Yes, I cannot recommend qLib highly enough. Whenever I'm at a studio that has Houdini seats, I always encourage pipeline dudes to check out qLib and to consider integrating with their own OTL libraries. Many of the qLib assets are more robust than lots of the proprietary in-house tools I've played with…
They also serve as great examples of seriously well-designed digital assets. You can tell that a lot of love went in to putting these guys together.
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3rd Party » qLib - an open source asset library for Houdini
- zachlewis
- 45 posts
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Technical Discussion » Attrib Wrangle inputs
- zachlewis
- 45 posts
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riviera
Add some hscript-expressions as syntactic pepper, and you have a line that works for both points and primitives:
getattribute(@OpInput2, @Cd, “`chs(”class“)`”, “Cd”, @`ifs(!strcmp(chs(“class”),“point”),“pt”,“prim”)`num, @vtxnum);
Heh - that's pretty clever.
In general, does evaluating HScript within a wrangle node like that slow things down? Or is the HScript evaluated before the VEX gets compiled? And how the hell does that work if you have backticked HScript within a VEX loop, or something?
Houdini Lounge » Comparing ICE and VEX
- zachlewis
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I haven't used ICE much, but to continue with the SOPs vs ICE analogy… from my understanding, there's an “ICE Stack” that serves to provide different contexts to govern the behavior of a given ICE network… specifically, there's a “simulation” stack, as well as pre- and post- simulation stacks (which are, obviously, evaluated in order), as well as some other stacks. I think I have that right. So, if you had a twist deformer in a pre- or post- simulation stack, it would behave as usual - twisting the geometry to whatever degree; but if you had the twist deformer in the simulation stack, it would continue to twist per time-step, on and on. Again, not an XSI guy, so let me know if I have that wrong.
By analogy, in SOPs, you have a Solver SOP, which incorporates feedback from the previous frame - essentially permitting you to treat the entire Solver SOP context (which is actually a SOP Solver DOP wrapped in a DOP Network SOP inside a subnet… whew - but in practice, it feels like you're just diving into a ForLoop or Subnet SOP) just like an ICE simulation stack… and, therefore, anything that comes before the Solver SOP acts as a pre-simulation “context”, and anything after your Solver SOP serves as “post-simulation.”
Obviously, you can take this further… you're not limited to one Solver SOP should you want more, and it's very easy to visually gauge the relationships between and across these “stack contexts.”
Hope that's helpful?
By analogy, in SOPs, you have a Solver SOP, which incorporates feedback from the previous frame - essentially permitting you to treat the entire Solver SOP context (which is actually a SOP Solver DOP wrapped in a DOP Network SOP inside a subnet… whew - but in practice, it feels like you're just diving into a ForLoop or Subnet SOP) just like an ICE simulation stack… and, therefore, anything that comes before the Solver SOP acts as a pre-simulation “context”, and anything after your Solver SOP serves as “post-simulation.”
Obviously, you can take this further… you're not limited to one Solver SOP should you want more, and it's very easy to visually gauge the relationships between and across these “stack contexts.”
Hope that's helpful?
Houdini Indie and Apprentice » Procedural Modeling - Houses
- zachlewis
- 45 posts
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Also - the best $30 you can spend towards your Houdini tuition is on the book, The Magic of Houdini by William Michael Cunningham, in my opinion. I can't stress that enough.
Houdini Indie and Apprentice » Procedural Modeling - Houses
- zachlewis
- 45 posts
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I remember my first houdini panic… I was trying to figure out how the hell to create maya's equivalent of a lattice deformer, using the Lattice SOP. It was a very frustrating and confusing moment for me when I realized it required an input, consulted the documentation only long enough to see that it recommended using a Box SOP. and I tried to use a hastily scaled Box SOP to deform it, and that didn't seem to be enough points for deformation, so I started extruding the box and awkwardly going back and rescaling things… all I wanted was a quick lattice deformer, not a modeling excursion, which was already a pretty rocky experience…
Much later, I accidentally dropped a Box SOP on a wire and learned that if it had geo plugged in, it would match the input's bounding box. And I had also since found out that it's easy to add divisions to a Box SOP in Primitive mode. I hadn't even tried using the Lattice SOP for months, but I instantly and intuitively understood its intended use with Lattice… it's such a simple thing, but so difficult to know without guidance.
I totally understand your frustration.
All that said, the Houdini documentation is great, especially for an application of its scope. Had I taken the time to read the Lattice (or Box) help cards more thoroughly, I'd have found workflow tips and detailed example files… sometimes it can be a little spotty or sparse, and you might find some deprecated workflows if you dig through some of the guides - and these things are very frustrating when you're just trying to learn how to do something quickly - but the documentation has been getting some pretty great revisions lately (see for yourself), so, it has that going for it.
Sometimes I joke that Houdini makes it really easy to do difficult things, but difficult to do really easy things… it seems that way at first. But if you approach learning Houdini as trying to learn a totally foreign language, or culture, or studying, taming, and training a wild animal, as opposed to learning an application, you'll feel a lot more comfortable. I know that sounds absurd, but I think it's apt.
Learning Houdini requires the patience to really learn the application; but you never get diminishing returns with the time you put in to learning a new node or workflow.
It just takes a lot of patience.
I'll also say that, as a web coder, I think you'll be able to appreciate approaching Houdini as one would a programing language.
Much later, I accidentally dropped a Box SOP on a wire and learned that if it had geo plugged in, it would match the input's bounding box. And I had also since found out that it's easy to add divisions to a Box SOP in Primitive mode. I hadn't even tried using the Lattice SOP for months, but I instantly and intuitively understood its intended use with Lattice… it's such a simple thing, but so difficult to know without guidance.
