Hey everyone. This is my first post here. I wanted to open a thread where I (or anyone else, for that matter), could offer some usability suggestions that would help improve the application.

Why am I doing this? I'm basically migrating from another 3D application over to Houdini, and have found several things that I've felt could be easily improved to help new (and existing, of course) users have an easier time with the application.

So, here are the rules (just a suggestion, of course…)

1. Suggestions must be limited to a small feature. Larger features would be probably better suited for more of a “wishlist” kinda thing.

2. Your request must include not only a description of the problem, but also a specific way of fixing it. This is just to give out some ideas. If you feel you have no good way of addressing the problem, then just say so too.

3. Suggestions should be related to usability. This means… things that will make the application EASIER to use or understand. Not new features (unless they happen to be related to usability… although new features usually end up being beyond the scope of what's proposed here anyway).

How does this sound? I hope I don't annoy anyone coming here and imposing my ideas on a first post… . I just want to throw out there a few things I feel would make Houdini a lot more approachable for those who have experience with other 3D tools out there. Cheers!

When Houdini crashes (and I've had a few of those), it saves a backup file somewhere. Unfortunately, getting to this file is not as easy as it could be (especially for those of us who tend to dismiss error messages way to quickly as a reflex in order to continue working).

To help retrieve the backup file, Houdini should append its name to the list of recently opened files under the File/Open Recent Files menu as the 1st item in the list (unless the user happens to save another file, in which case the recovered file moves down the list as any other file). That will help the user continue working, since he'd just need to re-launch the application, and open his file from where he was at by going to this menu.

To help retrieve the backup file…..

I can see why you'd want this but…if you're using a (linux etc) then the path to the file gets spit out to the shell…so it takes no time/effort to open it
and on Windows I'd imagine it always goes to c/etc/etc/user/TEMP?
you could make a shortcut that opens that folder for quick retrieval…

I'm running on Windows, and I couldn't find it at the specified location.
I guess this kinda explains why I think this is something that would be very useful for some… :shock:

Toonman
When Houdini crashes (and I've had a few of those), it saves a backup file somewhere. Unfortunately, getting to this file is not as easy as it could be (especially for those of us who tend to dismiss error messages way to quickly as a reflex in order to continue working).

To help retrieve the backup file, Houdini should append its name to the list of recently opened files under the File/Open Recent Files menu as the 1st item in the list (unless the user happens to save another file, in which case the recovered file moves down the list as any other file). That will help the user continue working, since he'd just need to re-launch the application, and open his file from where he was at by going to this menu.

Houdini > file open > and selecting $TEMP . Where all the temp files are located for windows and then sorting by date ?

Backup files are located in a folder thats automatically created where $HIP is , ie your Houdini file.

I understand where you are coming from but Houdini does not want to be like other AD applications. Other applications aspire to be like Houdini. So do be patient as the rewards will be great.

Rob

I would like a blow this up, add in pyro with smoke and debris and make it look good at 4k shelf button. Please optimize cuz I need to render it on a duo core with 4 gigs of ram…

A small thing: when you jump to a future frame and Houdini starts calculating DOPs/POPs up to that point, the status message on the bottom of the window usually does not tell you which frame is being solved. It would be a really nice thing to see, to get an idea how much time things are going to take.

Sometimes it does show up there, often for just a sec, so I hope it would be a small thing to fix.

Winding back to the top, I really like the requirements and with a bit of discussion can form a sticky for submitting usability RFE's that are represented in the side Effects bug database.

Separation brings clarity. I recommend that each usability and issue gets it's own thread making it easier to tie things together and track.

Wading through dozens of posts could be difficult.

A feature request may indeed highlight a deficiency or there may already be a suitable existing feature but hidden which also requires an RFE to make it more obvious.

eetu
A small thing: when you jump to a future frame and Houdini starts calculating DOPs/POPs up to that point, the status message on the bottom of the window usually does not tell you which frame is being solved. It would be a really nice thing to see, to get an idea how much time things are going to take.

