Houdini 14 Wishlist

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Hello,

Is it too early for thinking of H14 now that xmas is just around the corner?

Here is my modest list:


VEX:
Type-agnostic attribute syntax
@ syntax for arrays
Geometry inspection functions for points, edges, primitives (getedgesfrompoints, getprimitivesfrompoints, etc). The lack of these prevent VEX to be used in tons of new modeling tools
Direct topology modification functions (newpointonedge, splitedge, removeedge, insertpointonprimitive, etc)
Set data type like Python's Set type
Ability to call function based VOPs from VEX
Find, Contains methods for arrays
Array support for pcfilter and pcimport VEX functions
Operator overloading for structs and classes
Closest point on a surface (not an actual physical point in the geometry)
Ability to define vector3 literals when using variables (without the set function)
Mirror wrap mode for c/b/finput VEX functions


VOPs:
Array support
Shortcut to break input/outputs into floats (i.e. breaking P into a Vector to Float node, ready to be used)
All available wrap modes to be shown as a parameter in COP Input VOP


SOPs:
Array support for AttribWrangle SOP
Edge type for AttribWrangle SOP (Looping edges)
Proper edge to primitive conversion using the Group SOP
Geometry Wrangle SOP or the ability to use the AttribWrangle SOP without a null to create new geometry
Falloff SOP to generate a weight attribute based on falloff radius
Edge Loop and Ring SOPs
Ability to edit multiple points for the Curve SOP
Size detail attributes for bounding generator SOPs (width, height, radius, length, etc)
Ability to use any attribute as normals for Peak and Soft Peak SOP
Edge support for Foreach SOP
AttribMatch SOP
AttribCurveTransfer SOP (Attribute transfer by sampling along the curves)
Slide Edges SOP
Best Fit Plane SOP
Best Fit Line SOP
VOP-based non-linear deformers
Fuse Ends option for the Revolve SOP


COPs:
Solver COP
Foreach COP
Pixel Shader COP
Wrangle Filter COP
Wrangle Generator COP
Ability to use masks for subnets/HDA COPs using the side input
Working cook timers for COPs


Expressions:
Signed random function
Expression to calculate point to point distance
Expression to return the group type similar to what Guess from Group does
rgb and hsv expressions to accept integers for component type


Python HOM:
hou.runVex to support string stream instead of just files on disk


HDAs:
Ability to secure HDAs (i.e. protecting all types of code within the asset)
More composable handle system, handles 2.0
Ability to setup multiple ramp parameters the same way as any other referenced parameters (Copy and Paste references)


General:
Using float attributes everywhere instead of vectors, matrices
Copy pasting nodes should update channel references when pasted into a different nesting level
View Dependencies should list self-dependencies within its subnet separately
Ability to retarget dependencies without editing channel references by hand
Ability to use value ladder for menu parameters to cycle between options


UI:
Place New Nodes Immediately to work (Broken for years)
Viewport settings and desktop should not be part of the HIP file (Attributes shown in the viewport is fine to be saved inside the HIP file)
Ability to retain the default desktop on file open
Ability to restore 100% zoom level in the network editor
Drawing the cooking path of a network permanently so you can see which path Houdini took when cooking the last iteration
DOP nodes to be color coded (i.e. Gas microsolvers to be green, etc)
Group parameters that only support a single type to explicitly show it in their labels (i.e. Primitive Group, etc) to avoid being ambiguous
Gear icon to be shown differently when there are presets available
Shift click to select multiple nodes in the Operator Tree
Ability to jump to dependent nodes using the View Dependencies dialog
Ability to add new operator to selected operator using hotkeys without right clicking node output arrow (i.e. Shift+TAB instead of TAB)
Ability to toggle grid in the network editor via hotkey instead of cycling
Pasting literal values shouldn't toggle expression mode for parameters
Foreground highlight for last item used for open menu parameters
Disable When condition for Label parameters for visual cues
Floating parameters windows to automatically fit height to parameters
Square color palette for the network editor just like before (It's squeezed now)



I did notice about a dozen of my RFEs realized. Thanks for this, truly an effort that cannot be repaid.
Senior FX TD @ Industrial Light & Magic
Get to the NEXT level in Houdini & VEX with Pragmatic VEX! [www.pragmatic-vfx.com]

youtube.com/@pragmaticvfx | patreon.com/animatrix | animatrix2k7.gumroad.com
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Native UI building capability. PySide or hell just a nice proper wrapping of native .ui would be fine.
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great list! a few more suggestions from the world of gaming (generally things that “break” the procedural flow by having to go into other apps):

SOP - zbrush zremesher as a sop please

SOP - Improved polyreduction (similar to softimage's, and now maya 2014)

SOP - New UV unwrapping method - LSMC unwrapping

SOP - shape recognition nodes (i.e. find circles, find squares, find shapes mathcing second input, etc)

COP - support for more color spaces (i.e. HSL, XYZ, LAB)

COP - geometry cop to also support mesh attributes such as color (currently can only be used for masks)

VOP - add creation and deletion VOP nodes

VOP - more control on attrib VOPs to return vertices on primitives (similar to pusat note on being able to inspect geometry)

