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OP clearly has no idea what he is talking about !
Sand has way differnt material properties than stone ! This is the sort of low effort work that made this sub the trash can it is now !
If you really want to know how a Mountain works, you need to become serious about Worldbuilding.
So the first step that everyone, even you, should be able to do is buy the affordable software Houdini.
In there you then use the Terrain tools to proceduraly generate a Mountain range. You then use the Errosion Simulation to bake 10 Million + Years of Errosion. The result should be half way realistic if you know what you are doing. Like me.
Then you export this Model, 3D Print it and throw it outside for between 10-100.000 Years in order to get real world Errosion and texturing going.
After all of this easy work is done you take the worst camera you have, take a Picture, write one line of lore and call yourself a "Serious Worldbuilder".
If you cant do that you should just stop writing buddy. This is serious work. Nothing for a pussy.
Outside of the tech panel, most of what I'm paying mind to reinforces what I've been learning about regarding the production. Plus, some of what I'm learning that's new is very fascinating and can be repeated in other panels depending on the subject. For instance, I've learned that from both the compositing and tech panels are that they added a third software to go with Maya and 3DS Max for volume 6 is Houdini. Also, the staff don't really update any software in the middle of production since it would create more complications.
Another thing is that for the storyboard artists, continuity is a thing to keep in mind all the time, like with lying, dead bodies. Oh, and regarding the matter of storyboarding fights, when Kevin Harger was brought on (I believe during volume 4), he originally applied to do just dialogue scenes. But when it was found out (didn't say by who), he can also do fight scenes, that's all he does now and has admitted he sometimes misses them. Interestingly, with the Raven and Cinder fight in particular, he only had two weeks to work on boards and had to do 600-800 shots. He didn't even have time to draw anything beyond the blocking (I imagine the composition between characters in a given shot) like facial expressions and effects. His rough draft was the draft that was used. Though I don't believe the animators assigned to that fight had to follow it down to the letter, as they can take some liberties.
Sounds like it's more of a shader limitation considering what he's talking about. I don't know what's his goal but right now Kubrows could be improved a lot if they fixed how the haircards are arranged around the mesh. Just look at how the kubrow faces are smoother >!well, except this abomination from OP!< than the rest of the body, with smaller cards, while the rest of the body is covered by big ass cards stretching the texture to the point where it looks steel wool, hence their bodies look ugly. Shell texturing is another method that could improve the looks of animals in general if used right, you can see the difference in a mod for Skyrim
I'm no expert so I can't give you an in depth rundown on the subject, but imo what we have now is just not that well implemented.
I can be just a bit more specific about how it's done, by only a little bit. The program used for that video is called Houdini, which is a current 3D effects software. Even by most 3D programs' standards, it's supposedly a complicated tool to work in, but gets really good results because it can do a large amount and wide variety of particle simulations. You could also use it to create fire, explosions, rain, or just about any other real or imaginary kind of physics simulation.
I wish I could explain more, but I haven't picked it up; I've just been doing sculpting and animating in other 3D softwares. 9 months from now I may be involved in a course to use Houdini though. Once I've gotten through the stress and torture I'm sure it has to offer, maybe then I can break it down better.
I can't help you with this problem (don't have the time to go through the whole tutorial), but just wanted to give you a tip:
Those are not beginner videos. The concepts shown here are not only advanced, they are also exotic. Entagma especially covers a very wide range from beginners to very advanced topics. This one is not for a beginner.
If this is your first Houdini tutorial, then you will get a very wrong impression and might easily be overwhelmed. I would recommend a more basic introduction.
Have a look here:
Two things:
First, it's not exactly hard to find freely available software that demands as many cores as you can throw at it.
3D rendering, fluid/grain/cloth simulation, pyro simulation, FEM simulation.
Go download Houdini 18 and play with it. It'll make any CPU sweat.
Second, you can run multiple large workloads simultaneously. Let your CPU render two projects, while you're working on a third.
Let it churn through multiple workloads in parallel without you needing to attend to them, if it doesn't matter if they finish in a hurry.
This is probably a good start https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/houdini-foundations-book/
Lots of beginner tutorials here https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/level/beginner/
I'm only a hobbyist but I found Houdini to have an incredibly high learning curve.
Also, lots of links in the sidebar ------------------>
Welcome to the bandwagon.
https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/
Please use the search function as this question is asked fairly often: https://www.reddit.com/r/Houdini/search?q=learning&restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on&sort=new&t=all
You can use an HScript expression to get the attribute.
It will look like this:
point("../measure1", "perimeter", 0)
Check out all the HScript functions here: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/expressions/index.html
You can also use a python expression if you are more comfortable with that.
I'm switching from modo. I like being able to turn off bevels and such to get a low poly without having to retopo a whole new mesh. Procedural UVs are another benefit. Rohan Dalvi, Gianvito Serra, Indie-pixel and my favorite, Richard Banks, have some great tutorials. There are also add-ons like https://www.sidefx.com/forum/topic/53249/. I do miss the preview renderer dearly though.
