Hi ,
I was playing around with software X demo and I think it will be nice to have a control on smooth mesh.I mean when I am using smooth proxy type setup in houdini , it becomes nightmare when I start working on complex model because of the overlapping edges.
Here is my crappy model with the feature that I am talking about.

Yes we are very well aware of programs like Silo and Modo with their ability to work with the acual cage on the sub-d surface.

I can't say wether or not this feature will be implemented in Houdini any time soon. With Silo at the sub $500 dollar range, it is tough to beat. With DOPs in it's infancy and much to do in other parts of the package, it all comes down to priorities.

jeff
Yes we are very well aware of programs like Silo and Modo with their ability to work with the acual cage on the sub-d surface.

I can't say wether or not this feature will be implemented in Houdini any time soon. With Silo at the sub $500 dollar range, it is tough to beat. With DOPs in it's infancy and much to do in other parts of the package, it all comes down to priorities.

I hear ya .I actually think Houdini has a solid toolset for Poly modeling and such. I think It will be my dream to have that kind of feature because I enjoy modeling in houdini,
I totally understand the fact that sesi has to focus more on major stuffs.

Now if tihs were the bees knees and a large proportion of the users could justify the use of this feature in production today, it surely would have an impact.

I currently don't see this though so this feature has moderate prioritiy right now.


But (and there is always a but here) for those super-detective houdini sleuths out there who have lots of time on their hands will have noticed a hidden parameter when in the textport you execute the command:
opscript /obj/model
and closely inspect the very long opparm string:
vport_displayassubdiv ( off )
No, Houdini does not have the ability to view subd's in the viewport yet, but if you have the code, we have the hooks in-place to do this.
The point is some of the pieces have been thought about. Still this feature represents a tremendous amount of work: True sub-d modelling.

I really enjoy poly modelling in Houdini as well. There is a great subset of polygon modelling tools that more than get you there with regards to ending up with nice organic models. You can approach your modelling process in several different directions without loosing a step.

Wether you are building a car or a head, the same tools apply with great control.

When the poly mesh gets very dense, the ability to completely separate the sub-d generation by simiply moving a subidvide SOP down the chain is great for control. There is also the ability to render the polygonal surface as sub-d's at render time directly from the lower res poly cage without using a final subdivide SOP making for a lightweight production solution.