| SideFX

Fix copy stamp N and up rotations 3 years, 8 months

Pablo Giménez

Hi all. When using copy stamp, if you provide a N and up attributes the operator calculates the rotations using that coordiante system as a reference. I am having some troubles with some geometry that at some point just jumps, it orientation flickers. I have tought that probably the problem is that the copy operator is doing an euler rotation rather than using quaternions. Not sure if somebody else have had the same problem before, but any advice about waht is the best/easy way to get the same rotations but usign quaternions would be gret. Thanks! -- Un saludo Best Regards Pablo Gim?nez

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5 participants
10 comments

Python: Menu scripts errors on load 3 years, 9 months

Nick Nimble

Hi! I have some menu parameters that generate errors when I open a hipfile, idem when running non-graphical. The script refers to the node and parameters on the same node, once the hip is successfully loaded this works fine. It seems to me that the menu script is triggered before the node is created or something like that. Its a bit odd, but it can't find nodes and parameters that it can once fully loaded. Is there a way to delay parameter/hdaModule scripts until the hip or asset is fully loaded? -- Cheers, Nick, be Nimble +31 622 4243 94 | www.nicknimble.com | www.facebook.com/nicknimble

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3 participants
6 comments

display card for houdini 9 3 years, 9 months

herman lee

hi all, my computer has been using for 5-8 years, my current display card is Quadro FX 540 with intel(R)Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9300, for large scene, my current display card has proven insufficient. would like to ask the guru any good specs to upgrade my computer. thanks! cheers herman

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1 participants
0 comments

Python: Force a node error 3 years, 10 months

Nick Nimble

Hi! I'm building an HDA and for some 'obscure' reason ;-) I want to raise an node error from a menu parm script. One that colors the node 'red', like nodes do when they don't have enough inputs for instance. The problem is, raise hou.OperationFailed() raises a window and doesn't error out the node. Any suggestions? -- Cheers, Nick, be Nimble +31 622 4243 94 | www.nicknimble.com | www.facebook.com/nicknimble

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3 participants
4 comments

Assets and Houdini (Andrew Lyons) 3 years, 10 months

Benjamin Laidlaw

They use tank and shotgun here and it's def the best combo I've seen for off the shelf and proprietary in a while. Way more modern than all the proprietary systems out there, like the nuke of scene management, independently managed, but many companies use it. The best part is there really isn't any start up time on it, plus there are plenty of api hook as far as I understand to take them both to a major studio level, but they work real good for small and medium. -Ben > > 1. Re: Assets and Houdini (Andrew Lyons) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 12:06:18 -0700 > From: Andrew Lyons <tstexture at gmail.com> > To: sidefx-houdini-list at sidefx.com, Dan Schneider <eyevex at yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [Sidefx-houdini-list] Assets and Houdini > Message-ID: > <CAF3KZasHU2f8TaxMt6S2nantFDKi2o4iw2qK5uP+E4Ed6Zi4zw at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > I'd vote up galleries for Houdini only data. If there was an api for > building gallery files from external apps that would be awesome - but for > serious scene building this function is the ticket: > > http://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini12.5/hom/hou/GalleryEntry#createChildNode > > Like Francois - it makes sense to organize otls into two types of hdas > IMHO: > > - Tools - HOUDINI_OTL_SCANPATH for speed. File systems ftw! > - Production assets. You could OPlibraries these - but I've seen > databases with a python interface calling otload > <http://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini12.5/hom/hou/hda#installFile>handle > these more elegantly. Some speed hit here - but super flexible... > > For those that use it, shotgun is one possible place to store that data. > Anyone evaluated Tank for Houdini yet? I'm working in games these days - > but last time I Iooked at a VFX pipeline tank was on the ascent... > > http://www.cgchannel.com/2012/08/shotgun-software-unveils-tank-asset-mana... > https://tank.zendesk.com/entries/22298963-Houdini-Engine > > Cheers >

no category

6 participants
10 comments

Extracting the perimeter/boundary from random shapes 3 years, 10 months

Mark Bolstad

I'm generating a bunch of geometry for testing a renderer. What I'd like to do is: a. Union a random set of square/rectangle/circles together (say 1-6) b. Extract the boundary of the unioned items into a single closed polygon. or (bonus method) c. a python script that writes a "random" L-System that creates a closed semi-complex polygon. Thanks, Mark -- http://renderdude.smugmug.com/

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3 participants
2 comments

Querying Houdini license statistics 3 years, 10 months

Olex P

Hi chaps, I'm wondering what are the possible ways of querying the information about Houdini licenses usage, who is using which license? Something like: user | license ------------------- blob | Master argon | Master photon | Escape Looks like sesictrl can only give the information what kind of licenses are available, which are free and which are in use. But nothing about users using them. Any ideas?

