Houdini 13 Wishlist

[magneto]

SOP Cookie node is very buggy for complicated geos. And nobody it doesnt fix from H9, I guess

Using boolean operations in procedural modeling is VERY useful, but It doesnt work for complex geometries!

For the Cookie SOP, SESI could take a look at PowerBooleans:

http://www.npowersoftware.com/booleans/pboverview.htm

The best booleans I know of.

[rdg]

2) What happened to Python GUI Builder Nodes? I loved that early prototype! It made me cry. Can we have it in 13.5, please?

What's a 'Python GUI Builder Node'?

[MADjestic]

What's a 'Python GUI Builder Node'?

At some point there was a beta-tool that allowed node-based PyQt-like GUI builder with a set of SOP nodes. That is - one could build a Qt-like interface, using a set of SOP nodes (I think it was linked to SOPs, but could be OBJ).

[graham]

I believe you are referring to the ui nodes example Luke Moore created. It allowed you to use a series of simple SOP HDAs to create a .ui script that could be used to generate an actual Houdini dialog. There weren't a huge amount of supported widgets but basically it showed you how you could create something like the Render > Cloud Properties dialog. I can't recall where the example is online anymore, but I do know he emailed it to me long ago.

[jacob clark]

http://odforce.net/vhug/index.php?dir=may2012%2F

Check the Files from Kuba. He did a cool presentation at VHUG not too long ago that demonstrated some dynamic UI building with python.

-j

[rdg]

http://odforce.net/vhug/index.php?dir=may2012%2F

Check the Files from Kuba. He did a cool presentation at VHUG not too long ago that demonstrated some dynamic UI building with python.

-j

Thanks for sharing.

Now I remember. It's pretty cool.

The examples Graham's talking about are int he python master class package on sidefx.

[LaidlawFX]

This may be a houdini 14 wish, but to be able to navigate my node graphs by hand in 3-D.

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/428350/the-most-important-new-technology-since-the-smart/#.T_3hzTkLoFN.facebook

It would be sick.

[digitallysane]

This may be a houdini 14 wish, but to be able to navigate my node graphs by hand in 3-D.

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/428350/the-most-important-new-technology-since-the-smart/#.T_3hzTkLoFN.facebook

It would be sick.

I would just prefer for now to have some better node network UIs and manipulation tools. Like properly working notes, better connections, groups etc. Nuke is a good example here.

[magneto]

It seems like more 3d apps are upgrading their viewport, the latest one being Maya:

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/marcel/maya-directx-11-technology-preview

I hope SESI will bring Houdini's viewport to the same level in H13. Either way don't neg me though

[theflu]

somehow some faster/better poly modelling tools/workflow would be nice too.

[zarti]

might look funny but here it is a small one ;

> to have the possibility of resuming installation of houdini if that fails because there is no more disk space .

'retry / resume' option wd be useful and make sense also since there are a lot of files already copied and .. on windows this takes a lot more time . so once we'd free some space resuming wd be good .

( never experienced this before till today while installing 12.1.33 )

edit : or another simple suggestion ; pre-calculate the needed space and warn before starting the installation .

Edited August 10, 2012 by zarti

[loudsubs]

An option in the pyro and smoke solver to turn on an accurate age field of smoke would be really nice.

[Macha]

Give us a kickass caching node! Every place I worked for so far has their own version of a diskcache node. Usually they are the most useful of nodes and each shop has their own great features (writing to network, automatic versioning, file optimizations, loading clusters, selective loading, etc). Some of these features are pipeline specific but I am sure that we could do much better than the file and cache sops!

[pclaes]

Give us a kickass caching node! Every place I worked for so far has their own version of a diskcache node. Usually they are the most useful of nodes and each shop has their own great features (writing to network, automatic versioning, file optimizations, loading clusters, selective loading, etc). Some of these features are pipeline specific but I am sure that we could do much better than the file and cache sops!

Totally Agree!

- And build in wedging in the file sop, so you can use a $COPY variable anywhere in your chain and modify parameters along the way with it (very similar to copy stamping, only each copy goes to disk rather than in memory). Make it read and write a single copy, or all copies. Many effects now are clustered/partitioned.

- and build it so that this diskcaching node can be triggered from rops and dependencies are respected when the copies are still running.