I totally understand your frustration.
All that said, the Houdini documentation is great, especially for an application of its scope. Had I taken the time to read the Lattice (or Box) help cards more thoroughly, I'd have found workflow tips and detailed example files… sometimes it can be a little spotty or sparse, and you might find some deprecated workflows if you dig through some of the guides - and these things are very frustrating when you're just trying to learn how to do something quickly - but the documentation has been getting some pretty great revisions lately (see for yourself), so, it has that going for it.
Sometimes I joke that Houdini makes it really easy to do difficult things, but difficult to do really easy things… it seems that way at first. But if you approach learning Houdini as trying to learn a totally foreign language, or culture, or studying, taming, and training a wild animal, as opposed to learning an application, you'll feel a lot more comfortable. I know that sounds absurd, but I think it's apt.
Learning Houdini requires the patience to really learn the application; but you never get diminishing returns with the time you put in to learning a new node or workflow.
It just takes a lot of patience.
I'll also say that, as a web coder, I think you'll be able to appreciate approaching Houdini as one would a programing language.
Houdini Learning Materials » How to !
- zachlewis
- 45 posts
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ah, the ol' double-crosser technique
thanks for posting these… honestly, I think handy VOPs workflows and tricks is one of the most exciting parts about learning Houdini. You apply the same concepts in so many different contexts… maybe as a minimalist piece / challenge to myself, I'll take one simple idea in VOPs and apply it again and again, in POPs, COPs, DOPs… variations on an algorithm for 8 contexts.
I'll have to give that some serious thought.
Well, thanks, it's been inspirational!
I'll see if I can post some handy-dandy, casual VOPs stuff too.
thanks for posting these… honestly, I think handy VOPs workflows and tricks is one of the most exciting parts about learning Houdini. You apply the same concepts in so many different contexts… maybe as a minimalist piece / challenge to myself, I'll take one simple idea in VOPs and apply it again and again, in POPs, COPs, DOPs… variations on an algorithm for 8 contexts.
I'll have to give that some serious thought.
Well, thanks, it's been inspirational!
I'll see if I can post some handy-dandy, casual VOPs stuff too.
Houdini Lounge » Is the context view customizable?
- zachlewis
- 45 posts
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Hey friends,
Does anyone know if we have the power to customize the behavior of the Context View? I have a real love-hate relationship with it, and I'd love to be able to change up a few things, like have it go to the Render View when I'm in SHOPs, or show the Composite View when I'm in ROPs, or have it not flip out whenever I try to dive into VOPs.
(Failing that, I imagine there are callbacks I could use in Python, but I've never looked into it. I wonder if anyone has any experience with updating the viewport with python, based on a linked Network View's context. Would that even be stable?)
Does anyone know if we have the power to customize the behavior of the Context View? I have a real love-hate relationship with it, and I'd love to be able to change up a few things, like have it go to the Render View when I'm in SHOPs, or show the Composite View when I'm in ROPs, or have it not flip out whenever I try to dive into VOPs.
(Failing that, I imagine there are callbacks I could use in Python, but I've never looked into it. I wonder if anyone has any experience with updating the viewport with python, based on a linked Network View's context. Would that even be stable?)
Houdini Learning Materials » Any more written guides in the works?
- zachlewis
- 45 posts
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Hey fellas,
I really like those Go Procedural! written guides that you guys provide. In general, I prefer written material as opposed to videos - just easier for me to follow and review at my pace. Out of curiosity, are there plans to write and release more of those guides?
Z
I really like those Go Procedural! written guides that you guys provide. In general, I prefer written material as opposed to videos - just easier for me to follow and review at my pace. Out of curiosity, are there plans to write and release more of those guides?
Z
Houdini Lounge » OpenVDB
- zachlewis
- 45 posts
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Man, I'd love to attend that OpenVDB seminar in Santa Monica, but I'm on the wrong coast . Is there any hope we might some day get to see a recording?
Technical Discussion » $HDSO - OSX anomally ?
- zachlewis
- 45 posts
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Thanks Rob.
For what it's worth, I believe the included makefile for osx needs to be updated as well (as of 12.1.125).
In $HFS/toolkit/makefiles/Makefile.osx, line 49:
DEV_DSOLIB = $(HFS)/dsolib
Should probably change this to:
DEV_DSOLIB = $(HDSO)
Thanks
Edit… reported this through the proper channels.
For what it's worth, I believe the included makefile for osx needs to be updated as well (as of 12.1.125).
In $HFS/toolkit/makefiles/Makefile.osx, line 49:
DEV_DSOLIB = $(HFS)/dsolib
Should probably change this to:
DEV_DSOLIB = $(HDSO)
Thanks
Edit… reported this through the proper channels.
Houdini Lounge » Mac Pro graphics card options
- zachlewis
- 45 posts
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Hey guys,
I'm running a Mac Pro early 2009 (I think… model 3,1) running 10.6.4 with a GTX285 on H11.0.460 - just chiming in that updating to the NVidia Cuda drivers ver 3.1.10 [bit.ly] fixed some issues I was having with the viewport and flicker-fits during IPR renders. I also updated to the lasted nVidia drivers. I haven't really tested everything, and it certainly seems like we really need to wait for apple to address the problem on their end, but it's certainly something worth looking into.
I'm running a Mac Pro early 2009 (I think… model 3,1) running 10.6.4 with a GTX285 on H11.0.460 - just chiming in that updating to the NVidia Cuda drivers ver 3.1.10 [bit.ly] fixed some issues I was having with the viewport and flicker-fits during IPR renders. I also updated to the lasted nVidia drivers. I haven't really tested everything, and it certainly seems like we really need to wait for apple to address the problem on their end, but it's certainly something worth looking into.
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