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Point follow a path without "Path Object"


Netvudu

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Hi there.

It would be quite useful if I could animate a point through a curve-defined path without using the Path Object function, but have it all happen inside SOP...is there a simple way to do this?

Edited by Netvudu
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Hey Netvudu,

I don't have Houdini in front of me, but the easiest way I can think of is to use the creep SOP.

Create a line > deleteSOP (Delete by Pattern > 1) will give you a single point. Pipe that into a creep SOP (input 1) and pipe your curve into the input 2 > animate the Translate in X (I think) in the Creep SOP > 0 to 1 will go from start to end of curve.

Is that what you had in mind?

Hope that helps!

Matt.

Edited by Matt_K
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Another way may be:

Import the curve into chops

rename the channels to t[xyz]0

extract velocity and store it in v[xyz]0

use the channelSOP to apply the positions to aplly these positions to a point.

CopySOP your geometry onto the point.

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In those cases I also like CHOPs. Place a CHOPnet in your SOP network, use a GeometryCHOP set to static to import your path as curve data then use that data to drive a Transform SOP or whatever else.

While it seems more convoluted at first, it gives you the geo represented as curves and also the possibility of doing lots of stuff to it (lags, filters etc).

Dragos

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  • 5 years later...
  • 2 years later...
On 21/01/2009 at 8:08 PM, Matt_K said:

Hey Netvudu,

I don't have Houdini in front of me, but the easiest way I can think of is to use the creep SOP.

Create a line > deleteSOP (Delete by Pattern > 1) will give you a single point. Pipe that into a creep SOP (input 1) and pipe your curve into the input 2 > animate the Translate in X (I think) in the Creep SOP > 0 to 1 will go from start to end of curve.

Is that what you had in mind?

Hope that helps!

Matt.

7 years later and stuff like this is still super useful thanks :D

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  • 3 months later...
51 minutes ago, LukeLetellier said:

Is there an easy way to do this with a lot of points, along with (perhaps) a random offset from the spline? In C4D I can set this up in about 20 seconds, but it looks to be more of a complex problem here. 

Could use point deform. I've been using it a bit recently. Animate your points along an axis that you capture with a straight curve, then they'll travel along your deformed curve. 

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