian and Ubuntu's defense, at least there is a policy. In Suse it seems you can set your env path in about 10 different places. Trying to be consistent is quite a task then.
And it actually makes sense that desktop software doesn't rely on system wide envars. (envars in startup shell script ARE okay though): say your desktop environment has a JOBDIR envar, system wide. It is used to set your HOUDINI_PATH. That would mean that you have to log out of your desktop environment and log in again if you want to switch jobs.
I could be totally wrong here, it's interesting to touch on, ‘cause I’m considered a bit of a loner with my houdini/ubuntu combination over here.
And it actually makes sense that desktop software doesn't rely on system wide envars. (envars in startup shell script ARE okay though): say your desktop environment has a JOBDIR envar, system wide. It is used to set your HOUDINI_PATH. That would mean that you have to log out of your desktop environment and log in again if you want to switch jobs.
I could be totally wrong here, it's interesting to touch on, ‘cause I’m considered a bit of a loner with my houdini/ubuntu combination over here.
Technical Discussion » Houdini and Ubuntu 6.10, Edgy
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Sorry to jump in, but thanks for that catlee. You know, I recently started integrating 3rd party software like houdini a bit more into my ubuntu desktop, following the freedesktop guidelines and this document here: http://primates.ximian.com/~federico/docs/gnome-isv-guide/index.html#desktop-references [primates.ximian.com]
I found an svg icon somwhere on the forum here and it's really nice.
Is Sidefx planning on providing a desktop file by any chance? My self made one looks like:
#/usr/local/share/applications/Houdini.desktop
Type=Application
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=Houdini Master
Comment=Houdini 3D Animation by SideFX
Exec=houdini %f
Icon=houdini
Terminal=false
MimeType=application/x-houdini;
Categories=Graphics;3DGraphics;
Got some mime-types as well, for bgeo, geo and hip files.
I can imagine it's a pain trying to do the good thing on all linux distro's, but there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel nowadays.
I would also like to point out that Debian policy is actually not to use enviromental variables and only initiate variables in startup scripts. I got a setup at the moment where all houdini/bin files are symlinked to /usr/local/bin/houdini_init which is a shell script that loads my Houdini environment and has the `basename $0` trick in it to set HOUDINI_PATH and others. This way, it plays nicely with nautilus and any other piece of gnome.
Sometime though, when I double click a houdini scene file, Houdini launches the scene twice and I have to quit one. Anyone ran into that using Ubuntu? I had it on Edgy but is still there in Feisty. I haven't encountered another package that does that this far…
Thanks for your time.
Dries.
I found an svg icon somwhere on the forum here and it's really nice.
Is Sidefx planning on providing a desktop file by any chance? My self made one looks like:
#/usr/local/share/applications/Houdini.desktop
Type=Application
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=Houdini Master
Comment=Houdini 3D Animation by SideFX
Exec=houdini %f
Icon=houdini
Terminal=false
MimeType=application/x-houdini;
Categories=Graphics;3DGraphics;
Got some mime-types as well, for bgeo, geo and hip files.
I can imagine it's a pain trying to do the good thing on all linux distro's, but there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel nowadays.
I would also like to point out that Debian policy is actually not to use enviromental variables and only initiate variables in startup scripts. I got a setup at the moment where all houdini/bin files are symlinked to /usr/local/bin/houdini_init which is a shell script that loads my Houdini environment and has the `basename $0` trick in it to set HOUDINI_PATH and others. This way, it plays nicely with nautilus and any other piece of gnome.
Sometime though, when I double click a houdini scene file, Houdini launches the scene twice and I have to quit one. Anyone ran into that using Ubuntu? I had it on Edgy but is still there in Feisty. I haven't encountered another package that does that this far…
Thanks for your time.
Dries.
Houdini Lounge » Mac OSX Port?
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Pagefan
sorry but Apples have always been overpriced…the best bang for your buck you get when you buy parts from an online retailer. Maybe the case ain't pretty but who cares: it's under the desk, a place i try to avoid spending my time (i might get strangled by the cables there anyway)
Right, and by the time you get all your gear together, downloaded twice the size of your os to install all bits and bolts, you already have finalized 3 real world production jobs on your Mac. You've captured, editing, composited and rendered a high-end production at professional broadcast or film quality at the best price rate. You are immediately fully integrated in any existing network setup, and you're backed up by the best production proven tools for decades, developed by the biggest IT company in the world: the open source community.
And your girlfriend really believes that you do have a very cool job, even when you wear glasses and talk about client/server model. All because of Mac.
In our sector, as a desktop system, it really is the best thing out there; the platform if you don't want to compromise. The pain is, the industry thinks apple won't keep the edge it clearly has now. It will not be able to support it in the long term, they presume. How much longer?
