(this post is duplicated on odforce)
xTools 2.0 release is most popular release so far. With over 120+ members using the library, and 500 people visiting the website in just 3 days. It raises some important questions. What to do for release 3.0? How can xTools become better?
For me, this project has been a purely voluntary investment of my time, and now that it's become a more stable release it's time to think about it's future.
The project began as an experiment with using subscription as a support method for an open source project, but after doing this for a few months it's become clear that the Houdini community is simply to small. So I will not continue subscriptions anymore.
xTools will continue to be free, but I don't know what to do with this project over the next year.
So I'm looking for feedback, ideas and a general discussion about the state of open source in the Houdini community. With the launch of the orbolt store, and a move to selling assets. Does the community even have room for an open source project?
While sharing xTools on the orbolt store would increase exposure, it also means a large amount of my time to change them, recompile and re-arrange them to meet orbolt's strict guidelines for assets (and no, I'm not talking about policy guidelines, I'm talking about name spaces and dependencies). As an open source project it's just not worth my time to get them into the store.
So moving forward. What should the future of xTools be?
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Houdini Lounge » The future of xTools
- hopbin9
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Houdini Lounge » xTools 2.0 has been released.
- hopbin9
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xTools 2.0 has been release for download!
This release includes several new assets, bug fixes and improved built-in help for most assets.
I am pleased and excited about the future of the xTools library, and look forward to building a community of users who will support this project. If you would like to get involved please use the forum on the website to offer support, recommendations and ideas.
Get your free copy now at http://xtools.ws [xtools.ws]
This release includes several new assets, bug fixes and improved built-in help for most assets.
I am pleased and excited about the future of the xTools library, and look forward to building a community of users who will support this project. If you would like to get involved please use the forum on the website to offer support, recommendations and ideas.
Get your free copy now at http://xtools.ws [xtools.ws]
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » Uploading from Houdini directly to Orbolt
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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Are you using the latest build of Houdini? I know SESI fixed some issues with Houdini in the daily builds version, where as the 12.1.33 version is out of date.
Houdini Lounge » 32 GB Ram - How can I use this.
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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Delight0092
I certainly struggled with 8.
I had 12GB for a while, but could easily max it out with Houdini. Especially when cooking simulations.
Houdini Lounge » 32 GB Ram - How can I use this.
- hopbin9
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I'd play with the Ray Tracing Accelerator options under “Render” in Mantra, and increase KD-Tree memory factor. This will mantra to use more Ram during raytracing.
I have 24GB and honestly it doesn't make for much faster rendering. I've found that it helps rendering scenes with more textures and at a larger sized output.
I have 24GB and honestly it doesn't make for much faster rendering. I've found that it helps rendering scenes with more textures and at a larger sized output.
Houdini Lounge » MyRender.info is coming to Houdini!
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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Hi all,
From the makers of xTools [xtools.ws] comes a new web service for Houdini artists that allows them to monitor their render jobs while on the go! Receive status updates via email or web monitor with your smart phone (iPhone and Android).
Our Facebook pages need 25 likes to be registered as an active page. This gives us additional features to better customize the page. So please head over and click the like button and help us out.
MyRender.info on Facebook [facebook.com]
Thank you!
From the makers of xTools [xtools.ws] comes a new web service for Houdini artists that allows them to monitor their render jobs while on the go! Receive status updates via email or web monitor with your smart phone (iPhone and Android).
Our Facebook pages need 25 likes to be registered as an active page. This gives us additional features to better customize the page. So please head over and click the like button and help us out.
MyRender.info on Facebook [facebook.com]
Thank you!
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » What are dependencies?
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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compositor
- Simply create your digital asset with the vine_from_curv name.
Do this for all your assets, including dependent (nested) assets..
IMPORTANT; create the dependency assets first. Don't use name spaces.
Later, the store will append your account name onto the asset for you.
Firstly, this contradicts the Houdini manual.The namespace identifier lets you name your assets without worrying about using the same name as a built-in Houdini node or as a third-party asset you might use someday.
This is useful for creating assets you might want to distribute to other users. It is also useful to allow separate artists in the same facility to create their own assets without having to worry about name clashes when their assets are used together later.
This raises the question of why the workflow for the store does not follow the convention of the manual.
Also, most users would first creating an asset for internal usage. So a namespace is required to prevent conflicts. The decision to add it to the store may come at a later unknown time. Your workflow assumes they are starting from scratch, but that seems to contradict the entire idea behind the store. The idea is “sharing assets you've created” compared to “creating assets to be shared”.A useful convention to ensure you use a unique namespace name is to reverse the DNS address of your website.
Why isn't this convention being used by the store? If an asset has a namespace that is a valid DNS, then it should not have to be changed by the store. The store could also do a DNS lookup to verify the domain exists. Downloading a key file from the root could also verify DNS ownership. This is what Google and Yahoo do to verify domain ownership.
If the asset does not have a namespace, then the store should be using a reverse DNS such as com.orbolt.username
This was in the manual, but the store follows a different convention. I don't like things like that. Maybe I have O.C.D?