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2 participants
2 comments

Assets and Houdini 3 years, 10 months

Jordi Bares

I have been toying around on how to setup a library of assets for Houdini and find myself in a conundrum. First of all, I would like to have assets like a car with all the shader setup, rig and what not? of course this means OTLs but the fact is that OTLs are more tools than traditional assets plus I don't want to polute the every growing menu of tools. Sure I can install them under folders but still that does not feel right. Furthermore, an asset library that will be growing and growing may end up taking Houdini a lot to load? for example, all the cars in the collection. Of course I don't want to have a simple OBJ/BGEO/FBX kind of directory structure... So my question is really an open question on how you guys see this.. I believe Orbolt and the asset tab kind of suggest that would be a very good option, needless to say this will require SideEffects to provide some hooks to it? Is this possible? realistic? any better way? thx Jordi Bares jordi at realisestudio.com

no category

6 participants
10 comments

Specs for Houdini Machines 3 years, 10 months

Phil Cousins

Does anyone know of any statistics out there which show what kind of machines Houdini works best with for large computes? For example what amount of RAM is good, does it prefer higher CPU clock speeds over more cores, what sort of disk speeds it likes etc. Thanks, Phil

no category

9 participants
9 comments

Assets and Houdini (Jordi Bares) 3 years, 10 months

Benjamin Laidlaw

It's not two different conversations just the same based on scalability. I've done all the 3-D formats of advertising, feature, music videos, planetarium, commercials, games etc in studios large and ext small. They are not that significantly different, just different flavors of the same thing. Turn around in commercials is just as short and the same pipe works well as advertising. If you know you're company will never gear up to a certain staffing sizes, and the turn over of artist is very low(such as production staff and freelance artist), you can def cut out a lot of stuff. For instance, needing a front end of an asset manager like shotgun when all you need to do is look at a list of a few assets/tools that don't change as much, or turn to the guy right behind you. That is when something like a pyqt python manager that your used to from xsi would be a boon, but you can go even simpler, with just a single file loader otl and an organized directory of assets that pulls from that top levels based on an asset variable(I do this at my house with my wife's projects), and sub folder directory on flavors, with minimum version control options. Most of that heavy lifting is on your directory organization structure, which depending on what path you take you can build up many loader types from Houdini. So maybe to help you best, is to define strictly the size and scale and the options you want. For instance, approximately 100 assets, a specific type of directory and version control, singular/dual human editable and computer written directories, how many people you need to teach it to, what type of visual system you want to see these assets(from drop down menus, pictures, spread sheets, or html based interface), how much production accounting/time and money you want involved. Make the list and cut it down, and then some one can give a you a good detail of what method would work well in Houdini. There really are many paths you can walk down, as you can tell every studio and person has an opinion on it, and they all work as much as they are needed, too. Hope that helps tie it down a bit.-Ben > Message: 4 > Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 20:08:12 +0100 > From: Jordi Bares <jordibares at gmail.com> > To: sidefx-houdini-list at sidefx.com > Subject: Re: [Sidefx-houdini-list] Assets and Houdini (Andrew Lyons) > Message-ID: <353F2661-6FE4-45E5-B753-BBA82025EFB7 at gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > As much as I like Shotgun (I tested the first incarnations though so please take it with a pinch of salt) I don't feel is geared towards advertising where certain show are literally 2 weeks to deliver? it has to be something much more agile for that context. > > Regarding Asset management, I feel the conversation dips in and out of two different areas, an asset library which is what I am interested so we can have fast access for previz and tests, reuse some stuff and on the other hand an asset based pipeline that requires proper tracking of tasks and assets, that is probably where you comment falls into. > > Regarding how to address that kind of work certainly Shotgun seems a very good option but it also defines your company, something I am not keen on. Mechanisation is necessary for film work for sure, for advertising is not only not desirable, is something to avoid. > > my 2 cents > > Jordi Bares > jordibares at gmail.com

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1 participants
0 comments

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sidefx-houdini-list August 2013