Technical Discussion » stamping a digital asset particle system
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
It took some searching on your name, as I normally check both forums always and I found your nice explanation here:
http://forums.odforce.net/index.php?showtopic=4431&hl=particle [forums.odforce.net]
Just in case somebody is looking for it.
(Is it just me or is Odforce's search ability a bit handicapped? I seem to have a hard time searching that forum with searcher longer than 1 word giving unrelated results. Though the Odforce forum is great in all its other offerings!)
Thanks.
D.
http://forums.odforce.net/index.php?showtopic=4431&hl=particle [forums.odforce.net]
Just in case somebody is looking for it.
(Is it just me or is Odforce's search ability a bit handicapped? I seem to have a hard time searching that forum with searcher longer than 1 word giving unrelated results. Though the Odforce forum is great in all its other offerings!)
Thanks.
D.
Technical Discussion » stamping a digital asset particle system
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Hmm, I solved this by not using a particles system but rather use a noise function at SOP level with trail to calculate v. But could be interesting to hear how this works.
Technical Discussion » stamping a digital asset particle system
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
I've made a digital esset that contains a particle system floating through a noise field. The digital asset takes a seed value that randomizes the simulation. I now want to stamp that digital asset onto say a grid, but make the seed value of the da dependant on the template geometry.
In a copy sop I've enabled stamping with variable 1 “dd” = $PT, and in the seed field of my da I've put stamp(“../copy1”,“dd”,1), but this seems to generate particle system that are different from one another only at frame 1. As soon as I move to frame 2, all stamped digital assets look the same.
The classic example with the circle getting stamped works as expected. Am I missing something in the way stamping occurs in digital assets? I've tried using absolute paths in the stamp function, but that doesn't solve it.
In a copy sop I've enabled stamping with variable 1 “dd” = $PT, and in the seed field of my da I've put stamp(“../copy1”,“dd”,1), but this seems to generate particle system that are different from one another only at frame 1. As soon as I move to frame 2, all stamped digital assets look the same.
The classic example with the circle getting stamped works as expected. Am I missing something in the way stamping occurs in digital assets? I've tried using absolute paths in the stamp function, but that doesn't solve it.
Technical Discussion » birth from volume seed value?
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Is there a way to set a seed value if birthing particles from a value?
Maybe there is some attribute I don't know about that influences where the particles in the volume first appear.
I now get around this by scattering point over an object at sop level and then birth from them points. I was wondering if there is a rapid/cleaner way.
Thanks,
D.
Maybe there is some attribute I don't know about that influences where the particles in the volume first appear.
I now get around this by scattering point over an object at sop level and then birth from them points. I was wondering if there is a rapid/cleaner way.
Thanks,
D.
Technical Discussion » Rendering z-depth with Mantra
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Houdini Lounge » Happy Newyear Everybody!!!
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
And Happy Houdini-ing.
Looks like 2007 is going to be a very promising Houdini year.
I wish everybody a exciting and inspiring new year.
D.
Looks like 2007 is going to be a very promising Houdini year.
I wish everybody a exciting and inspiring new year.
D.
Technical Discussion » Houdini and Ubuntu 6.10, Edgy
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Technical Discussion » How to load multiple files at once in SOP
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
kgoossens
But personally I think it is a bit of a design flaw.
Well, sidefx just redesiged it for you Kim!
If you look here, you can see they added exactly the functionality you were after:
http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_journal&Itemid=213&page=index&journal=Beta [sidefx.com]
Look for the note added Wednesday, November 15, 2006 (the exact day you last posted. How is that for a service?
Technical Discussion » UNC paths in Houdini on XP
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Hi,
I'm having trouble making a directory when a variable has an UNC path:
$JOB = //srv001/PR/06_Max
In a file SOP, when there is $JOB already there and I click on New…, I get:
'Could not create ‘dd’: invalid argument'
When the $JOB doesn't have an UNC path, it works as expected and also when using a UNC path to only read a geometry file for example I don't have any trouble. Just making a new directory doesn't work.
Somebody got an idea?
edit: This does work in a textport:
umkdir $JOB/dd
I'm having trouble making a directory when a variable has an UNC path:
$JOB = //srv001/PR/06_Max
In a file SOP, when there is $JOB already there and I click on New…, I get:
'Could not create ‘dd’: invalid argument'
When the $JOB doesn't have an UNC path, it works as expected and also when using a UNC path to only read a geometry file for example I don't have any trouble. Just making a new directory doesn't work.
Somebody got an idea?
edit: This does work in a textport:
umkdir $JOB/dd
Technical Discussion » How to load multiple files at once in SOP
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Oh yes, and I just found that in the channel editor you can switch between the channels original name and the alias by hitting “l” in the channel list (show labels). So there you go Kim!