The Apprentice version of Houdini has everything that the full version does with the exception of a limit of 720p watermarked renders and no crossover tools in Unreal Engine 4/Maya (etc.)
as stated here.. https://www.sidefx.com/buy/
Details from a high poly model can be captured into textures. A normal map baked from a high-poly model for example stores all the surface variations of a section of the high-poly model to the area of the texture that will be used on a face in the low-poly model. The same can be done for other textures like Ambient Occlusion maps or Specular maps.
You can start with a low-poly model and build a high-poly model from that. This used to be common before sculpting programs. Nowadays, people usually sculpt the high poly model first and then use a program like Topogun to quickly overlay a low-poly model over the high-poly one.
It is true that the sculpted model usually shouldn't be in the game, after all you don't want to render 6 million polygons if you don't have to. You should note however that it is very difficult to see the difference between 6,000,000 polygons and 6,000 if you apply your baked normal map. Observe this image for example.
I think he was waiting for the tools technology to catch up rather than the devices that play the game. Because it was basically impossible to build such a game in the past within a normal timeframe and budget.
Ubisoft is now using Houdini in most of their big openworld games. Houdini is an software suite aimed at procedural generation of assets. Before this console generation Houdini was mostly used for SFX. But since Houdini has become more powerful devs use it to build entire levels and worlds.
The artist and programmers create little programs inside Houdini that they can use inside their own level editor to build assets simply by tweaking parameters. For example for Ghost Recon they used Houdini for the terrain generation, road maps, asset placement and asset variation. https://www.sidefx.com/community/ubisofts-ghost-recon-wildlands/
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1024029/-Ghost-Recon-Wildlands-Terrain
If they did it the old way, manually creating and placing every asset and variation, it would cost Ubisoft a lot more money to make this game. Since they would need a lot more artist on the team than a normal game would. But now with this new software tech they can keep the team size and budget reasonable and still be able to create Ancel's game.
This update looks great! The changes to the looping functions look nice: https://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3148&Itemid=412
There are just a ton of changes! http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3138&Itemid=422#vfx
$F is a variable from HSCRIPT, which is a "legacy" language that can be used in simple input boxes. In a wrangle node you write VEX.
TL;DR you are looking for `@Frame` attribute:
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/vex/snippets.html#accessing-globals
PS: you can also use VEX in simple boxes, you just have to put it in backticks like `@Time` or something.
Hey Jonathan!
The majority of my latest work is modeled & animated in Houdini then rendered in Blender Cycles. Some of my earlier Tumblr posts were exclusively Blender though, usually animating with the Animation Nodes addon.
Also about the compression, if you click on the direct link to this image it should be much better quality. This makes me think the extra compression isn't happening on Tumblr's end. It seems Reddit is hosting a lower quality version. I'll definitely look into hosting elsewhere though! Imgur links look much cleaner here, probably because of GIFV.
Thank you for the info and the awesome compliment!
Feel free to message me if you'd like any more details on my workflow.
Hiya! A lot of people on this subreddit had asked about my process: So here's some Houdini Source files to pick apart and learn from!
You can get the free learning version of houdini here: https://www.sidefx.com/
I'm using the Attribution Creative Commons License: There's a readme in the zip with details
Here's the direct Dropbox Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5lknw7scdw5b0ab/InterfaceHIP.zip?dl=0
I've also got the link in this Twitter Post: https://twitter.com/mjmurdoc/status/814355956943335424
Houdini Engine has been free for nearly a year now, and supports some limited functionality for using Houdini assets within UE and Unity.
https://www.sidefx.com/community/houdini-engine-for-unreal-and-unity/
>Houdini is usually only available to AAA developers so it's lucky that Visionary Realms have access to this!
What? It's only $270 a year. Here's some random indie dev in Mexico using it...
Simulations and particles, for the most part. A more vague/generic definition might be "things that are simulated or procedurally animated rather than hand-animated". Usually the FX artist will be responsible for adding stuff like fire, smoke, water, magic spells, lightning, sparks, and so on. It can be a pretty good gig if you enjoy doing it, as many people don't.
Skils: just practice adding FX to things. You do dedicated stuff, like a GIF of a torch, for example. Or just find excuses to add it to regular projects, for example if you have a fountain, simulate the fountain instead of just sculpting the water.
You might want to download Houdini, it's a pretty standard tool for FX work and it works together with Blender very well. (the two apps nicely cover each other's shortcomings). There's a free learning edition, and a $200/yr "indie" license which should be enough for personal use.
The video says the python component mainly used the Open Dynamics Engine to simulate the physics. The actual rendering was accomplished using a very expensive production-quality software product called Houdini. I second bobdammit's suggestion to look into Blender as a free alternative.
>Hi, I'm pretty new to houdini, and this might be way too much for me.
