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Why are macs very popular among Houdini users?


magneto

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Guest mantragora

Weird im on linux and don't have either of these issues. I'm no expert but my os of linux is running really nicely.

Live image of OpenSuse 13.1, when I use exactly the same steps that where required to create connection from 11.4 to 12.3, it fails. They changed something in this edition in how network cards are managed but I really have better things to do than spend next day/two/week or more on trying to figure out what they made this time to make life easier for people.

After 12.1 my tablet stopped working. I could probably spend month on Linux-Wacom list and recompile, script ton of things with their help to make it work but once again I got better things to do in my life. Beside, in 13.1 it suddenly started working and I haven't had to touch anything so it was problem with distro.

And no, other distibutions are not better with this kind of problems. I understand that there are examples when Linux just magically works, sadly none of the computers I played with have been so magical for me ;)

Edited by mantragora
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Weird im on linux and don't have either of these issues. I'm no expert but my os of linux is running really nicely.

Try to copy some text from a terminal window (let's say the path of the current directory) into the "Look At" paramater on a geo node. I can get it to work, but it is far from intuitive. Most of the time I have a nedit open just to act as a copy paste buffer....

Just one of the many little annoying things on linux. Technically it might be fine, in user friendlyness it is very far behind, there is very little consitency between applications, it looks like a mess and it behaves like a mess, although I must admit I always work on somewhat older distributions.

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I tried just this - and it works fine. I'm using xfce terminal and i use 'ctrl + shift + c' (albeit a slightly weird shortcut i agree) to copy, and ctrl+v to paste into anywhere in Houdini. No problem.

In fact i really like the linux way of simply selecting text and then middle clicking anywhere to paste it - works great with a stylus and wacom, especially in Nuke.

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Windows 8.1 still has issues... had to hose it twice, 1st time after difficulties caused by deleting the online account they trick you into creating, 2nd time was after encountering the blank login screen problem described here.

Using Mint15 now, only probs were a random Grub vs g74sx keyboard issue (fixed with a timer) and having to arrive at a new set of ffmpeg commands for the ROP post-render script.

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Windows 8.1 still has issues... had to hose it twice, 1st time after difficulties caused by deleting the online account they trick you into creating, 2nd time was after encountering the blank login screen problem described here.

Using Mint15 now, only probs were a random Grub vs g74sx keyboard issue (fixed with a timer) and having to arrive at a new set of ffmpeg commands for the ROP post-render script.

I had to do absolutely NONE of that on my OsX, it worked right out of the box! :D

Sorry, I couldn't resist! :D

haters-gonna-hate-cool-dog.jpg

Edited by rafaelfs
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Had a look back at some 'interesting' posts on previous OsX support in Houdini. What we have now sounds way way better than some years ago. i.e. Snow Leopard and Houdini 10 produced the most enthusiastic post on the forum I've yet seen!

"Sidefx blaming Apple over Bug in Snow Leopard. Its Not Right"

http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&t=17480&highlight=%5C%22how+to%5C%22

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I tried just this - and it works fine. I'm using xfce terminal and i use 'ctrl + shift + c' (albeit a slightly weird shortcut i agree) to copy, and ctrl+v to paste into anywhere in Houdini. No problem.

In fact i really like the linux way of simply selecting text and then middle clicking anywhere to paste it - works great with a stylus and wacom, especially in Nuke.

How would you feel if you can delete all sop nodes with the delete key, but only on point sops you need to press ctrl-shift-delete, and vops you can only delete by tripple clicking the right mouse button. Would you accept all this as easily as all the linux' oddities, or would you ask sidefx to try to stick to the same conventions?

In your example, to copy I need to do shift-ctrl-c and to paste just ctrl-v and the middle mouse trick does not work at all. So for each combination of windows and applications, I need to figure out what the easiest way to copy and paste is. I am not saying this is the end of the world, I am just saying, when I can choose myself, I prefer a polished and more importantly predictable user experience. In my opinion, Linux has not been able to deliver on that front.

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I am just saying, when I can choose myself, I prefer a polished and more importantly predictable user experience. In my opinion, Linux has not been able to deliver on that front.

So why use Linux then? Simply it's free and is more powerful.

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So why use Linux then? Simply it's free and is more powerful.

Because it's the OS of choice at my workplace...

It's probably cheaper for a company of a certain size (100+ desktops, not to mention renderfarm slaves) to install linux for free and pay a couple of people that are REALLY GOOD at supporting it than it would be to buy windows or OsX AND still having to pay for a good support team, don't you think?

It's not about superiority of anything, but what works well for each person/company.

Now let's get back to Houdini, shall we?

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The people I work for choose for me. I think most of them landed on Linux because all the early pipelines where build on Irix. Porting the tools was a lot easier when switching to linux. Osx whas not out at the time, and I think a lot of studios got burned by SGI, there was only one vendor, you had no choice. If you go to osx, you have the same problem again.

A lot of game studios, that did not have the sgi legacy seem to prefer windows.

For me personally I do use a mac, and for me osx is more powerfull, in the sense that it makes it a lot easier to do what I want or need to do.

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It's not about superiority of anything, but what works well for each person/company.

sure - If the most efficient system isn't the main criteria than any other platform will work well or even better.

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Been running linux for like ten years now. Some problems with nvidia early on but it's a breeze nowadays.

The people that have hardware problems should learn to check what actually works before buying, linux 101. In 99 out of 100 cases hardware don't work cause the manufacturer haven't released any details.

Studios run linux cause maintaining a lot of winblows or osx machines is a pain in the ass. Not because windows cost money, it's nothing compared to all other expenses. Anaconda and puppet makes life so much easier. Pushing out the latest houdini to all boxes is done by an edit in a puppet manifest file and off it goes.

Still for laptop i prefer macbook. It's well built, houdini runs decently for prototyping and it got a terminal. Have not really got used to the interface tho.

Edited by Erik_JE
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How would you feel if you can delete all sop nodes with the delete key, but only on point sops you need to press ctrl-shift-delete, and vops you can only delete by tripple clicking the right mouse button. Would you accept all this as easily as all the linux' oddities, or would you ask sidefx to try to stick to the same conventions?

Sure, but then software always has its oddities - alt in Nuke for tumbling - space bar in Houdini.. - shaking a node in houdini to release it - using crtl+shift+x in Nuke - etc etc. Yes middle mouse click in Houdini isnt really possible because of the virtual slider your right.

For me though, i have found that Linux is far superior and i have never looked back. Im amazed now how easy it is to pick up and start running with linux - im sure it wasn’t like that a few years back. The simple immediate speed increase in just interaction is enough of a selling point. Being able to move windows without clicking the title bar is another major benefit. all the different desktops to get it feeling just the way you like it etc -

But like i say, im no expert in linux, and i'm sure ill reach another linux hurdle in the not too distant future :)

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  • 4 months later...

CentOS for ultimate steady (safe) updates, stability and the need to compile almost any dependency out there by yourself (much narrower rpm set of community driven development components compared to Ubuntu). Still some people consider free red hat worth this effort :) .

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