Hello,

As I understood it, Houdini apprentice is a full version of the app but with its own hipnc file format and a limit on rendering resolution. For some reason I have just downloaded the latest version of apprentice for XP and the channel ROP doesn't seem to be present (as well as a number of other ROP's). Whats going on…?

Some of the output drivers are disabled in the apprentice for obvious reasons. Any method of saving usable data from an evaluation version of the software needs to either be controlled(hipnc, limited res pictures), or eliminated if it's outside the range of control(RIB, animation channels, etc.).

Cheers,

J.C.

Ah I see. That makes sense. I just wanted to check something out that I was trying to do at work over the weekend but alas it will have to wait until Monday! Or I could post it here…if I'm trying to write out CHOP's info generated from a dynamics CHOP, when I use the channel ROP should hitting render force the dynamics CHOP to re-cook the DOP sim it is pointing at? My DOP's sim is quite complex and hitting ‘update’ on the dynamics CHOP to get the position data into chops takes my machine about 2 hours, so I wanted to write it out as a .bclip but when I try it only seems to write out the first frame…any ideas?

AFAIK you can't avoid waiting for Monday to cook and save usable data, no. The apprentice version is intended for evaluation, not production. You can post the hipnc file, yes, but it can only be run in apprentice - it can't be converted to a regular hip file. Basically apprentice shouldn't be pulled into a production pipeline - it will “taint” the hip file the moment you load and save it.

Cheers,

J.C.

i think customers can send them to sidefx for conversion to .hip though, right?

that's a one off thing when you first buy a license i think they will convert some apprentice files for you, but it's not an ongoing offer AFAIK

I think you guys have got the wrong end of the stick..I'm aware of the purpose of the apprentice version and that hipnc files are not compatible with hip files and vice versa etc. I was just using apprentice to produce an extremely simplified version of my scene to try and test the procedure, and then implement it on the proper ‘production’ file using master when I get back to work…

I knew what you meant. I was trying to say, basically, you can't, if part of that procedure requires you to output channels! Of course you can test pretty well anything else that doesn't *require* dumping out files and that would help you setting things up later. You can obviously look at the channels in Apprentice, and you can reference them internally to debug the pipeline. That's it, though: on Monday you'll need to rebuild and finish the process.

J.C.

The idea of the Apprentice edition is that it's for non-commercial use. If someone is using it to do something that contributes to work which ends up being sold in some form, it probably goes against the spirit of the Apprentice.

Hello,

is it possible to put down a Geo ROP and use it to save out geometry files?



thanks,



bern

I actually didn't think it was possible to but then I remembered someone telling me about doing it a while ago so I booted up my other computer that has an NC license and tried. It actually did write out my geo properly. Hmm.

Hello , Yeah!!


Just tested this on a friends' Houdini Apprentice 8.1.845…and it works.

Unbelievable…It's possible to write out Geo Files with the GEO ROP in Houdini !!!(non-commercial edition)


thanks,


bern

I was just wondering (hoping) if SESI would consider lifting the Apprentice restriction on mantra only being single threaded. I don't think it serves any purpose as the limited resolution and the Houdini logo printed on the output image act as adequate penalties for using a non-commercial edition and work well to deter commercial use.

It's not like someone will suddenly be able to use Apprentice commercially if now their frames take 5mins instead of 15mins to render - the other restrictions make sure of that. Having to wait longer for renders only serves to infuriate.

Just think of the PR coup - another feather in the Apprentice cap… could come in handy with the big H9 push in persuading more to learn Houdini.

well, on the other hand, if it's to overcome a learning curve accociated with the software so that it doesn't slow down a production I would think it would go along with the difference between learning/production. IMO.

edward
The idea of the Apprentice edition is that it's for non-commercial use. If someone is using it to do something that contributes to work which ends up being sold in some form, it probably goes against the spirit of the Apprentice.

Dunno - all the nit-picking over what feature is there, what isn't - all this is in lieu of having to get a temporary license to evaluate the software. It's a helluva lot easier and faster to just snag the software, install and fiddle with no fear of a time frame looming! That's the “spirit of Apprentice” IMHO - it's for evaluation, not prepping for production.

However, I must admit Moose's suggestion makes sense.

Cheers,

J.C.

Moose
I was just wondering (hoping) if SESI would consider lifting the Apprentice restriction on mantra only being single threaded. I don't think it serves any purpose as the limited resolution and the Houdini logo printed on the output image act as adequate penalties for using a non-commercial edition and work well to deter commercial use.

I think one thing that everyone is forgetting is that Mantra isn't multi-threaded. Mantra only runs in a multi-host mode. A server mantra is spawned then additional mantras are spawned for each CPU you are going to run it on. So if you specify in the ROP mantra -n 2 three mantras will be running on your system.* The reason this doesn't work with Apprentice is because it only comes with one mantra license.

I suspect if multi-threading is implemented into Mantra this issue will go away as one mantra (one license) will be able to use up all the available CPUs.

My $10

*- The server mantra doesn't consume a license only the two that are rendering.

Anyway going back to the original reason I posted…how can I get my channel ROP to re-cook the dops sim my dynamics CHOP is pointed to when I hit render? I've been told that its possible but even if I check ‘initialise simulation ops’ in the channel ROP the dynamics sim isn't re-cooked. I'm using a full master license now by the way…

I just want to do this to avoid going into CHOP's, hitting ‘update’ on my dynamics CHOP and having to wait an hour and a half for it to cache the DOP's sim as it just feels risky. I would much prefer to be writing out the data somewhere concrete straight away rather than caching it all, locking the dynamics CHOP and then writing out a bclip…which at the moment is the only way it seems to work…?