Working with custom VEX surface shaders

[haki]

Hi,

I've some experience with VEX in SOP land but I'm new to Mantra shading and I want to get better at writing vex shaders. What would be the modern way of doing that?

In particular, I'm not entirely sure if I could simply write my code and hit compile (the way I would with OSL in RenderMan) without ever leaving Houdini or restarting the renderer for that matter.

For instance, I managed to compile the following from a vfl (a modified sidefx example) into an HDA (.\vcc -l "%HOME%\houdini18.5\vex\hcartoon.hda" "%HOME%\houdini18.5\vex\hcartoon.vfl") and it's available under /SHOP/Digital Assets and it works.

#include <shading.h>

#pragma opname		hcartoon
#pragma oplabel		"HCartoon"
#pragma opicon		SHOP_surface

#pragma label	colora	"Color A"
#pragma label	colorb	"Color B"
#pragma hint	colora	color
#pragma hint	colorb	color
#pragma hint	Cd	hidden

surface
hcartoon(
	vector colora={0.2, 0.5, 0};
	vector colorb={0, 0.2, 0.8};
	vector Cd=1;
    )
{
	vector Cx;
	illuminance(P){
		Cx = Cl;
		shadow(Cl);
		if (Cl == Cx){
			Cf = colora;
		} 
		else{
			Cf = colorb;
		}
	}
}

However, isn't there a more straightforward way? Do I always have to compile to HDA and write all those pragmas? I was hoping for something like an attribute wrangler approach.

So, there's the Surface Shader Builder (vopsurface) that I have to admit I don't quite get as far as writing code goes. Snippet? Inline? How about inputs and outputs in it? Surely not with pragmas in there, right? I tried with a snippet, got a compile error 'Invalid return type (surface)'.

If anyone can help me with it, that'd be awesome! Thanks,

Hristo

[Librarian]

@haki Use Inline code Ex from Fiola + you have here on Odforce(topic shader each day) + +++ allot more .You have here on odforce nice ex about that Topic.


 

BookofShaders_Examples_v00.02.hiplc