Sometimes it does show up there, often for just a sec, so I hope it would be a small thing to fix.

1+ , this would be great. Maybe something like advanced progressbar. I often want to jump to a specific frame without all the frames to there displayed.

Houdini > file open > and selecting $TEMP . Where all the temp files are located for windows and then sorting by date ?

Backup files are located in a folder thats automatically created where $HIP is , ie your Houdini file.

I understand where you are coming from but Houdini does not want to be like other AD applications. Other applications aspire to be like Houdini. So do be patient as the rewards will be great.

Rob

Nice! Ok. This definitely lowers the priority of my first request. I don't like much the current location of files, but I'll just point my env variables somewhere else and that should do it.

Thanks a lot Rob! I don't necessarily want Houdini to emulate other apps. There are concepts in other apps (AD or otherwise) that are still useful, so I'm just throwing a few that could be in some cases, regardless of where they come from. Thanks a lot for the help here though!

jeff
Winding back to the top, I really like the requirements and with a bit of discussion can form a sticky for submitting usability RFE's that are represented in the side Effects bug database.

Separation brings clarity. I recommend that each usability and issue gets it's own thread making it easier to tie things together and track.

Wading through dozens of posts could be difficult.

A feature request may indeed highlight a deficiency or there may already be a suitable existing feature but hidden which also requires an RFE to make it more obvious.

This is a good idea. So, how about listing usability issues with the "USABILITY: " subject name? This would make the, easy to locate. Just a suggestions. Thanks Jeff!

I was thinking the exact same thing wrt the subject line prefix.

A few of us here at Side Effects monitor the forums frequently so hashing through the various RFEs prior to submission to the Bug Database would be ideal.

Do we post them in this thread or post as a new thread?

I have a small usability issue about these settings:



Personally I have never seen or made an asset that had prefixes which could be because the assets I used and made are not gigantic. I can understand the need for this for really big assets where there will be naming collisions, but I think they are in the minority.

IMO it would be pretty useful if these were turned off by default. If you want to make it even better, then when adding parameters, if Houdini realizes that there will be a naming collision from incoming parameters, then it could ask the user if he wants these settings to be turned on? If yes, then it would turn these on before adding the parameters. If not, then no parameter would be added.

Toonman

Nice! Ok. This definitely lowers the priority of my first request. I don't like much the current location of files, but I'll just point my env variables somewhere else and that should do it.

Thanks a lot Rob! I don't necessarily want Houdini to emulate other apps. There are concepts in other apps (AD or otherwise) that are still useful, so I'm just throwing a few that could be in some cases, regardless of where they come from. Thanks a lot for the help here though!

I must admit I am yet to find a concept in Maya I like. !

pusat
Do we post them in this thread or post as a new thread?

I have a small usability issue about these settings:



Personally I have never seen or made an asset that had prefixes which could be because the assets I used and made are not gigantic. I can understand the need for this for really big assets where there will be naming collisions, but I think they are in the minority.

IMO it would be pretty useful if these were turned off by default. If you want to make it even better, then when adding parameters, if Houdini realizes that there will be a naming collision from incoming parameters, then it could ask the user if he wants these settings to be turned on? If yes, then it would turn these on before adding the parameters. If not, then no parameter would be added.

Good case for a new thread and I personally would like these options off by default as well but there may be a condition where they should be on that I personally haven't come across.

Btw the first time I'm here after a new version bump, I always turn off and use the save preferences button. I wonder if everyone is doing this?

As a new thread, we could discuss in isolation instead of having to fight between several other active issues and turning the thread in to a jumbled mess of confusion.

I always set them to off . Why ? In the past I have created the parameters then afterwards had to edit them due to the long strings created. In H12 I have noticed that just altering the parameter title and name have caused all sorts of weird behavior.

rob

Thanks Jeff. How do you save the preferences? I tried Save Options as Defaults but it didn't seem to preserve my settings.

I created a new thread here per your suggestion:
http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&p=123733#123733 [sidefx.com]

Please feel free to continue discussing there