Simple Solver SOP question

[magneto]

I am trying to learn the Solver SOP with a simple example but couldn't get it working how to transfer the info between iterations.

I have a point cloud, and I want to start using one of them specified somewhere in a null and from that point, find the closest to that point and color it red, then in the next frame, find the point that's closest to this previous point, except the used points.

Is this possible to do with the Solver SOP?

Thanks

[thinkinmonkey]

Hi Magneto,

Solver SOP is the most amazing feature SESI puts in!

Try this, it's just a sphere moving on a carving curve: it's position and radius paints of blue the points of the grid, those points will be put in a group.

I hope it could help you.

Happy Magic.

P.S. Remember that if you make changes, ALWAYS go to first frame and click the RESET button on solver SOP, it's very important!

solverSOP_Example.hipnc

Edited March 21, 2012 by thinkinmonkey

[magneto]

Thanks Michele, do you have to click reset everytime? I didn't know that. I just thought going to frame 1 was enough.

Also is the solver sop a brand new operator (written from scratch)? By this I mean I noticed it jumps 2 levels down into a dop like network when you go inside automatically. I was thinking it's some sort of sop wrapper for dops? But I don't know enough to make the guess

[thinkinmonkey]

From my experiments, it's better to do that: 1st frame and reset.

To tell the truth, as a friend said me, Solver SOP is a simplification of what you could do with version 11, but now you have just "one node" and ready to use.

I think it should be as you said, it's some sort of wrapper/trick they did to have that mechanism (taking in account values/geometry from previous frames) in a simple solver.

[magneto]

Gotcha, thanks for clearing that out

[symek]

Toggle Off "Cache Simulation", so that Solver will react on upstream changes as other SOPs. As to SolverSOP magic, it is a HDA made from (Subnet/DOPNet/SOPSover). You could make your own one. RMB->Allow Editing of Contents, and jump inside to investigate it

[thinkinmonkey]

Thanks, Szymon, I didn't try to turn off cache.

I'll give it a deep look, I remeber there was this DentingWithPops example in H11 that showed the same aim.

[magneto]

Thanks Symek. So could this Solver SOP be made in H11? All those things you listed are available in H11, right? If so, then why didn't some make something like this before H12?

[anim]

people were using this setup way before H12 or H11, it's simply only in H12 that it's made directly by SESI as an asset

essentially it's still SOP Solver in DOPs so nothing new

the feature that is making it look like new operator is new Dive Target on HDA properties which allows you to dive directly inside certain sub-node when diving inside the HDA so in this case you are directly inside solving SOP network inside SOP Solver

but as SYmek said you can investigate the setup and recreate it in H11 exactly the same way

[magneto]

Thanks anim, that makes sense. Dive target is definitely cool