Give it a month and you will know your way around, people hype the difficulty of Houdini up to much. Sure it CAN get complex but the basic concept´s are not. You are already on a good way because you ask the kind of question not even google can answer. Thats how you know you are a pro !
As for your issue, the quick and dirty solution is to use an Attribute Randomize Pscale and then this VEX code
"v@P = v@P*f@pscale;"
What this does is scale the position Vector by the scale. Which of course means all the small points are near the centre.
You can fine tune this code with something like this:
"v@P = v@P*f@pscale*chf("Fine");"
But in all honesty, you get overlaps and the whole thing does not take into account the bbox.
I also dont really see a fancy way of quickly doing this in Vex. My other approach would be to sim it. There is this example file which shows you how to make attracting / opposing Force Fields. You can apply the same logic to your issue. Create a force field for each piece and sim it for a few frames. If you have collision it will all just settle in place by itself.
According to a post on the Houdini Forums:
"Click d in the viewport (display options) and check “Remove Backfaces” in the Optimization tab."
I haven't tried it myself, but I had a feeling this was possible.
Link to Forum: https://www.sidefx.com/forum/topic/25687/
I only yesterday went through the new nodes in H19 and maybe this one helps:
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/nodes/sop/cacheif.html
"Cache If" is a new node to prevent recooking based on user-defined conditions. The most common seems to be to check for changes in attributes. If it can't find them - it won't recook/recache.
At least that's what it seems to do ( and might be a little gem if it's working).
I haven't tested it yet, but sounds like it might be what you need? Worth giving it a try. (Please report your findings.)
I see your geometry cache is for a fire sim.
For any sim you can only continue from where you left off if you also have the "simulation cache" for the previous frame.
You are only caching the geometry here, just the resulting density voxels. You don't have the simulation data that got you there. So Houdini needs to start again from 0 to get itself back up to frame 79.
You can save the Simulation cache (warning it's large). Check the documentation here...
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/nodes/obj/dopnet.html
Under 'Cache -> Cache Simulation'
You'll also get better answers from /r/Houdini
Yo.
Short answer to your question is yes. Do it in Blender, and make your statics objects as separate actors once you've modelled them.
Long answer:
Unreal was never really meant to model assets for games. Characters, maps, static objects as you call them, are all 100% of the time made in external 3D packages like Blender, Maya, 3DsMax, Cinema4D, Modo etc. While Unreal does have some experimental modeling tools, none of them are particularly good. I'd doubt you'd get very far in them.
World Creator, a software that is designed specifically for making game-ready terrain. As the linked website says, World Creator lets you generate, design, blend, mix, paint & sculpt, erode and simulate terrain in real-time. It's a little pricey though, coming at around $148 for the standard edition.
Personally, for creating terrain, I would recommend a different software, Houdini - which is the software I use. Houdini a super wide array of tools for generating terrain, but goes wayyy beyond terrain generation. Houdini is THE number 1 software for VFX simulation: destruction, smoke, fire, water - you name it, Houdini can do it.
The only downside of Houdini is again it's price tag, coming at around $269 for a 1 year-rental of the Indie version. Houdini is also THE number 1 hardest software to learn - I'm not kidding; the learning curve is crazy. So yeah, maybe not beginners. Lol.
Hopefully this helps answer your questions - let me know if you have any more.
Cheers!
You could try using a random_shash. It's not always a perfect conversion (ie there's a chance that two different strings will return the same value), but i've personally never had to deal with that.
The ParmTemplate will contain that information. You can get an instance of a ParmTemplate from a Parm object via hou.Parm.parmTemplate().
It's not a book, but I always have liked w3 schools website if I needed help a language: https://www.w3schools.com/python/default.asp
Usually I with with Python in Nuke and I always keep the Nuke Python API handy. An API will look something like this: https://learn.foundry.com/nuke/developers/70/pythonreference/
This looks like it might be something similar for houdini: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/hom/hou/index.html
In simple terms: Houdini core is meant for lighting, Houdini FX for actual FX work.
You can still run FX in core (but not change or create it) and of course you can light in FX. But if you only use a Houdini session for lighting, then you can save a lot of money.
All of this only matters if you are a 100k+/year company. For single users - you don't buy any of the two - you buy Houdini Indie, which is like Houdini FX, but much, much cheaper.
please no ironman / dragonball z shot.
usually something with a little story / twist / humor will get more noticed.. maybe check out the houdini challenges for reference how they sometimes think a bit outside the box
Here's what a normal is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_(geometry)
Here's a methods of rotations article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotation_formalisms_in_three_dimensions
Now, answering your question directly, it's like this:
matrix3 m;
rotate(m, radians(30), set(0, 1, 0));
@P *= m;
This will rotate your object 30 degrees around the axis 0, 1, 0. The function is this one https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/vex/functions/rotate.html
There is a comparison chart here:
https://www.sidefx.com/products/compare/
As far as I know, everything should be in there. Depending on what version the tutorial was using, there could be nodes that have been deprecated, renamed, combined etc.