- make it so that you can choose to use this node and run it - locally as well as on hqueue:

***) as a single sequential process in the background (all copies are running back to back in the foreground - this would be for heavy stuff where you are limited on memory on your local machine),

***) as a single sequential process in the background ( all copies are running back to back in the background - still for fairly heavy stuff, but you can continue working)

***) as a parallel process in the background ( a specified amount of copies are running as different processes or on different threads in the background - this is for light stuff or intermediate. As most workstations have quite a bit of ram and multiple cores. )

*)Make it so users can put in their own output path or switch to an automatic path that has a few names defined by default based on $SHOW, $SHOT, $SEQUENCE, $JOB,... + a version number like v001 or f01_v01.

[zarti]

> wd be nice in future to be able to call hip files or other asset types within a RealManager context ..

{ MOP maybe =) }

similar to Orbolt , but local .

having quick access to channels , expressions , network branches , .. ( add whatever your hearts beats more for ) ..

, wd transform the workflow in something considerably more Fluent .

video after the break ..

--

--

.cheers

[LaidlawFX]

A laundry list of little things:

The detail view needs to have an extreme makeover, like the performance monitor. Navigating it, and saving it out like a spreadsheet that it is, would be preferable.

Performance monitor ability with shader networks and vex... had a few talks on this and not sure the practicality, but if some how the vex profiling could be manipulated to be viewed in this it would be cool. Reading vex profiling is like reading Sanskrit in many ways.

ICONS!!! on every node. The mostly lowliest of request, but I do love the stupid little icons, they make my day. Sad I know and I have a serious anger issues with seeing the subnet icon, it's usually a sign of things to come, oh the joys.

HELP!!! more important than icons, it needs to be linked on every node. I can list a hundred nodes without it, in dops, vops, etc. I BUG the ones I can. They are the unimportant ones until you need them and there is no help. One day I will list every nodes with out an icon, and a help page.

Vop organization. Keyboard shortcut L is an annoying trick to be played on your new friends in shader land. I got to see a cool demo at the python class, and we need a worth while side alignment option. That I do not have to build. Also maybe toss in three or four other useful alternative context sensitives options. That like the n shortcut, will go through the series of option, or like the s option where you can have different types of wires.

Snap to related tiles, should somehow magically by default be shut off in vops context, and then turned on by the user. Have you ever tried to align a parameter alongside the mantra surface model and see it sky rocket, that's why.

Short cuts for if vops and foreach sops, like a subnet with shift+c I find my work flow is build the components and then wrap them.

Shelf tool names that don't get truncated. I have the light, camera, action shelf as my default and seeing environm... makes me sad. Such as useful tool and it does not get the respect of a full name. And if I do make a shelf primary tool or want a regular tab menu tool up there I need to be creative to fit a meaningful word up there and when it shows up in the tab menu. Maybe a view-port preference that lets them be expanded.

I'm also still looking for my pony I asked for when I was 6... Stupid Santa

[Erik_JE]

Smarter auto-layout for VOP networks. As I am terribly lazy at organizing how I put out nodes i am a heavy user of the layout command. Unfortunately in VOPs it creates a bigger mess than I do.

[zarti]

did i mentioned before that ..

wd be handy to have an optional state where if i select a node , only it and its inputs are displayed as normally they do , while other ones ' step-back ' altering their appearance to be more similar to whatever the background is .

could have i kind of depth option too . ex : LEV2 = inputs of this node 's inputs .

could be useful not only in VOP States ..

( 50 % transparent / 50 % less brighter ( in dark themes ) / inverse / whatever )

.cheers

[abvfx]

did i mentioned before that ..

wd be handy to have an optional state where if i select a node , only it and its inputs are displayed as normally they do , while other ones ' step-back ' altering their appearance to be more similar to whatever the background is .

could have i kind of depth option too . ex : LEV2 = inputs of this node 's inputs .

could be useful not only in VOP States ..

( 50 % transparent / 50 % less brighter ( in dark themes ) / inverse / whatever )

.cheers

Yes i was thinking about that for a long time. It would make it so much easier to follow data, especially when learning/editing Digital Assets.

[LaidlawFX]

Crazy Idea...

Have a details style menu for groups. So when you have a long list you don't need to drop down a delete node or other node with a group listing option.