Ramps.. arghs

[TheDunadan]

Hi,

I think I already complained about the lack of nice editbale ramps in VOP's context several times Won't stop me from doing it again though

I guess it's not only me who uses ramps quite frequently to tweak shaders etc. I really like the ramp COP and it is possible to export the ramp as texture and import the texture file into the VOP network, but this isn't really a fast way of doing it and in particular very inconvinient when you want to quickily edit things.

The other way is to create a spline VOP, add a few constants to it... but this lacks a direct visual feedback. You can do a kinda visualisation of the ramp, if you import the point values from an actual curve SOP, but this isn't really a solution to my liking either.

Possibly i'm simply spoiled from Maya here, where ramp node can be edited in a very convinient way. I know looking at all the other VOP's a 'COP style' ramp with it's visual feedback wouldn't fit really, yet is there any hope we might get nice & easy to edit ramp VOP in the upcoming Houdini release? Or is everyone happy the way it is now?

If it's highly unlikely that sidefx will be doing anything about it I might be tempted to give it a try myself. The actual math / code behind it is fairly easy and creating some kinda UI via java sounds fairly possible as well, but I'd much prefer it done properly

Jens

[Jason]

Actually - we spoke with SESI just on wednesday about this exact thing. It'd be awesome to have a UI gizmo that allowed the editing of keys on a ramp that matches the interpolation of VEX ckspline() and lkspline() commands. Due to the lack of arrays in VEX, you'd have to set the number of keys rigidly by setting aside a number of float parameters, but thats still pretty cool:)

Would be nice if this gizmo allowed a ramp and a curve view of the interpolation.

Please SESI!

[TheDunadan]

That's good Having both the curve + 'standard' ramp view in the gizmo would be perfect.

And while they are at it a few additional interpolation types wouldn't hurt either and should be easy to do anyhow.

GoGo SESI

Jens

[SvenP]

Hehe coming from lightwave where i used ramps for almost everything i exactly know how bad you feel without them

Sven

[meshsmooth]

what about a little array action being adde?. maby some day

[deecue]

any news or updates on this? i mean, i know the ramps vop is there and all but still would like to see something a little better...

[sibarrick]

I assume you don't want to just use a ramp cop and then reference it with the op syntax into a texture map parameter for input into a texture vop? I guess the problem with that way is that the ui is seperate from the actual shader.

[deecue]

I guess the problem with that way is that the ui is seperate from the actual shader.

exactly.. the cop method is fine and the option is perfectly doable.. i'd still just like to be able to have controls right within the shader itself.. and preferably in a nice little gradient/ramp UI that is common in most packages.. hell i just want the ramp vop to look and work exactly like the ramp cop and i'd be perfectly happy..