Setting parameter values from within a node

[Daniel]

Hey Guys,

I have a node I've written that does some cooking and outputs the answer to some float parameters on the node. I then reference that parameter from other nodes using a simple ch() func.

I have an internal cache (stl vector) of the solved values per frame. After going to a frame if it's unsolved I go though a solving loop, otherwise I set the cached value for that frame directly . This all works well but if I only display the nodes which reference these channels they don't update properly. These other nodes are requesting the channel val from my node, but since my node doesn't "cook" it returns whatever happens to be in the float field. My node has no inputs or output wires.. it's all though ch() references that it communicates to other nodes.

I'm guessing I need to make it a channel function (like raw() which seems to have disappeared in H9?). Rather then have an internal cache that's of my own design it would probably be better to use some houdini convention for this so it plays nice with the rest of the cooking scheme.

Well, if that explanation wasn't too confusing.. any ideas on what the "right" way to do this is?

thnx

Daniel

[edward]

Sounds like you actually want a CHOP that cooks per frame. Similar to the InverseKin CHOP. Then other nodes use the chop() expression to reference the data.