Otherwise, I agree with everything you said.
There is still another issue that has bugged me about the store.
The idea of 1 asset per catalog entry. It's a real show stopper for me. I don't understand why this was done, because almost all the “tools” or “rigs” I've built in Houdini require more then one asset for harmonious operation. You could have an asset that handles the arm bones, another for the leg bones, another for face controls but they really are all part of a single character rigging tool. It makes no sense to sell each individually, and you can't make the “legs” asset an internal asset, because you never know how many legs a character might need.
With the current model, the legs and arms would have to be items in the store with each having their own price, but worthless unless you buy the important “character rig” that uses them. You could give those away for free and character for the rig, but I just find the whole thing confusing and pointless.
Already the store has started to collect useless common assets that are used by other assets from that author.
One possible solution is to allow authors to “hide” assets that are just there for dependency reasons. These would be downloaded but not show in the catalog.
Sorry, another one of my long store rants.
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » What are dependencies?
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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pusat
AFAIK the purchase history doesn't carry over. Because if it did, then what if you want to charge for it? I am not sure though.
Update notifications should still work for the same assets. But it wouldn't notify Bend 1.0 users if you uploaded Bend 2.0.
So how it works now in Houdini is if you have both xBend::1.0 and xBend::2.0 installed. It'll only show xBend::2.0 in the tab menu. Any HIP files using xBend::1.0 will still use that version as long as it's still loaded.
If I wanted to update xBend::1.0 to fix an issue, then there isn't a problem.
Sometimes I want to “rethink” an approach to a problem, and that's when you increase the version number.
So shouldn't the store work the same way as Houdini? Both xBend::1.0 and xBend::2.0 should exist in the store, but only 2.0 appears in the catalog.
Purchase history should be the domain of the author. For example, I might change the math in xBend so that it's faster but produces a slightly different result. People's renders would be different during the life of a project if I just updated version 1.0. So I would publish 2.0, but that doesn't mean I want to charge them again but I still want to charge $$ dollars for that tool.
This kinds of requirements can be tough to nail down.
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » What are dependencies?
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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pusat
From what I know, if you change the version of your OTL, the store will register it as a new asset. So all changes that you upload without changing the version will be stored in the same asset, where people will always download the latest version. Otherwise it's a brand new asset as far as the store is concerned.
Does that also remove purchase history by users?
Also does the update notification inside Houdini still work?
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » What are dependencies?
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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What about name space version numbers?
For example; if I upload xTools::xBend::1.0 to the store and people start using that version. What happens when I upload xTools::xBend::1.1
The reason the version number has changed is because it breaks parameter mappings with 1.0, and I wouldn't want people using 1.0 to receive updates.
I do want them to be updated to 1.1 when they create new instances of xBend.
This is currently how OTLs work. Does the store support this?
For example; if I upload xTools::xBend::1.0 to the store and people start using that version. What happens when I upload xTools::xBend::1.1
The reason the version number has changed is because it breaks parameter mappings with 1.0, and I wouldn't want people using 1.0 to receive updates.
I do want them to be updated to 1.1 when they create new instances of xBend.
This is currently how OTLs work. Does the store support this?
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » What does this error mean?
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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I get the following error when uploading my OTL.
Internal error
OTL files must contain exactly one top-level asset.
What does this mean?
Internal error
OTL files must contain exactly one top-level asset.
What does this mean?
Houdini Lounge » How to call python2.5 in houdini 12?
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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Houdini Lounge » Nice and valuable tutorial from Mathew ...
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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roughsporty
… http://www.thinkingmedia.ca/tutorials/animating-the-profiles-of-text-sidefx-houdini-tutorial/ [thinkingmedia.ca]
wow, thanks for the plug.
Make sure you check out xtools at http://xtools.ws [xtools.ws]
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » Asset ideas/requests
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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eestradahopbin9
I'd like an asset that can convert a spherical texture map to a Houdini box texture map and save it as a RAT file.
All with one click.
I have an COP2 asset that does just that! It also supports many other cube map formats as well. I will upload it early next week (it needs help and an icon first). I thought I was the only person who wanted something like that; glad to know my free time wasn't wasted building that.
Cool
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » Asset ideas/requests
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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I'd like an asset that can convert a spherical texture map to a Houdini box texture map and save it as a RAT file.
All with one click.
All with one click.
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » Pricing guidelines
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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There are no guidelines, but a basic retail formula could be applied.
First, you need to figure out how much it will cost you to develop an asset. This is referred to as the investment.
INVESTMENT = TIME * RATE
Where RATE is your hourly rate. That amount can be tricky, because how much you make as a 3D artist doesn't always equal how much you make as an orbolt author . If this is your first asset, then I'd recommend making this amount small, but if your assets are really well done then you can increase it. Setting the rate right, is tricky.
