HDK getting started. Compile geoisosurface.C

[kiryha]

Hello, devs,

I have compiled geoisosurface.C but running geoisosurface.exe raise an error:
Entry Point Not Found. The procedure entry point gzdirect could not be located in the dynamic link library C:\Program Files\Side Effects Software\Houdini 18.0.460\bin\libxml2.dll

If I place geoisosurface.exe  into the Houdini bin folder it is working and produce me sphere.bgeo.
If I copy libxml2.dll to the folder with exe file the error is:
The procedure entry point gzdirect could not be located in the dynamic link library D:/path_to_geoisosurface/libxml2.dll

I am pretty sure that exe file should work outside Houdini bin dir, but have no idea how to fix this.

Alex @Stalkerx777, anything comes into mind? 

Edited September 3, 2020 by kiryha

[Stalkerx777]

This geoisosurface tool uses Houdini dynamic libraries and therefore must have access to them at runtime. 

Windows searches libraries in the PATH variable, so you need to set this variable before running the program:

set PATH="C:\path\to\houdini\bin;%PATH%"

Hope it helps.

[kiryha]

Thanks, Alex!

I have a Houdini bin in the PATH Windows environment variable. 
Also, I tried to run 
 

set PATH="C:\Program Files\Side Effects Software\Houdini 18.0.460\bin;%PATH%"

before executing geoisosurface.exe, but it did not help as well. Ok, not a big deal since the executable is working from the Houdini bin.

[Stalkerx777]

Sorry can't help you here. In Linux, I could use ldd to inspect the dynamic section of the binary and see what it wants to load, but I have little experience with that on windows.

[pezetko]

On Windows, you can use https://www.dependencywalker.com/

[symek]

It seems your linking process is busted. How do you compile this example, via CMake or inside Visual Studio? 

[kiryha]

In the command line (C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe) started from the folder with geoisosurface.C (E:\PROJECTS\HDK\samples\geoisosurface):
 

hcustom -s geoisosurface.C

I have a Visual Studio 2017 installed and MSVCDir environment variable set to C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community\VC\Tools\MSVC\14.16.27023

[symek]

Are you running your example from Houdini shell like you were supposed to?

Unfortunately I don't have much experience with Windows either, but you should prepare yourself for using CMake anyway. hcustom is super minimalistic solution good for single file tests/projects. If your example doesn't work from within Houdini's shell, hcustom is probably broken. It used to be very handy sparing you fights with make. Nowadays it's less useful.

[kiryha]

From Command Line Tools running exe file is working!

[symek]

Great!