Jump to content

How to control objects with particles?


Demin

Recommended Posts

hi, i'd like to know if there is any way to take various objects and apply particles to them, convert them to particles, like the chunks of a cracked ground. In other softwares you can do it using a script or comercial plugins. I want to put particles in the center or pivot of every object to control the pieces with a particle system. Maybe this is an easy task but I'm relatively new in houdini and i'm not into scripting so i want to know how i can do it in houdini only through nodes, if it is possible.

i've done a simple scene, a bunch of boxes from a grid, all the objects are grouped individually.

Many thanks for any help.

ground.hipnc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi, i'd like to know if there is any way to take various objects and apply particles to them, convert them to particles, like the chunks of a cracked ground. In other softwares you can do it using a script or comercial plugins. I want to put particles in the center or pivot of every object to control the pieces with a particle system. Maybe this is an easy task but I'm relatively new in houdini and i'm not into scripting so i want to know how i can do it in houdini only through nodes, if it is possible.

Hm - sounds like Point Instancing to me. If so, Houdini docs covers it well.

If not, perhaps 'Points From Volume' node will get you part of the way (?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hm - sounds like Point Instancing to me. If so, Houdini docs covers it well.

If not, perhaps 'Points From Volume' node will get you part of the way (?)

What do you mean by Point Instancing?. I've tried to use the copy sop but it works with only one object. The idea is to use something like the voronoi fracture and assign one particle per object, at the center, and then control the pieces with a particle system, maybe with a wind force, for example.

How can I do this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What do you mean by Point Instancing?. I've tried to use the copy sop but it works with only one object. The idea is to use something like the voronoi fracture and assign one particle per object, at the center, and then control the pieces with a particle system, maybe with a wind force, for example.

How can I do this?

Look at 'Instance Particle Node' in Houdini docs. This is the way, if I understand what you want, to place an object (random group of objects also) onto particles. You are thinking in reverse perhaps (put a particle in the middle of an object -> put an object onto a particle).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Look at 'Instance Particle Node' in Houdini docs. This is the way, if I understand what you want, to place an object (random group of objects also) onto particles. You are thinking in reverse perhaps (put a particle in the middle of an object -> put an object onto a particle).

The instance pop doesn't brings all the different groups into pops, because i want to put particles on different objects grouped individually. I want to convert objects to particles. In max you can do it using a script or plugins like box 2 or thinking particles, so i want to know if it's possible to achieve in houdini.

and sorry if it's difficult to understand what i'm saying, i'm not fluent in english.

Edited by Demin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a section in this tutorial on using particles to drive debris instead of using dops (it covers both) which might be useful to you.

http://www.3dbuzz.com/xcart/product.php?productid=58&cat=0&page=1&featured

This shows some of the fx covered:

http://www.peterclaes.be/tutorials/pct_0005.avi

This takes a grid, fractures it (that's from before the voronoi was in houdini), puts a particle at the centre of each piece, applies some forces to the particles and copies each unique piece onto the corresponding particle.

If you have a lot of pieces then you may want to consider setting it up with delayed loads rather than copy sop:

http://www.peterclaes.be/blog/?p=34 (files are at the bottom of that post).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...