Next, you need to figure out how long the asset will be sold in the store. My experience with software says that most tools have a 3 year lifespan. So let's talk in terms of months. So that's an amortization of 36 months. You also want to make a profit. Most retail modals multiple the cost by 2 to gain a profit. Also, let's not forget that SideFX takes a 30% cut. So add an additional 30% to cover distributor fees.
We can now calculate our desired monthly return.
RETURN = (INVESTMENT / 32) * 2.3
That gives us our desired monthly return, or another way to say it is our total monthly sales.
Now you need to figure out how many units to sell in a month to equal that return. Basically, how many units will you sell in the next 3 years? Without having any data from SideFX on the store's performance, then this is really impossible to tell. Let's be conservative, and say about 100 in 3 years.
Now we can calculate the price.
PRICE = RETURN / (SALES / 32)
Where SALES is the total number sold over 3 years.
Now let's run an example, and see how good my formal is or if it's just junk science.
INVESTMENT = TIME * RATE
RETURN = (INVESTMENT / 32) * 2.3
PRICE = RETURN / (SALES / 32)
Let's assume my rate will be $25 per hour, and it takes 40 hours to make an asset and I expect to sell 100 units.
INVESTMENT = 40 * $25
RETURN = (INVESTMENT / 32) * 2.3
PRICE = RETURN / (SALES / 32)
—–
RETURN = ($1000 / 32) * 2.3
PRICE = RETURN / (SALES / 32)
—–
PRICE = $71.87 / (SALES / 32)
PRICE = $71.87 / 3.125
PRICE = $22.99
Well, there you go.
The problem here is that it requires several guesses, and it assumes you want to double your invest over 3 years.
First, you need to figure out how much it will cost you to develop an asset. This is referred to as the investment.
INVESTMENT = TIME * RATE
Where RATE is your hourly rate. That amount can be tricky, because how much you make as a 3D artist doesn't always equal how much you make as an orbolt author . If this is your first asset, then I'd recommend making this amount small, but if your assets are really well done then you can increase it. Setting the rate right, is tricky.
Next, you need to figure out how long the asset will be sold in the store. My experience with software says that most tools have a 3 year lifespan. So let's talk in terms of months. So that's an amortization of 36 months. You also want to make a profit. Most retail modals multiple the cost by 2 to gain a profit. Also, let's not forget that SideFX takes a 30% cut. So add an additional 30% to cover distributor fees.
We can now calculate our desired monthly return.
RETURN = (INVESTMENT / 32) * 2.3
That gives us our desired monthly return, or another way to say it is our total monthly sales.
Now you need to figure out how many units to sell in a month to equal that return. Basically, how many units will you sell in the next 3 years? Without having any data from SideFX on the store's performance, then this is really impossible to tell. Let's be conservative, and say about 100 in 3 years.
Now we can calculate the price.
PRICE = RETURN / (SALES / 32)
Where SALES is the total number sold over 3 years.
Now let's run an example, and see how good my formal is or if it's just junk science.
INVESTMENT = TIME * RATE
RETURN = (INVESTMENT / 32) * 2.3
PRICE = RETURN / (SALES / 32)
Let's assume my rate will be $25 per hour, and it takes 40 hours to make an asset and I expect to sell 100 units.
INVESTMENT = 40 * $25
RETURN = (INVESTMENT / 32) * 2.3
PRICE = RETURN / (SALES / 32)
—–
RETURN = ($1000 / 32) * 2.3
PRICE = RETURN / (SALES / 32)
—–
PRICE = $71.87 / (SALES / 32)
PRICE = $71.87 / 3.125
PRICE = $22.99
Well, there you go.
The problem here is that it requires several guesses, and it assumes you want to double your invest over 3 years.
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » I think I broke the store?
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
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AdamJ
Just a heads up.. this issue is server side and we're working on a fix.
Great.
I don't mean great, but great that I didn't break anything. lol
Thanks,
The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store » I think I broke the store?
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
- Offline
Tried to upload an asset, and got this message.
Internal error
OTL inspection failed (return code 3 Beta Build Executable expired on: Aug 16, 2012 (3 days ago) No licenses could be found to run this application. Please check for a valid license server host This beta executable has expired and cannot run anymore )
What did I do wrong now?
Internal error
OTL inspection failed (return code 3 Beta Build Executable expired on: Aug 16, 2012 (3 days ago) No licenses could be found to run this application. Please check for a valid license server host This beta executable has expired and cannot run anymore )
What did I do wrong now?
Houdini Lounge » xTools has been released.
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
- Offline
Delight0092
Looking for some assets today, haven't checked this out but it's got me really really excited, I'll post my thoughts after trialing these!
Thanks, I'm looking forward to hearing some reviews.
Houdini Lounge » xTools has been released.
- hopbin9
- 100 posts
- Offline
Hello all,
I'm pleased to announce that xTools, the free open source asset library for Houdini has finally been released.
Download your copy at http://xtools.ws [xtools.ws]
I'm pleased to announce that xTools, the free open source asset library for Houdini has finally been released.
Download your copy at http://xtools.ws [xtools.ws]
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