Unify Inward/Outward Primitive Normals

[PixelNinja]

Before I go ahead and try an overcomplicated approach using raycasting I thought I'd check to see if anyone here has a simple solution to this problem.

 

I have a model from maya, that has had many sections mirrored, thus creating sections with primitive normals facing inward rather than outward.

Is there a simple method of making all normals face outward?

All of the poly shells are enclosed as well, so no open surfaces to worry about.

[PixelNinja]

Well, here's the raycasting method.

 

It works perfectly, on enclosed (or at least mostly enclosed) poly shells.

 

It won't fix individual faces with incorrect winding though, only whole shells.

FixNormals_01.hiplc

[Noobini]

in Max, it's a simple Unify Normals...could not be any simpler....so after digging around in Houdini looking for a simple node...there has to be one I thought....I was so close to putting up the Bat signal for help...when I stumbled up on the Doc.....Polydoctor...

in Topology tab, enable Correct Winding of Polygons to Majority in their Manifold Patch

Note that it's quite a mouthful...and that mouthful means it doesn't correct the cubes in the above file from PixelNinja because each cube is its own patch..is already 'unified'. It works best on individual connected geos that is screwed up.

 

vu_unifyNormals.hiplc

[davpe]

sometimes Clean SOP with Orient Polygons option ON works. that should fix individual crippled faces. not the whole islands thou... maybe combination of methods is the best way to go... really depends on the particular model.