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Houdini Lounge » product advice
- craiglhoffman
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Technical Discussion » OGL Randomtexture
- craiglhoffman
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If you want to see them interactively then they need to be a point/vertex/primitive attribute on your geometry, or it needs to be in a texture that is read, or you need to create an OGL shader that does your random coloring.
But… if you did your random color generator as a network in VOPs, you could potentially copy and paste that network into a SOP VOP and color your points with the same network that your shader uses at render time.
But like Steven said, shader code generates when Mantra is run and therefore it isn't available to your interactive session.
-Craig
But… if you did your random color generator as a network in VOPs, you could potentially copy and paste that network into a SOP VOP and color your points with the same network that your shader uses at render time.
But like Steven said, shader code generates when Mantra is run and therefore it isn't available to your interactive session.
-Craig
Technical Discussion » OGL Randomtexture
- craiglhoffman
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You could create the random color as a point or primitive attribute and pass it to your OpenGL shader to use, or write an OpenGL shader that uses a similar algorithm as the other shader you created (which I am assuming is a VOPs/VEX Mantra shader since you didn't specify).
If your other shader is a VOP or VEX or Renderman shader, it can't really communicate to an OpenGL shader (nor would you really want it to).
-c-
If your other shader is a VOP or VEX or Renderman shader, it can't really communicate to an OpenGL shader (nor would you really want it to).
-c-
Houdini Lounge » Houdini and Game Development?
- craiglhoffman
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I can pretty much tell you for a fact that it is hardly used at all. I have held Visual Effects Workshops for EA attended by Artists from all of our Studios around the world and had Visual Effects Artists not even know what Houdini is. So I always take time to educate them.
One of the reasons is that historically in games the majority of Visual Effects have been done by programmers and not much is done in any commercial 3D package like Max or Maya or Houdini. That is because of the real time nature of it and the fact that the game engines need highly specialized real time systems and assets to work in the game engine (sprite based particle systems, specially compressed textures, special real-time shaders, etc.).
Also, Maya and Max have targetted the Gaming Industry with specialized tools, so the Studios buy those packages for the modelling and animation needs (AND REAL TIME SHADER CREATION!!), and Effects people just use what is already working in the Studio pipeline. Also, Houdini has historically been VERY expensive and it generally is an uphill battle for an Effects Artist to get a budget conscious game studio to splurge on it for the few game assets it would have an advantage for.
That being said, I do use Houdini to Prototype and Pre-Vis and have used it for Cinematics, and I do use it for some asset creation like to create special textures for our in-game Sprites.
Now that Side Effects has started supporting things like .fbx, Collada, and has dropped the price (but where is Real Time Shader support?!?), I think there might be a shift as people discover it's advantages for Asset Management and Procedural Creation allowing fewer people to create more stuff cheaper as is desperately needed in these Next Gen games.
Cheers,
Craig Hoffman
Visual Effects Director
EA Tiburon
One of the reasons is that historically in games the majority of Visual Effects have been done by programmers and not much is done in any commercial 3D package like Max or Maya or Houdini. That is because of the real time nature of it and the fact that the game engines need highly specialized real time systems and assets to work in the game engine (sprite based particle systems, specially compressed textures, special real-time shaders, etc.).
Also, Maya and Max have targetted the Gaming Industry with specialized tools, so the Studios buy those packages for the modelling and animation needs (AND REAL TIME SHADER CREATION!!), and Effects people just use what is already working in the Studio pipeline. Also, Houdini has historically been VERY expensive and it generally is an uphill battle for an Effects Artist to get a budget conscious game studio to splurge on it for the few game assets it would have an advantage for.
That being said, I do use Houdini to Prototype and Pre-Vis and have used it for Cinematics, and I do use it for some asset creation like to create special textures for our in-game Sprites.
Now that Side Effects has started supporting things like .fbx, Collada, and has dropped the price (but where is Real Time Shader support?!?), I think there might be a shift as people discover it's advantages for Asset Management and Procedural Creation allowing fewer people to create more stuff cheaper as is desperately needed in these Next Gen games.
Cheers,
Craig Hoffman
Visual Effects Director
EA Tiburon
Houdini Lounge » Game Developer Mag blurb on Houdini 9
- craiglhoffman
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It lists Houdini in it's write-up on Siggraph “Best in Show”:
“…What makes Houdini an important consideration for the game development community is how it gives users the ability to prototype and previsualize gameplay, as well as procedural terrain generation….”
There is more, but I didn't want to type it all..
-Craig
“…What makes Houdini an important consideration for the game development community is how it gives users the ability to prototype and previsualize gameplay, as well as procedural terrain generation….”
There is more, but I didn't want to type it all..
