hopbin9

Thanks for the reply, and thanks for stepping forward to offer your thoughts. To download xTools visit the website, and click the "Register" button in the upper right hand. Which will take you here http://xtools.ws/register-signup/ Click on the "Sign up" button for the first subscription option. This option is completely free. Fill out the form and click "Register My Account" to sign in. Once you have sign in you will be able to download the files.

xTools 2.0 release is most popular release so far. With over 120+ members using the library, and 500 people visiting the website in just 3 days. It raises some important questions. What to do for release 3.0? How can xTools become better? For me, this project has been a purely voluntary investment of my time, and now that it's become a more stable release it's time to think about it's future. The project began as an experiment with using subscription as a support method for an open source project, but after doing this for a few months it's become clear that the Houdini community is simply to small. So I will not continue subscriptions anymore. xTools will continue to be free, but I don't know what to do with this project over the next year. So I'm looking for feedback, ideas and a general discussion about the state of open source in the Houdini community. With the launch of the orbolt store, and a move to selling assets. Does the community even have room for an open source project? While sharing xTools on the orbolt store would increase exposure, it also means a large amount of my time to change them, recompile and re-arrange them to meet orbolt's strict guidelines for assets (and no, I'm not talking about policy guidelines, I'm talking about name spaces and dependencies). As an open source project it's just not worth my time to get them into the store. So moving forward. What should the future of xTools be?

xTools 2.0 has been release for download! This release includes several new assets, bug fixes and improved built-in help for most assets. I am pleased and excited about the future of the xTools library, and look forward to building a community of users who will support this project. If you would like to get involved please use the forum on the website to offer support, recommendations and ideas. Get your free copy now at http://xtools.ws

I'm not sure what you are trying to do, but here is how to create a Ramp parameter in VOP and then make it usable at the assets UI. Start Houdini, and drop a Geometry object, then go inside delete the File SOP Drop a VOP SOP node and go inside. Drop a Ramp Paramater VOP node. Go up one level and see the Ramp parameter for the VOP network. Go up one level to the Geometry node. Select "Edit Parameter Interface" to edit the parameters for the Geoemetry object. Click "From Nodes" tab Expand "geo1" and "vopsop1". You should see the "Paramater (ramp)" as a folder, this is the Ramp Parameter from VOP. Drag that to your parameter list. Click accept. Remember for the an asset you should do this using the Type Properties and not the Edit Parameter tool menu, but the approach is the same.

Not silly at all. Good idea.

Maybe if you used a Group SOP inside the asset and made it the active message node for the asset, then used an expression to have the Group SOP group what you want highlighted. The Group SOP doesn't have to be part of the output for the asset.

Compiling VEX to asset types greatly reduces cooking times for your HIP scene. This can improve both the load times of a HIP file and render times. If you'd like to see the difference. Create a subnet, put inside it a sphere and a material network. In the material network create a basic Material Shader Builder material, and assign it to the sphere. Turn the subnet into an asset, and then create 10 copies of that asset. Reload the scene and render a few frames. Next, unlock that asset and go to the material. Right click, and Compile VEX code to Shop Type. Drop the new material asset and tell the sphere to use that. Lock the asset and update. It'll load 10 times faster and renders will start up faster.

This is so sad. Let's hope that they can recover from this. Not all business that file for protection actually go out of business. I feel for all the employees who have to work under those conditions.

Don't exactly know, but you can put a VOP SOP inside an asset. You can also compile a VOP SOP to a SOP asset. So that it no longer has to be compiled, and when you do that only the VOP parameters appear in the parameter rollout. I think the thread option is no longer shown. Of course, I could be wrong. I'm to lazy to try it right now.

Isn't that parameter only valid when the VEX SOP isn't compiled. When you compile it to a SOP type the parameter no longer can be changed.

Seriously, you didn't find that funny? You know Autodesk added the big animate button to the 3ds Max interface, because most users couldn't figure out how to set keys. For years it was the single largest button in the user interface. You guys have no sense of humor.

Can 3ds Max users handle all the power of Houdini? SESI should release a children's version of Houdini. With extra large icons and a big red animate button.

You can use the OpenGL Rop driver. It does the same thing as the IPR but can be used in a ROP network.

Hi all, From the makers of xTools comes a new web service for Houdini artists that allows them to monitor their render jobs while on the go! Receive status updates via email or web monitor with your smart phone (iPhone and Android). Our Facebook pages need 25 likes to be registered as an active page. This gives us additional features to better customize the page. So please head over and click the like button and help us out. https://www.facebook.com/pages/myrenderinfo/452025851508209 Thank you!

Now that sounds cool. Sidefx should hire you to write a new system for Houdini, because their L-System is kind of difficult to use. I've tried it, but honestly it would be easier to learn an ancient aztec dialect.