I would recommend searching the documentation and it will tell you if a node has been removed or replaced.
Thats the documentation. https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/
There is a question mark on every node (in the parameter window), where it opens the help for the node.
It's not a pdf, because it changes so often. It would be outdated after a maximum of 6 months.
You should ignore most of the answer in this thread. They are simply wrong.
Houdini has an extensive SDK, known as HDK. Anything in Houdini can be done using the HDK.
That said, you'll be wasting enormous amounts of time to do everything using the HDK. Houdini obviously has tons of functionality already built for you, it makes no sense to not use it.
did you try searching the manual? :) or create a mantra node, hover your mouse above images/output/output checkpoint files, read the desc or press F1
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/props/mantra.html#output
- Output Checkpoint Files
When enabled, image tile data will be frequently written out to a checkpoint file in the same directory as the output file. If the process is terminated before completing the render, it can then be resumed by turning on Resume from Checkpoint Files and restarting. To specify an alternative checkpoint file name, enable __Checkpoint File Name___.
- Resume from Checkpoint Files
When enabled, before rendering, Mantra will look for a checkpoint file corresponding with the current output file, generated by a previous partial render that had Output Checkpoint Files enabled. If possible, Mantra will only render areas that are needed for remaining regions of the output image. To specify an alternative checkpoint file name, enable __Checkpoint File Name___.
If both Output Checkpoint Files and Resume from Checkpoint Files are enabled and a valid checkpoint file is loaded, any additional image tile data rendered will be appended to the checkpoint file.
No requirements. Download the apprentice version, find a tutorial about literally anything, follow along
If you're a reading person, SideFX provides some PDFs like "starting with Houdini"
Not really https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/vex/functions/radians.html
Despite what the doc says, I feel people doing VEX are more keen to work in multiples of PI (using radians) than degrees.
nothing insane actually.you can built this in Houdini out of the box.
For OP
-dense particles sim and calculate a density/proximity attribute which give you a hot core and fathering(look up how to use pcopen)
here is a quick search i did https://www.sidefx.com/forum/topic/26762/?page=1#post-269758
int pc = pcfind(0,'P',@P,ch('maxdist'),ch('maxpt'));
@Cd = float(len(pc))/ch('maxpt');
-turn the dense particle sim to volume and now you get density similar fashion to particle method but now use volume shader or pyro shader to get a nice range of fading and fathering
If I have to setup that shot
1.I will run a simple particle sim that doing a general flowing motion for timing first.
2.I will do a low res-ish volume sim from my first particle source for some organic fluid flow for later particle advection.
3.now mix step 1 sim with step 2 volume velocity advection for leading particles sim .This particles will get replicate and trailing behind again to achieve a skinny trail-ish looking energy flowing dense cloud.
4.now output point density pass and volume pass you get from converting point to volume.
5.to make comper happy but might not need it.you can also try rendering curves generated from a few center point in the sim by selecting @density is greater than .9 or something.same approach generating velocity curves for sparks render pass instead of trying to crank motion blur in render setting.blur it in comp and add some glow.
6.also render the step 2 volume sim with super low density to just make comper super happy and a hint of fluid flow.
> how i might 'rig' stuff
It's a fundamental look at creating a custom rig; beginner to intermediate-ish. I didn't want to go too far down the rabbit hole, but in Houdini you could go crazy adding all manner of procedural generated motion - using CHOP networks, or even simple channel expressions. For things like bags, backpacks, and lo-poly game hair the core principles taught should remain. If you have a grasp of the core concepts, adding supplementary bones for props should be a breeze.
​
If you wanted to procedurally automate the process of secondary motion, that is what CHOPs do best!
​
Channel Operators (CHOPs) are scary powerful in a rigging context - but are very much an intermediate / advance-ish topic. But well worth researching for someone interested in rigging.
​
Using a similar technique you could link up bag/hair bones to other parameters (a position in space) - or even add pre-defined CHOP nodes like lag.
SideFX has an Apprentice version of Houdini 17. It has most of the features of the full version... Big drawback is that you can't render past 1280x720. BUT, it has all of the features that you requested above. So, for free you could see how well it works for you and then upgrade to the full or Indie version. Lots of tutorials out there as well...
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Game companies are using Houdini for Modeling as well as what Allegro said. You can look at https://www.sidefx.com/community/section/stories/ to get a good idea of real world uses Houdini is in. The articles also tend to have the artist's title within the first few paragraphs.
This is the tutorial I watched to help build the particle system: https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/applied-houdini-particles-i-introduction-to-particles/
Bake: 2-3 Minutes
Render: ~30 minutes
Mantra is surprisingly fast when rending particles but seems to be kinda slow with most other things. Am I doing something wrong or should I be looking at a 3rd party renderer to help speed things up?