-Craig
Technical Discussion » Beyond "Auto Rig Quickstart"
- craiglhoffman
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Yeah, I have the same question. I figured I would chime in to keep this topic recent.
I remember seeing a post somewhere on what to do to get this to work (there is a secondary rig, etc. and it is quite confusing), but it should really be in a follow up Tutorial to the one posted.
I've noticed a lot of the official Houdini tutorials are great at showing the power of Houdini, but don't take you through the “whole nine yards” to the final implementation. Without that, many new users will just give up.
-Craig
I remember seeing a post somewhere on what to do to get this to work (there is a secondary rig, etc. and it is quite confusing), but it should really be in a follow up Tutorial to the one posted.
I've noticed a lot of the official Houdini tutorials are great at showing the power of Houdini, but don't take you through the “whole nine yards” to the final implementation. Without that, many new users will just give up.
-Craig
Technical Discussion » Wii remote controlling animation in Houdini
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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Anyone know about this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZthjZIroW8&NR=1 [youtube.com]
Basically he is controlling a car in Houdini using the Wii remote. I tried unsuccessfully to use a Joystick controller in Houdini using MIDI and am wondering how the Wii thing was pulled off.
Anyone know?
-Craig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZthjZIroW8&NR=1 [youtube.com]
Basically he is controlling a car in Houdini using the Wii remote. I tried unsuccessfully to use a Joystick controller in Houdini using MIDI and am wondering how the Wii thing was pulled off.
Anyone know?
-Craig
Houdini Lounge » Houdini 8 demo vid
- craiglhoffman
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There is one under the menu at the top of this page under “Company->DemoReel” if that is what you are talking about.
Cheers,
Craig
Cheers,
Craig
Technical Discussion » DOPs of the future?
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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Cool real time fracturing and dynamics software:
http://www.pixeluxentertainment.com/tech.htm [pixeluxentertainment.com]
Check out the clip here:
http://www.pixeluxentertainment.com/demo.htm [pixeluxentertainment.com]
I saw a demo of this a while ago and the objects are not pre-fractured. The System does it all in real time. Of course, there is a plug-in for Maya and Max coming out (or out already), so I hope DOPs won't lose a lot of it's “uniqueness”.
This does raise the bar for Houdini to support some sort of Automatic or Semi-Automatic Fracturing.
Cheers,
Craig
http://www.pixeluxentertainment.com/tech.htm [pixeluxentertainment.com]
Check out the clip here:
http://www.pixeluxentertainment.com/demo.htm [pixeluxentertainment.com]
I saw a demo of this a while ago and the objects are not pre-fractured. The System does it all in real time. Of course, there is a plug-in for Maya and Max coming out (or out already), so I hope DOPs won't lose a lot of it's “uniqueness”.
This does raise the bar for Houdini to support some sort of Automatic or Semi-Automatic Fracturing.
Cheers,
Craig
Houdini Lounge » HELP!!! Maya user switching to Houdini
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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Not sure what “goalPP” does, but in Houdini you can use the Follow POP (used for Flocking) and set the Leader to “Individual Particles” so you can have 500 particles go to the 500 vertices on an animated surface for example.
-Craig
-Craig
Technical Discussion » Collada import question (Google Sketchup)
- craiglhoffman
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True, but I would venture to say that there are more folks using Google Earth in one way or another than using a lot of formats that Houdini already supports. I see the Google Earth stuff popping up on TV all the time on the news, etc. and it won't be long before games and film start using it in some manner or another as assets get more refined and ubiquitous.
But like you said, there are other formats that would be more useful, and I am just suggesting to add KML to the bottom of that list.
The professional Sketchup does have .obj export/import so if anyone needs to use Sketchup for a project, there is a $600 solution.
-Craig
But like you said, there are other formats that would be more useful, and I am just suggesting to add KML to the bottom of that list.
The professional Sketchup does have .obj export/import so if anyone needs to use Sketchup for a project, there is a $600 solution.
-Craig
Technical Discussion » Flowfield (protoinstall..)
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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Anyone know how to use the FlowField SOP that is part of the proto install stuff?
Is this something that could be used for particles or is it for hair?
-Craig
Is this something that could be used for particles or is it for hair?
-Craig
Technical Discussion » Collada import question (Google Sketchup)
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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I guess it would be too much to ask for .kml file support for Houdini?
The free Sketchup program is pretty neat and with Google Earth, etc. using it I think it is going to be a big thing in the future with a lot of non-technical artists using it to create content and do Pre-Vis, etc.
-Craig
The free Sketchup program is pretty neat and with Google Earth, etc. using it I think it is going to be a big thing in the future with a lot of non-technical artists using it to create content and do Pre-Vis, etc.
