Hi

This may be slightly off topic but as view port interaction is being discussed here I have decided to ask here.

Is there any way to swap the mouse buttons on to would like to be able to swap tumble to the middle mouse button.

The reason for this is because I do a work in 2d with toonboom. and it can be awkward to switch between applications when the scene interactions function in the opposite way.

I did not see any options for this in the preferences.

Simon

Korny Klown2
What I want is to select a node in the network editor and the display flag automatically follows.

Unzip and put this python script into your $HOME/houdini13.0/scripts/ folder (If scripts folder doesn't exist just create it).
Then if you change selection of SOP node it also change the display flag.

This is just basic example.

Edit: new version:
http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&p=144355#144355 [sidefx.com]

Thanks pezetko. That's heading in the right direction.
For the full implentation it would be best
- to make this feature optional. Maybe as a togglebutton in the top bar of the network pane, next to “align vertical edges”.
- The render flag should follow as well but that's my bad, I didn't consider that.
- I also noticed, everytime you drop or select a node in the outputs pane an error message comes up “An error occured running a Python node event callback”.

Yes, this was just quick test if something like this is possible (not the final tool, I just edit some example from help)
If I will have some free time I will tweak it more (on/off possibility) maybe.

I added render flag setting (you can look at code).

Edit: I added context checking. So now when Obj is hidden it stays hidden but selected SOP node has display and render flag set.

Please download new version instead.

Edit2: new version:
http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&p=144355#144355 [sidefx.com]

I added the on/off toggle functionality for this Set Display/Render Flag on Selected node script.

Copy the 123.py into your HOME/houdini13.0/scripts/ folder.
In Houdini create new shelf tool with this python script/command:
hou.session.followSelection()

You can then toggle between on and off just with that new button on the shelf (or map it to hotkey).

Cheers

OK, so is there any way to change the add to selection from shift+ctrl to simply shift?
I can't seem to find anything in the hotkey editor.

McNistor
OK, so is there any way to change the add to selection from shift+ctrl to simply shift?
I can't seem to find anything in the hotkey editor.

At a guess - it's hard-coded and not accessible by the hotkey editor

I see. Well… swell.
Indulge me a bit of trivia here: we have a tool (or a mode, call it however you want) add to selection which it requires two keys to be pressed while the toggle selection which is used like 0.1% compared to add uses only one and nobody requested to swap their keys (or add the option to modify them) until now?

Works similar to Max and Illustrator. Shift-Single Click works as expected, it's only Shift-Marquee Select. Never bothered me. Granted Shift-Control-Marquee inverts selection in Windows, but Control is used to add… It's not a standard convention.

Preference to switch would be nice but it's by no means a standard.

Edit to below: Just tryin' to answering the Trivia.

Gyroscope
Preference to switch would be nice but it's by no means a standard.

By now you should know that I don't care about standards but only about easiness of use and clean, logical workflow.

Try in the Hotkey Manager:

/Houdini/Panes/Geometry Viewers

Selection Rule: Add
Selection Rule: Replace
Selection Rule: Replace
Selection Rule: Toggle

You can assign keys to these…

Thanks for these, I'll keep them in mind for when SESI adds the option to tweak shift and ctrl (if they won't simply swap their combos), because as of now it doesn't make sense to have selection modifier keys all over the keyboard.

As a side note, it would be cool instead of this


to have this


By “cool” I mean more intuitive.
Even better than pic. #2 would be to have the green stripe narrower because when multiple keys are next to each other it becomes a green mass.

The same for the Dopesheet.

And another side note: why can't I set (add) a key unless I transform the object?
Hmm, I guess I'm gonna stop looking into animation for now before my head starts spinning.

McNistor
T
As a side note, it would be cool instead of this


to have this


By “cool” I mean more intuitive.
Even better than pic. #2 would be to have the green stripe narrower because when multiple keys are next to each other it becomes a green mass.

The same for the Dopesheet.

Could work - the current setup works well for me, as I see the start of the frame step to the end of the frame stop.

And another side note: why can't I set (add) a key unless I transform the object?
Hmm, I guess I'm gonna stop looking into animation for now before my head starts spinning.

If you are using the EditSop -it simply does not animate - you need to use the transform sop.

MartybNz
Could work - the current setup works well for me, as I see the start of the frame step to the end of the frame stop.