It's part of the Game Development Toolset, which you can enable when you switch to the "Game" Desktop and then there is a "Game Development Toolset" tab in the left shelf
https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/game-tools-physics-painter/
I recommend Houdini Apprentice, it's free and very powerful. Blender is a great program, especially for being completely open source, but it's barely used in actual production. If you want to develop a skill that maybe someone will pay you for one day, Houdini, C4D, or Maya are your best bets. SideFX also has ALOT of online learning resources, as well as odforce and lesterbanks.
Houdini for VFX. It's incredibly powerful and a wonderful software to work in. Everything is structured within a node based system which means almost every aspect of a simulation/model can be tweaked on the fly visually without resorting to writing thousands of lines of code.
When working in Houdini I can quickly prototype new simulations and move onto getting the look right without having to spend hours rigging it properly first in python. And the availability of pretty much every conceivable node allows me go as low level I need to while still staying within a visual node-based system.
For people interested...
Framestore is a well known post production house originally from the UK - https://www.framestore.com/
Houdini is 3D 'content creation' program - you may have heard of 3DS MAX, Maya, Cinema 4D, Blender, etc.
It's comparable to those programs but often takes a more 'procedural angle' and therefore can be incredibly powerful when used by talented artists.
If you want to try it (it's not the sort of thing you learn in an afternoon, but there are many tutorials :)) they have have a free Apprentice mode for non-commercial use. Just check their site - https://www.sidefx.com/
It tends to be a program specialists use for particles, smoke, fire, liquid simulations. It's something the bigger studios use for film and bigger productions. It allows you to tweak and not be locked into baking stuff, or being able to use one thing to drive another much easier. I would check out their site: Houdini
Yes, it's a third-party procedural tool. You can try the free version of Houdini called Houdini Apprentice to try its features. But in this mode you can't export your work to Unreal Engine since it does not support Houdini Engine(which works as the middleware), but it contains all features to try out.
https://www.sidefx.com/products/houdini/
Houdini Indie is 269 USD for 1 year and 399 USD for 2 years with Houdini Engine free. You should try the free version even this is expensive!
Yes there is, submit a Request for Enhancement: https://www.sidefx.com/bugs/submit/
I submitted a RFE for horizon lock last year and support logged it as RFE #106266, if you would like to reference it. The more people request the feature the more likely it will get some attention.
It's not impossible to use the spacemouse without axis lock, but it sure is a lot more... loosy goosy and challenging. The Unreal implementation feels so much more natural.
​
The other RFE I submitted is for a proper flythrough mode where you don't have to contend with the viewport pivot, which essentially stops you in your tracks when you approach the pivot. RFE #106265
houdini 19 is released to the general public. don't make a headache for yourself with steam, go for the proper one.
ahh! you didn't write you mean rendertime subdivision in arnold. i don't know that.(https://docs.arnoldrenderer.com/display/A5AFHUG/Subdivision)
looking at the manual will give the best and fastest answer for simple questions :)
my answer was about the general case, not rendertime, but classic subdivision with the subdivide (and the group) node:
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/nodes/sop/subdivide.html
I love this shot and the more interesting VFX done in this season of Twin Peaks. It was created by a well known VFX shop in france - BUF. https://buf.com/films/twin-peaks/ I haven't seen anything confirming what software they use but I suspect Houdini as it is really good at physics and particle simulations: https://www.sidefx.com/ After that it could be Maya, Autodesk 3DS, or Blender.
Great! Glad to have been of help. You've done a good job the procedural model is nicely done.
No problem, I wouldn't worry too much about what I was saying with regards to normals. Houdini can be a terrifying package to learn but the beauty of it is you can do most things without needing to know the complicated math/jargon under the hood. When you get more comfortable thats when you can pick up all the advanced stuff and go nuts.
Regarding destruction there are a million tutorials you can find on youtube and on professional courses. After a quick search this is a good short beginners tutorial to get one started...
There is a tonne of learning resources on SideFX website too.
I just Googled "Houdini supershape" and saw a few different resources as top links. I'd start there. Look through the forum links and you will probably find a .hip with the source or at least some comparable code from something like Processing.
For example: https://www.sidefx.com/forum/topic/24542/#post-114121
That post is 9 years old but might still be relevant.
Highly recommend you to watch this playlist from Paul Esteves. the videos are very short and give you an overview of vellum setups .
https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/vellum-nodes/
He actually does a similar effect with the pighead in the "07 Strut Softbody" video
SideFX folks are very easy to get in touch with.
In this case dpernuit mentioned he would get the UE5.0 branch up in a few days.
Since that branch is now up its safe to say its available with UE5.
It will take a while longer yet before the integration is aware of the new features (for things like terrain as opposed to world composition etc..).
Currently one of the big missing features (at least in my eye) is working with the heightfield layer system (from a few engine versions back etc...)