-Craig
Technical Discussion » Just-in-time fracturing
- craiglhoffman
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Looks interesting (don't know DOPs well enough to figure this out yet), but I think the demo would be much more convincing if the rotations and trajectories were affected by the impacts. Is that something easily added?
I say this because initially I didn't get the sense that the splitting was occurring in air due to impacts- it felt like it was just “evolving” into separate chunks and I think a lot of people won't understand how cool this demo really is if the chunks all have the same arcs, timing, and rotation throughout their animation like they currently do.
Cheers,
Craig Hoffman
I say this because initially I didn't get the sense that the splitting was occurring in air due to impacts- it felt like it was just “evolving” into separate chunks and I think a lot of people won't understand how cool this demo really is if the chunks all have the same arcs, timing, and rotation throughout their animation like they currently do.
Cheers,
Craig Hoffman
Technical Discussion » Collada import question (Google Sketchup)
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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I have a .kmz file authored in Google Sketchup. I heard that the .kmz format was simply a zipped Collada file, so I unzipped it and got a .kml file.
Not being sure if this was a valid Collada format, I tried importing this .kml file in the Collada Import of Houdini and got this error message :
——————
Warning: The DOM was unable to create an element type kml at line 17
Probably a schema violation.
not able to load
——————-
Has anyone successfully dealt with Sketchup files before?
Thanks,
Craig
Not being sure if this was a valid Collada format, I tried importing this .kml file in the Collada Import of Houdini and got this error message :
——————
Warning: The DOM was unable to create an element type kml at line 17
Probably a schema violation.
not able to load
——————-
Has anyone successfully dealt with Sketchup files before?
Thanks,
Craig
Technical Discussion » COPs freaking out with .rat files?..
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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Hi,
I seem to be having a lot of issues with .rat files being corrupted in memory when loading into COPs and moving around to different frames, etc. They get really hosed.
Changing the series of frames over to .tga's and reloading them results in everything working fine. This is with 8.1.704 on XP.
Am I the only one experiencing this? I thought .rat files would be the best to use in COPs, but this seems to not be the case.
Thanks,
Craig Hoffman
I seem to be having a lot of issues with .rat files being corrupted in memory when loading into COPs and moving around to different frames, etc. They get really hosed.
Changing the series of frames over to .tga's and reloading them results in everything working fine. This is with 8.1.704 on XP.
Am I the only one experiencing this? I thought .rat files would be the best to use in COPs, but this seems to not be the case.
Thanks,
Craig Hoffman
Technical Discussion » Type of Light and Photons...
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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But as Peter Bowmar states in the other thread- are the Photons only cast in the Cone, or are still they cast everywhere, but given 0 energy outside the cone (and thus wasting a lot of the photons requested)?
-Craig
-Craig
Technical Discussion » Caustics
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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Wow, good point. I don't want to shoot “blanks”!!
If they can make them emit only where you want them to be emitted this process would probably get much faster and higher quality!
Thanks so much for your help!
-Craig
If they can make them emit only where you want them to be emitted this process would probably get much faster and higher quality!
Thanks so much for your help!
-Craig
Technical Discussion » Photon Error Estimate?
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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Does this do anything? Is it just for Global Photon maps?
While rendering caustics (only), I can vary this from .01 to .1 to 1 and get no change in the rendered image, even while varying the Caustic Photon Sampling from 5 to 10 to 50…
Just wondering why it is there if it doesn't do anything. I thought it was there to roughly control how much influence each photon has.
-Craig
PS: I am using H7 because H8.1 seemed to have problems rendering the Photon maps for me.
While rendering caustics (only), I can vary this from .01 to .1 to 1 and get no change in the rendered image, even while varying the Caustic Photon Sampling from 5 to 10 to 50…
Just wondering why it is there if it doesn't do anything. I thought it was there to roughly control how much influence each photon has.
-Craig
PS: I am using H7 because H8.1 seemed to have problems rendering the Photon maps for me.
Technical Discussion » Caustics
- craiglhoffman
- 252 posts
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It seems like I get different results in the size of the photon map if I change the Cone Angle of the light, plus Jason's response to my other posting about Photons says that the Cone Angle does control where photons go, so perhaps we do get some control.
In my case a huge majority of photons are going to get reflected off into nowhere, so a huge number is still needed to get decent caustics.
-Craig
PS: By the way, I am using Houdini 7 because 8.1 seemed to not work correctly for this. Is this just me?…
In my case a huge majority of photons are going to get reflected off into nowhere, so a huge number is still needed to get decent caustics.
-Craig
PS: By the way, I am using Houdini 7 because 8.1 seemed to not work correctly for this. Is this just me?…
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