ROP - forEach ROP to do iterative scalable outputs

UI - image parameter to be able to load an image and run a callback when clicked? (and also make pretty UIs )

nodebased openGL shader creation!
-G
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Expressions - ability to reference attributes directly with @attribname syntax (as supposed to point(opinputpath(“.”,0), some attribute, etc.) I remember this being discussed before and feel this is a GREAT idea
-G
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UI - python controls to allow setting user up with fully maximized IPR render viewport OR simply add a shading mode that is full IPR (although this may not be a great use case for film, it is a very nice use case for games where a lot of our houdini tools can leverage a mantra viewport as a preview of the result of a process)
-G
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SOP - extract curve from edge group (I was suprised that this was a bit harder to do than expected)
-G
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1.Support stamp function in the Compositing Network

2.Add special parameter for encrypt , lock and make unreadable Digital Assets (without using Orbolt )
https://www.youtube.com/c/sadjadrabiee [www.youtube.com]
Rabiee.Sadjad@Gmail.Com
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kill Arnold and Renderman
https://vimeo.com/user3971456/videos [vimeo.com]
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A simple one:

Having these 2 settings off by default:



Jeff (oldschool) himself also supported this idea
http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&p=123712 [sidefx.com]

I was actually hoping this would be the default for H13.
Senior FX TD @ Industrial Light & Magic
Get to the NEXT level in Houdini & VEX with Pragmatic VEX! [www.pragmatic-vfx.com]

youtube.com/@pragmaticvfx | patreon.com/animatrix | animatrix2k7.gumroad.com
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Please make sure that if you're adding to this thread that you also log an RFE in our bug database because that's the only way your issue will actually get logged, tracked, and assigned to a developer. Thanks!

http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&t=25347 [sidefx.com]
Chris McSpurren
Senior Quality Assurance Specialist
SideFX
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chrism
Please make sure that if you're adding to this thread that you also log an RFE in our bug database because that's the only way your issue will actually get logged, tracked, and assigned to a developer. Thanks!

Are you saying we can't just sit back, dream on and hope our thoughts get picked up from the ether… that's too bad!
Toronto - ON
My Houdini playground [renderfarm.tumblr.com]
“As technology advances, the rendering time remains constant.”
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rafaels
chrism
Please make sure that if you're adding to this thread that you also log an RFE in our bug database because that's the only way your issue will actually get logged, tracked, and assigned to a developer. Thanks!

Are you saying we can't just sit back, dream on and hope our thoughts get picked up from the ether… that's too bad!

I picked everything in my list from the RFEs I already sent so that users and the devs can see it

So if I write anything here, it means it's already RFE'd. I am somehow hoping that people +1'ing the RFEs here would increase their likelihood to be added to Houdini
Senior FX TD @ Industrial Light & Magic
Get to the NEXT level in Houdini & VEX with Pragmatic VEX! [www.pragmatic-vfx.com]

youtube.com/@pragmaticvfx | patreon.com/animatrix | animatrix2k7.gumroad.com
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raytracing support for uv rendering
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Ability to pan the network editor as usual when you MMB-drag over snippet code areas so that they are not blocking the ability to pan inside the network editor like they do now:

Senior FX TD @ Industrial Light & Magic
Get to the NEXT level in Houdini & VEX with Pragmatic VEX! [www.pragmatic-vfx.com]

youtube.com/@pragmaticvfx | patreon.com/animatrix | animatrix2k7.gumroad.com
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Gear icon to be shown differently when there are presets available:

Senior FX TD @ Industrial Light & Magic
Get to the NEXT level in Houdini & VEX with Pragmatic VEX! [www.pragmatic-vfx.com]

youtube.com/@pragmaticvfx | patreon.com/animatrix | animatrix2k7.gumroad.com
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A proper smooth operator that can deal with relaxation, concave/convex filtering, low/high frequency filtering, hard edge awareness, edge awareness and pinning, custom smoothing profile, expand/contract relative to selection, control of the threshold and distribution noise…
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RFE: Desktop and viewport options to be separated from hip files, or at least the option to do so.

Desktop and viewport options do not belong to scene files IMO. Houdini is the only 3d software or major one that does this.

If the original author of the scene file uses a white viewport background, that shouldn't be forced on me when I open the same file, as that's his personal preference not mine. As I will be the one navigating the scene file, I should be using my own setup, not his. Imagine if Visual Studio switched to Dvorak if the owner of the source code uses it? Yes I have a friend who code using a Dvorak keyboard

I don't know if it's only me, but I find it very frustrating having to restore my own settings every time I open someone else's file.

Custom attribute decorations are fine and should be saved with the scene. But that doesn't mean the rest of the standard viewport settings should come along IMO.
Senior FX TD @ Industrial Light & Magic
Get to the NEXT level in Houdini & VEX with Pragmatic VEX! [www.pragmatic-vfx.com]

youtube.com/@pragmaticvfx | patreon.com/animatrix | animatrix2k7.gumroad.com
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Perpetual license option return for HD.
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SHOP : no uv sew procedure texture,just like MARI.
COP : support deep image.
SOP : Improved UV unwrapping method , like LSCM unwrapping and so on.
SOP : Improved polyBevel method
SOP : group ring edges and loop edges
SOP : WHILE LOOP SOP NODE , not only just foreach,while loop also important.
DOP : adaptive distribution Sims. It can automatic distribute the slices
UI : refraction linker
SHOP : layered Material
VOP: Array support
SOP: Array support
SHOP : receive or not receive others shadows
SHOP : dispersion and spectral color
CHOPs and Cop: chop and cop interact with each other
DOP: Adaptive voxel size. Sparse field.
OBJ,CHOP: Full Body IK (FBIK)
Edited by - Oct. 6, 2014 10:08:21
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sop: group ring edges and loop edges
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