Gotcha, I think the entire licensing component is pretty jank and unreliable, but if it helps at all I had success installing everything including the licensing stuff via the Houdini Launcher.
there is no way to represent hda as code, but you can actually just grab asset definition and save it to another hda file:
from node you get node.type().definition()
and use one of these methods https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/hom/hou/HDADefinition.html#updating-and-saving
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but if you want to convert noncommercial hda to commercial this way - you will not be able to do that this way
Not sure exactly what you mean with "atmospheric pressure". If you mean gravity, you can just turn of gravity or compensate the velocity, it's a simplistic 9.8~ downwards velocity. If you mean actual atmospheric effects, there's nothing of that in Pyro, you need to implement it if you want.
The only actual pressure calculation in pyro is for making the fluid non-divergent. https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/pyro/background.html#projection
i can't solve your network issues without any detail, but if you can't connect directly to sidefx's server to get a free learning license, generate a license on their website: click your user in upper right corner, services, Non-commercial Licenses
https://www.sidefx.com/services/non-commercial-license/
get the server name and code from your license manager, and enter the license data there too.
You just need another static object node merged with the other solvers you have inside your Dopnet and set it up like you want. There are plenty of tutorials about colliders on youtube. https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/nodes/dop/staticobject.html
Note: merge node goes from left to right inputs, either input the static object to the most left or change Affector Relationship to "mutual". Also you don't need to put a static solver anymore, the static object itself is enough.
Edit: for example this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtmwWhnsWA8
Sidefx houdini has an exporter for this with their labs tools. I believe you'd need to pay for an indie license in order to use it though. https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/game-tools-vertex-animation-textures/
http://norman3d.com/TextureMorphTargets/Vertex-count-agnostic_Morph_Targets.pdf is one of the original papers on the subject I believe. I'm not sure if there is a script for this for 3dsmax (and this also shows UE only)... but I'm sure you can find one for any 3d software at this point.
Everything you need for your first attempt can be found in the Side Fx Tutorial page under the crowds category. Further research might be helpful for more complex systems
Yes I have, it renders stereo equirectangulars for top/bottom or side/side format. It works with Karma and lens shaders. I made a post on the sideFX forum with an attached .hipnc file. Mantra works out of the box with the VR camera as I believe you've already discovered.
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https://www.sidefx.com/forum/topic/70929/?page=1#post-325764
No problem, and right on! For stuff like this I recommend checking out the free learning edition of Houdini https://www.sidefx.com/products/houdini-apprentice/ , and tutorials by Entagma and Rohan Dalvi. In general Blender is great for delving into 3D anim at no cost, and Autodesk offers Maya for free to students.
As for books I recommend 'The Animator's Survival Kit', and the 'Five-Cs of Cinematography'.
Best of luck in your journey, and feel free to DM me if you have any questions or trouble finding resources.
Those are some fancy particles! I like the glass orb a lot.
Checkout this video: https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/game-tools-pivot-painter/
In the middle he will explain what the addon in Houdini is doing: for example given a Pivot position P: P.x is put in uv2.x, P.y to uv2.y, and P.z to uv3.x, and so on.
In material the pivot painter decoder node (double click on it to see its sub graph) is essentially extracting data from those uv channels for rotation and scale etc. Therefore you can also put your data in arbitrary channel, as long as you update the decoding.
As for Procedural mesh it's just my hacky ways of generating stuff on the fly, instead of making a mesh and pivot paint it using a script. This will be the method for generating mesh: Link
Hope this helps!
www.sidefx.com (the makers of Houdini) has free tutorials and a free educational license for Houdini for her to try and see if she likes it before committing $$$
r/Houdini posts lots of tutorials or to ask questions when you get stuck.
I used Plural Sight when I was a student, it's subscription based but there was lots of good quality tuts. And youtube, just search your specific effect you're trying to do (eg. Houdini pyro tut, Houdini flip sim).
These are all free or cheap, but there's also a bunch of good paid tutorials from CG Workshop & Gnomon. You can learn a lot for free before needing to spend on more specific tutorials.
Of course if she's more into digital painting then she might enjoy compositing more than Houdini (which admittedly has a steep learning curve).
If it's a simple plugin it's fairly easy.
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/hdk/_h_d_k__intro__compiling.html
Check the compiling with hcustom section.
Actually, there's a Makefile already, you probably can just use that and follow the "Compiling with Makefiles" section.
in this example i've used a manual selection (in the viewport) to create groups, but you could also create groups procedurally. here's the docs on grouping: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/model/groups.html
What about the help?
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/character/muscles.html
Haven't read it, let alone use it. But seems long and detailed.
I was really curious about this question, so i did come googling and this thread has just about everything you would want to know...
