Just started with HD a couple of days ago and everything was going great but now I have some issues. One I posted earlier on the public beta section about camera giving an error in the console (cam1 evalInt: Invalid parameter name trange)

Now, ignoring the message (it appears at random) I decided to revisit one of the video tutorials on modeling. A chrome material is applied to the spoon. The first time I watched the video everything worked fine on my end as I followed. But today, when I applied the chrome material, it looked like black plastic. So do other metallic materials.

Frustrated, I uninstalled HD (9.5.134) and reinstalled it again (9.5.140) and the materials are still the same!

Am I doing something wrong? Is it possible to damage the material definition?

Thanks in advance

Ok, haven't gotten an answer…This is really frustrating as I have uninstalled and reinstalled it. Maybe you guys can't picture what I mean, so here's a screen capture of the materials. You can see that they are wrong.

Any ideas?

Add a environment map to the material … If there is nothing to reflect of course it will be black

r

Well, it makes sense. However, as I mentioned before, when I first followed the video tutorial (from the sidefx video tutorials) one wasn't needed. The preview would show the chrome material just fine. In the tutorial, the spoon is modeled and applied the material without an environment map and it worked just fine as I followed it.

Something happened along the way and the material got corrupted or something. If you look at the tutorial, there's no extra step after applying the chrome material. 2 days later, I went to follow the tutorial again because something I was trying to do reminded me of the tutorial and that's when I noticed that the metallic materials had changed.

Again, I don't know if there is a way for me to damage the material library. But even after reinstalling the software twice it still doesn't show the materials the same way as they were…

The latest versions of 9.5, have been giving me some problems as well. For example, most of the vops were missing and I'm getting error messages on startup. All of the materials from the palette, when added to shops, errored out as well. I am currently installing and reinstalling to see if I can fix the problem as well.

Update:

I found that it was a problem with my Houdini OTL path environment variable. I took that out and it's working fine now.

don't know if you solved the problem but i have the same issue with 9.1.244 version, even when following the first video tutorial about the interface, i just cannot make the letters split when they fall down with the dynamics applied, i re-watched the video 5 times and follow step by step and i just can't make it, so i just want to know if something was changed or it is a bug or it is me or something, thanks for any comment on that.

I'm using Houdini Apprentice 9.1.244 version on Fedora 7 32bits if that helps. Thanks.

can you post your hipnc file?

Thanks arctor, here is the file, i didn't put materials nor cameras and lights, just the dynamics, if you can check it out will be great.

inside the AutoDOPNetwork you have a node called font_object1 - this is an RBD object…what you want is an RBDGlueObject…or an RBDFractureObject

RMB on the font_object1
select Change Type
then select RBDGlueObject

bingo

all good

got it, but i don't fully understand it, it only works if i'm inside the AutoDopNetwork but not if i'm on obj mode, i mean in scene mode, but maybe it could be because i'm not totally aware of Houdini yet, have to look at it more carefully, the thing is if you follow step by step the video tutorial you can't get the same result anymore ?? or i made that mistake ??
Anyway, thank you for you time, i have to play a little bit more

hmmmm….
interesting…
I used H9.1.270 and made a new file (see attached)

but you're right - doing an change type works in the dopNet but not at obj level - that might be a bug in the dopimport1…

SESI?

thanks actor, i will look at the file and see where is the mistake, if there is one or is just a bug.

EDIT: well, yes, i just found that you have to click in RBDFracturedObject or RBDGlueObject to make it work, but if you click in just the RBDObject as the video does it…………it doesn't work :?

About the chrome material, i've been playing with reflection maps and you can get the same result as the video, apparently older versions assigned a defaul enviroment material but not in recent ones (9.1.244), not sure. I will have to read “changes from previous versions” more often

TAVO
EDIT: well, yes, i just found that you have to click in RBDFracturedObject or RBDGlueObject to make it work, but if you click in just the RBDObject as the video does it…………it doesn't work :?

Actually in the video, I hover over RBDObject then realize that it is the wrong tool and quickly click down on RMBFracturedObject. We should have editted out the hovering part because the actual click is on the fracture…

TAVO
About the chrome material, i've been playing with reflection maps and you can get the same result as the video, apparently older versions assigned a defaul enviroment material but not in recent ones (9.1.244), not sure. I will have to read “changes from previous versions” more often

The best solution is for us to get an environment map onto the chrome material. There are several available but we just haven't updated the material. Thanks for the reminder.

hey Robert…
can you try doing a Change Type in that file and see what result you get…

TAVO
About the chrome material, i've been playing with reflection maps and you can get the same result as the video, apparently older versions assigned a defaul enviroment material but not in recent ones (9.1.244), not sure. I will have to read “changes from previous versions” more often

Well, I was using 9.5.134 when I first got the same result as the video tutorial, then it broke. Also, I have never been able to see “changes from previous versions” as I *always* get and error “Incorrect Version!”

rmagee
The best solution is for us to get an environment map onto the chrome material. There are several available but we just haven't updated the material. Thanks for the reminder.

So, I'm not crazy, thanks! Now I have to learn how to apply the environment map.

Did I mention that the more I learn Houdini, the more I *LOVE* it??? Makes any other 3D app seem like a toy

cwkoch
Well, it makes sense. However, as I mentioned before, when I first followed the video tutorial (from the sidefx video tutorials) one wasn't needed. The preview would show the chrome material just fine. In the tutorial, the spoon is modeled and applied the material without an environment map and it worked just fine as I followed it.

That was one of the first bugs I logged when I got here. There's been a few changes in the software since those videos were made.