Unless Houdini is different than other 3d app I've worked with (and by different I mean in this regard, because in many other it's definitely different, many times better), a frame is an instance of time with no length (unlike Planck time ), a time unit being the interval between two frames/keyframes.
Is there such a thing as a frame length in Houdini? I'd argue that even if it was, visually it still makes more sense to have them displayed the way I suggested.

MartybNz
If you are using the EditSop -it simply does not animate - you need to use the transform sop.

I made a sphere, stayed in obj level, activated the translate tool moved it and keyed it. When I transformed it, it added a key when I ctrl+K. Moving the time slider to another frame without transforming the object doesn't seem to suffice in adding another key.

How many keys are in there:


Surprisingly the number of keys is one that humans can count at one glance - it's five.
You obviously need to zoom in or go into an editor to see how many keys you have there and I don't have a big time scale (only 250 frames) to say that they're too close to each other. I can't see myself being very happy animating a character with this visual feedback in the timeline.

I'm not sure if these things are the reasons people don't do modeling and animation in Houdini or if it's the other way around: because people don't do modeling and animation these things are marginalized in Houdini.

McNistor
Is there such a thing as a frame length in Houdini?

Totally, you can set keys subframe keys!

Moving the time slider to another frame without transforming the object doesn't seem to suffice in adding another key.

Have you got AutoKey set, next to the timebar.

Totally, you can set keys subframe keys!

Yeah, you can do that in most 3d apps. I guess it's my fault for not being accurate in my phrasing.

You're basically putting keyframes in-between frames, so the keyframes themselves have no length.
Therefore if you put a keyframe at frame 4, then let it show at frame 4 not in-between 4 and 5.
Do I make sense now?

Have you got AutoKey set, next to the timebar.

It doesn't make any difference.

McNistor
Therefore if you put a keyframe at frame 4, then let it show at frame 4 not in-between 4 and 5.

A frame represents a division of time, therefore there is information between frame 4 and 5. Can't think of any disadvantage in representing that in a timeline

It doesn't make any difference.

Hmm. Working here on OsX with Command key + K

McNistor

I made a sphere, stayed in obj level, activated the translate tool moved it and keyed it. When I transformed it, it added a key when I ctrl+K. Moving the time slider to another frame without transforming the object doesn't seem to suffice in adding another key.

Have you got AutoKey set, next to the timebar.

It doesn't make any difference.

You want it to set a key automatically when there is no change just because you scrubbed the timeline?

Regarding the keyframe indicators on the timeline… For me, again like the Ctrl-Shift, it's a non-issue. Zoom far out and you can see a key is on a frame while the current frame indicator is there. if it was centered, that would block it.

I've been character animating all week and beyond setting up initial poses, every thing is tweaked in the dope/channel editor. Even the intital poses are just set up with no timing involved. Even when I animated characters in Maya, the timeline would be littered with Keys that it becomes unintelligible. How's it look in XSI?


Edit: Since we're talking about animating. The one issue I have found is with Weighted/Untie. In Maya, going from Weighted to Non-weighted changed the end handles from Circle to Hollow Square if I remember correctly.

In Houdini, and it is less apparent in 13 as opposed to 12, looks like a font change. The End Circles become slightly lighter in the inside, still the same size dot only when selected. About a pixel, however they're really small and I can't actually distinguish between the two quickly.

Another addition would be to have an option to have the bezier() function auto-align to the incoming and outgoing slope but still tied. Right now it has 0 slope so it's like it's exactly like ease() with handles. You have to go individually tweak each one to be smooth, if you need the key. SmoothBezier() would be best as Bezier() still has a purpose.

Bleh I can't find the post of that Softimage User who wanted to make an Animation Thread, which would be a great idea. As this is for modelling.

MartybNz
A frame represents a division of time, therefore there is information between frame 4 and 5. Can't think of any disadvantage in representing that in a timeline

A frame yes, is an interval of time. A keyframe is not. It's a value, an instance in the timeline with no length.
Let me give you an advantage of having it the way I suggested.
If you have a (narrower) key at frame N and one at frame N+1/2 you could represent the latter like it is now - in between frames and the integer one (N) at Nth frame.

Here's an example:

MartybNz
Hmm. Working here on OsX with Command key + K

I don't think I'm being understood. I think I'll let it for another time.

McNistor
Here's an example:

Yeah - that could work - need this all in an animation page/thread, as Gyroscope has written above that it's working quite well now.