Happened to me the other day! If you want to reset your layout to default use Reload Current Desktop (either under Layout menu ("Build" by default) or in Window. https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/basics/panes.html
Look into the Houdini Take system That would be like the overall layering system
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I also forgot to say that you don't need to purchase Houdini to learn and make an awesome demo reel. https://www.sidefx.com/products/houdini-apprentice/
If you have money , may I also suggest this amazing series?I used to work with the instructor and he knows his stuffs. http://www.appliedhoudini.com/blog/2018/2/16/volumes-complete-package
Also keep in mind that his first lesson are free. https://vimeo.com/326125377
Python is a very useful tool, and usually a desired skill in Houdini artists. I personally work within Maya, but I have countless stories of python saving the day. It's incredibly powerful at automating predictable, repeatable actions.
I use it in my professional environment far more often than my personal projects at home, but I have still coded myself a few small tools.
I believe the below link will show you a bunch of python commands you can use in Houdini, along with an explanation of the command and their corresponding flags.
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/hom/hou/index.html
I'm unsure about Houdini, but in Maya, you can tell the script editor to echo any commands when you perform an action. So if you're wondering how to create a locator for example, you can manually create the locator, then see the script editor echoes a command called 'spaceLocator' - which I find helpful if I don't know what the command I want to automate is called.
I hope this helps, good luck!
I don't have Houdini open in front of me right now, but I think there's a flipbook session label you can use. Right click the flip book icon for the settings and type in a unique string for a new session.
You create an asset and embed it into your scene (just define the folder as "Embedded"). Then you use the same asset for all your clones.
And everything you change in one version of the asset will happen to the rest... but the asset lives inside your scene.
Also it has the advantage that you can even build in slight adjustments to every variation.
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/assets/create.html#embed
Don't get me wrong - a year ago I was looking for exactly what you build,... it's a neat idea!
Alembic is loaded as packed geo by default, obj isn't. So they are not the same if you just import.
You can read more about it here: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/model/packed.html
But the main thing is that for your shader to work your need to target the correct primitive and if it's packed that path isn't very obvious.
This series by entagma is good for getting your feet under you once you know your way around in 3d.
https://www.sidefx.com/learn/collections/houdini-in-5-minutes/
I would not start with Houdini. It's complicated and a lot of tutorials are predicated on a knowledge of working within other 3D DCCs and how the way Houdini does things is different, rather than 'here is a basic concept'
I just created a vicious fluid sim , the colour of the particles is based of grabbing the Cd attribute from the particle sim. I based it from this class by u/MAXDEPTH_TV
I use Houdini. https://www.sidefx.com/ They have a free learning edition, and I would suggest doing lots of tutorials to get started. The learning section has many good ones. This was done almost entirely with math to draw in all of the base lines, then a noise function repeated hundreds of times to wiggle them.
In Houdini, C++ is for plugins/extensions, not for controlling the workflow or automating tasks. As you mention, it's extremely procedural, so you can do most things without any code whatsoever. But, if you really need to automate something, it uses Python as a scripting language.
If you're talking about integrating Houdini into another system, you can try the Houdini Engine. https://www.sidefx.com/docs/hengine/index.html But that's a limited sub-set of its functionality.
For generating levels, the workflow is mostly in Houdini itself. You export a parameterized asset -- an "HDA" -- and import it into your game engine editor using the Houdini Engine.
Edit: Ooops, I was wrong. You actually can do automation with C++: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/hdk/_h_d_k__intro.html
I must tell you that what you mentioned are all different parts of Houdini, and that each individual segment (fluids, pyro, particles, vellum) are going to take some time to master and bring to production value. Again, go slow and cover the fundamentals first with resources mentioned in the thread, and if you feel positive this is what you want, enroll in a full-fledged course such as this one:
https://www.cgspectrum.com/courses/houdini-fx-diploma
Otherwise, individual premium & free courses and tutorials are available here on SideFX's Tutorial page: https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/ where you can filter them by various parameters (price, field of study, level and author). This is basically the resource if you just want to kill some time and explore Houdini, but there's also a LOT of similar courses in there and some of them are just not good (in pedagogical terms)
Kind of technical, but seems like a group of geometrical equations used for animation of cloth, hair, or whatnot. Perhaps Vellum Solver gives more information, but this stuff is not my forte. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is the first link you should know : https://www.sidefx.com/learn/getting_started
There are a section Start here and a section Basics. Seems evident, isn't it ?
The second link you should know : https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials
Search for free tutorials, choose the right category. Watch what you would like to learn.
How to learn Houdini for VFX stuff (my way) :
- Keep checking the Houdini docs.
Learn the Houdini vocabulary (SOPs, DOPs, ROPs, VOPs, etc)
Understand the procedural workflow (as opposed to "direct" workflow like for most parts in Blender).
Start with procedural modeling tutorial (to get used to parameters, channels, procedural mindset, etc)
Try to output basic renderings.
Watch Applied Houdini series (VFX courses), by Steve Knipping. First, free fundamentals videos (on his YouTube channel), then his paid courses (if you can afford them).
Watch Entagma tutorials, and learn as much as you want about VOPs and VEX.