Technical Discussion » Autogen Z-Depth shadow map and network rendering
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
When using auto-get depth-map, things render as expected, but as soon as I use the mantra -n 2 option, my verbose output says:
Generating Image: H06_Max/3D_Scenes/Animation/75.2_3/shadow/shadow.1.rat (2048x2048)
Plane: Z-Far (32-bit float)
but it stops there.
I tried using UNC paths and non UNC paths. Any other suggestions?
thanks,
D.
Generating Image: H06_Max/3D_Scenes/Animation/75.2_3/shadow/shadow.1.rat (2048x2048)
Plane: Z-Far (32-bit float)
but it stops there.
I tried using UNC paths and non UNC paths. Any other suggestions?
thanks,
D.
Technical Discussion » RFE? Highlight exported parameters in SHOP info?
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
I've got 2 questions regarding the roll-your-own-deep-raster-method:
1) I want to export Camb,Cdiff,Cspec in separate layers. Do I use the Lighting VOP 3 times? Isn't this overkill and shouldn't I use my own diffuse, ambient and spec calls? I don't mind doing that, it's just that I'm thinking I'll run into issues and will have to provide everything like shadows, reflections, my own illuminance loop, light masks, etc… I'm reluctant to that.
2) How can I access occlusion? Does occlusion needs to be calculated in the illuminance loop or with the surface?
Would somebody mind sharing his ‘allrounder deep raster shader’ so I can learn from it? Or is it a bad idea to have such a thing in the first place?
1) I want to export Camb,Cdiff,Cspec in separate layers. Do I use the Lighting VOP 3 times? Isn't this overkill and shouldn't I use my own diffuse, ambient and spec calls? I don't mind doing that, it's just that I'm thinking I'll run into issues and will have to provide everything like shadows, reflections, my own illuminance loop, light masks, etc… I'm reluctant to that.
2) How can I access occlusion? Does occlusion needs to be calculated in the illuminance loop or with the surface?
Would somebody mind sharing his ‘allrounder deep raster shader’ so I can learn from it? Or is it a bad idea to have such a thing in the first place?
Technical Discussion » How to load multiple files at once in SOP
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Hey Kim,
Greetings from me and Frank Verheyen here in Gent.
Trying to answer your question:
I don't think there is a ‘push this button’ way of doing this. Adding parameters dynamically to digital assets is not possible I think.
However, you could look at the chalias command. It simply makes an alias of a channel and displays as its alias name in the channel editor. You could write a small script that reads all input operator names of a blendshape SOP and automatically generates the aliases. The parameters on the sop itself keep their original name, but if you hover over them, you can see the alias name.
I'm getting the feeling as I write this that setting up a simple digital asset with a fixed number of channels (non-dynamic) and named however you want, is going to take you no time and offer you all you need to work comfortably.
D.
Greetings from me and Frank Verheyen here in Gent.
Trying to answer your question:
I don't think there is a ‘push this button’ way of doing this. Adding parameters dynamically to digital assets is not possible I think.
However, you could look at the chalias command. It simply makes an alias of a channel and displays as its alias name in the channel editor. You could write a small script that reads all input operator names of a blendshape SOP and automatically generates the aliases. The parameters on the sop itself keep their original name, but if you hover over them, you can see the alias name.
I'm getting the feeling as I write this that setting up a simple digital asset with a fixed number of channels (non-dynamic) and named however you want, is going to take you no time and offer you all you need to work comfortably.
D.
Technical Discussion » RFE? Highlight exported parameters in SHOP info?
- DriesD
- 109 posts
- Offline
Wouldn't it be good to middle click on a shop and see which parameters are exportable to generate deep rasters?
I have now made a basic shader that has Camb Cdiff and Cspec exported, and those parameters are made invisible. But when I use 3rd party shaders and don't have the vop, there is no way to know what parameters I can generate a deep raster layer with, right?
Also, I think it would be good if the VEX layered surface or other standard layers would by default have the possibility to render at least Camb Cdiff and Cspec (and optionally Ambient occlusion as I don't have my head around that yet) on top of the usual deep raster stuff like Pz, N, u, v,…
Not that it is not possible in houdini of course, but most other packages automatically generate these layers with a few mouse buttons, by default.
I have now made a basic shader that has Camb Cdiff and Cspec exported, and those parameters are made invisible. But when I use 3rd party shaders and don't have the vop, there is no way to know what parameters I can generate a deep raster layer with, right?
Also, I think it would be good if the VEX layered surface or other standard layers would by default have the possibility to render at least Camb Cdiff and Cspec (and optionally Ambient occlusion as I don't have my head around that yet) on top of the usual deep raster stuff like Pz, N, u, v,…
Not that it is not possible in houdini of course, but most other packages automatically generate these layers with a few mouse buttons, by default.
-
- Quick Links