Is It Possible To Lock A Texture?

[markerline]

Dear users:

I posted a file to this forum and realized I hadn't also posted the texture TIFF file along with the HIP file. I was wondering if there was a way that I could lock the texture information so that I wouldn't need to include the texture TIFF file.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

-penciline

[chrsmith]

The only thing I can think of is to make a digital asset that includes everything you need to share, embed the texture map in the .otl file, and post that instead of a hip file.

To embed the texture map, in your Operator Type Manager, right click on the digital asset and choose "Edit Contents". Browse for the texture map file using the "+" and click Add file. Your shader can refer to this embedded texture map instead of a file, by typing "opdef:/" and browsing to find the otl's contents.

Christine

Dear users:

I posted a file to this forum and realized I hadn't also posted the texture TIFF file along with the HIP file.  I was wondering if there was a way that I could lock the texture information so that I wouldn't need to include the texture TIFF file.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

-penciline

19275[/snapback]

[markerline]

The only thing I can think of is to make a digital asset that includes everything you need to share, embed the texture map in the .otl file, and post that instead of a hip file.

To embed the texture map, in your Operator Type Manager, right click on the digital asset and choose "Edit Contents".  Browse for the texture map file using the "+" and click Add file. Your shader can refer to this embedded texture map instead of a file, by typing "opdef:/" and browsing to find the otl's contents.

Christine

19360[/snapback]

Can you point me to a more in-depth tutorial on how a digital asset is created and where I am supposed to find the Operator Type Manager (I assume it's when I right-click on an OP and select Operator Type Manager) ?

I'm not sure I understand the part about adding the file. If the file is already there in the SHOP why should I reference it again somewhere else--won't that confuse the software?

I'm somewhat at a loss on this right now (the Houdini Help cards aren't very forthcoming with information on this subject).

Thanks in advance for your help.

-penciline

[stevenong]

Hi penciline,

Have you gone through all of the online Tutorials? Click on the "?" in the top right corner of Houdini to open the Help Browser then click on Tutorials & check out the Houdini Digital Assets (HDA) tutorial. Please also go through the tutorials here.

I'm not sure I understand the part about adding the file. If the file is already there in the SHOP why should I reference it again somewhere else--won't that confuse the software?

You're only referencing a texture map from disk in a SHOP and you can't "lock" a SHOP. Christine is suggesting to use a HDA as a "container" to store your texture map.

After you have added your texture map to the HDA, you will want to reference the texture map embedded in the HDA instead of from disk. Hence, by including & embedding the HDA in the hip file, you can send the hip file & not worry about forgetting to send the texture map.

I hope the above helps!

Cheers!

steven

[markerline]

Hi penciline,

After you have added your texture map to the HDA, you will want to reference the texture map embedded in the HDA instead of from disk. Hence, by including & embedding the HDA in the hip file, you can send the hip file & not worry about forgetting to send the texture map.

I hope the above helps!

Cheers!

steven

19374[/snapback]

Thank you Steven and Christine. I downloaded the tutorials and have watched and worked on them up to a point. I got as far as the Candle tutorial part 4 where I had to create a SHOP network inside of my SOP network. When I tried to create the required VEX_Super_Material my houdini session quit without a temp file being saved. It simply crashed. I tried it again and again it crashed, several times. So, now I'm not sure that my machine is capable of embedding a SHOP into s SOP network in order for the OTL to truly "lock" a texture the way that I had intended.

How can I fix this problem of Houdini crashing when I try to create a material within the SHOP Network within the SOP network?

Any help is appreciated.

Sincerely,

-penciline

[sibarrick]

It's a bug with creating shaders inside a subnet with a long name.

Two things to try

1. Make a shorter name.

2. Make the shader at /shop level first then copy and paste it into your subnet.

hope that helps

[markerline]

It's a bug with creating shaders inside a subnet with a long name.

Two things to try

1. Make a shorter name.

2. Make the shader at /shop level first then copy and paste it into your subnet.

hope that helps

19390[/snapback]

Yes, that did help. Thank you.

-penciline