Apply for VFX jobs as a junior artist, and keep learning as VFX artist in a studio pipeline.
- Is it possible to learn only with free tutorials ? Maybe.
- Is it possible to be better at simulations in Houdini than in Blender, even though you watch free tutorials ? Of course.
- How long would it take ? As much as you need to understand the procedural workflow and features of the simulation solvers, as well as tips and tricks.
The base of it is a signed distance field generated in Houdini of this, then mixed with some vector fields and deformed.
I think generating the SDF from code is the next step. I am not much of a coder but should theoretically be able to generate some really cool complex shapes.
ragdoll is a physics collision tool used for characters, it isn't a physical material property: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/crowds/ragdoll.html#ragdolls-in-dops
you're looking at either vellum, grains, FEM or custom solvers: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/shelf/vellumsoftbody.html
Be aware that "rubbery, viscuousy, watery" and "without having to do too much" are pretty opposite terms. It's a little complicated to achieve these effects.
Some good discussions here https://www.sidefx.com/forum/topic/57264/
Accelerometer API here https://whatwebcando.today/device-motion.html ... but I think it’s opt-in under Safari advanced settings on iOS 12.
Side effects documentation is great If you open your Houdini In the top left there should be Help and in the drop-down Contents. Click on that and there you have all the documentation on everything in Houdini. scroll to the bottom and click pyro and get learning. (you can also open it in your web browser with the same link)
Also for videos
https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/ Search pyro and you'll find some good tutorials
Are you familiar with a PBR workflow? If not, you might want to read about it. It's pretty ubiquitous in CG by now
Anyway, you can limit the specular by plugging a map in the roughness and or specular inputs of the shader. It's a simple greyscale map
I don't understand your second question. But yes, you can mix things. There's a mix node
The masterclass is fine. There's also the docs https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/shade/build.html#overview
Yep, I’ve had this happen a lot. It can usually be fixed by deleting your license files. See this link to find where the license files are stored on your platform:
https://www.sidefx.com/faq/license-management/#faq10
Once you’ve done that, run Houdini again and reinstall the Apprentice license. Click “View Licenses” instead of “Run” and check it all seems okay. Then relaunch Houdini, and it should work.
there might be a way to make it procedural, but i think it would look very uniform until you introduce variations/creases with textures that you would have to bake from a sculpted or simulated mesh anyways. so maybe you want to split the problem with creating your blanket in two. one is creating a blanket that looks awesome and realistic on its own and problem no 2 is to lay it down on something - i believe a procedural method would only help you with problem no 2 and get in your way with problem no 1. no matter what, this blanket is an ambitious goal that involves a lot of tedious work if you want it to be photo realistic. for maximum quality stitch together the whole thing in marvelous designer and hope your PC doesn't melt simulating it. for quicker results sculpt a small area and tile it with nano mesh. for the fastest results model a small area of the pattern out of a 2d plane, make it 3d with the shell modifier (make sure to tick the "select mid part"), apply turbo smooth and then add some wave/noise modifier to the selected mid part - then clone it along some spline/surface.
i know this video is about houdini, but maybe it is interesting to you nonetheless: https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/knitting-in-3d-building-a-uv-deformer/?collection=40
Oh, no, this module is just to let you snap your mesh one another, when I mean procedural, I mean true procedural creation and placement such as with Houdini.
Have a look at the Houdini Engine video, it's pretty straight forward and self explanatory:
https://www.sidefx.com/products/houdini-engine/plug-ins/unreal-plug-in/
We're using it at work, and it's wonderful, but I would have been thrilled to get the same solution integrated straight within the engine with some sort of "Open/Standard" way to embed such properties within a Blender model directly for exemple.
Hah, I was literally looking for this same thing today... I don't believe you can do this in Houdini. I ended up downloading Magnifixer to hack my way around it, which was good enough for my purposes. You should definitely submit a RFE though https://www.sidefx.com/bugs/submit/
I'm still learning myself, but I made the same mistake you did. The noise field is supposed to be plugged into a another node like vortex or force field to provide noise for those. It doesn't work by itself like you have it wired up. It's essentially a modifier for other force nodes.
This post goes into a bit of detail about it.
Houdini all the way.
Just keep at it and you will learn it, they have a free version with watermarks when you render.
After you get familiar with the UI and basics I highly recommend going though the Joy Of Vex(the whole site is a gold mine of examples and cool gifs)
Don't be afraid, as it takes some time getting used to Houdini's way of doing things. Patience is key, as you will get frustrated at times.
I have not found any other program that has brought me more Joy than Houdini. Its great through and through. With a great sense of mastery when you accomplish new things.
Are you exporting alembic? If so look into alembic path attributes. Basically you can create a hierarchy which corresponds to object level hierarchies in other software.
https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/luiz-big-list-of-games-tutorials/
This is something that I put together in hopes to organize things a little for new users. It's mainly games focused and there are some paid stuff there, but the majority is free.