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Vex Nodes To Obj Nodes (maya-houdini)


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Hi everybody,

I'm new in houdini. I have been working as character TD/FX for +5 years, and now I want to learn some houdini to see what is possible to do, cause everybody's saying that the node stuff is amazing. I come from maya, and I'm really glad with it, and all its node stuff, but I think that houdini could be also cool.

So, I have some maya-houdini questions that i didn't find in the forum. For instance:

-Can I connect the output of a VEX node, for instance "distance", to a channel of a OBJ node? (that would be something like this in maya "distanceBetween.output")

-Can I connect one channel (null.tx) to another through a interface, like the maya's "Connector Editor"?

-Is there any "Expression Editor"?

Thanks for the help!

pd: I love the Houdini Hacker Contest!!!, I hope to do something like that soon!

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-Can I connect the output of a VEX node, for instance "distance", to a channel of a OBJ node? (that would be something like this in maya "distanceBetween.output")

-Can I connect one channel (null.tx) to another through a interface, like the maya's "Connector Editor"?

-Is there any "Expression Editor"?

- VEX only deals with manipulation of points' attributes (or pixels, or samples). So when you connect some geometry to a VEX SOP for example, it spits out the modified geometry. You can connect OBJ channels to geometry attributes with expressions ("point" expression for example). Also, if you design your VEX operator as a CHOP (channel operator), then it works on channels which are easier to connect to other parts of Houdini (either by exporting or with expressions).

- There's no dedicated interface for that, but you can do it simpler, by drag n drop. Open the parameter box of the source operator in a floating window (right click on the operator > Parameters...) and drag the desired channel on the targeted one.

- Alt-E while typing an expression in a parameter field.

Dragos

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- VEX only deals with manipulation of points' attributes (or pixels, or samples). So when you connect some geometry to a VEX SOP for example, it spits out the modified geometry. You can connect OBJ channels to geometry attributes with expressions ("point" expression for example). Also, if you design your VEX operator as a CHOP (channel operator), then it works on channels which are easier to connect to other parts of Houdini (either by exporting or with expressions).

- There's no dedicated interface for that, but you can do it simpler, by drag n drop. Open the parameter box of the source operator in a floating window (right click on the operator > Parameters...) and drag the desired channel on the targeted one.

- Alt-E while typing an expression in a parameter field.

Thanks!

I guess that I have to change my mind about expressions. In maya are powerfull, but are slow and there aren't too much functions, so you have to use mel commands instead functions, and that is even slower.

I guess in Houdini the expressions works like nodes, so you can use a distance function/expression as a connection without lost speed, right?

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I guess in Houdini the expressions works like nodes, so you can use a distance function/expression as a connection without lost speed, right?

Expressions are pretty fast in Houdini. Also if you have something more complicated you can develop it in CHOPs (that includes making your own VEX CHOP for really special cases).

Dragos

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what can't you do with CHOPs! :)

on the first page of the Help go to Operator Examples and then CHOPs....

CHOPs is for procedural channel manipulation. Much like you use SOPs to modify geometry via discrete operations, you use CHOPs to modify channels. I use the term "channel" a bit loosely, because really, CHOPs can operate on any waveform - whether it is audio, an animation curve, or curves generated from an external device. You do lose the ability to keyframe the output of a CHOP net, though you can use the Spline CHOP, or manually edit the data via "Edit Channels" or by moving the individual sample points (though it won't be procedural anymore).

CHOPs has lots of practical effects, like Lag, Spring, Limit and Trigger, lots of math oriented OPs, and many more dedicated operations (like Band EQ, Gesture, MIDI). I find that almost any channel problem be solved or effect created with CHOPs, though sometimes it takes a while to figure it out :)

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I downloaded some videos from 3dbuzz, and I started to do some things just with the SOP, and man, I'm really shocked about what is possible to do!

The custom operators are sooo cool, u can forget to script anything!

I can't wait to learn more and more things about what is possible to do!

wow!

:)

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