I just want to jump in regarding the scripting and expressions in houdini. I also hate scripts and expressions.. I want to make pictures with pictures, not pictures with words. In Houdini so far I've learned about 10 expressions and scripts. The are short things like: fit01() and rand($PT) I call them spells, cause it takes the "maya" out of it, and you need spells to make magic. These 10 spells gets used every day for almost everything I do in houdini, but most of the time I'm connecting nodes like its xmas. You also can avoid vex wrangling completely by using vops instead. (Vops are almost exactly like ice trees) Whenever I do a tutorial involving wrangle nodes, I either do it in vops, or cut my losses and look for another tutorial.
I think its fair to say that I use houdini in a very non-td kind of way. That being said, I'm creating things I couldn't after 10 years in soft, and going home at 5pm almost every day. Walking past my friends who chose Maya, knowing they'll be at their desks for another 2 hours at least, is the hardest part. The point I'm trying to make is: There are a few scripts you'll have to learn, but its not so bad, and well worth it! G On 2016/11/04 10:44 AM, Morten Bartholdy wrote: > Thanks for all the good suggestions. I am actually using IFX+Momentum4 too > which didn't quite manage, as it quickly gets slow with many polygon islands, > and very unstable after ground impact. So I was looking for something simpler > without collisions between fractured pieces where I could just make them > start flying off the surface. > > Imagine a person covered with a thin shell of metal, which fractures, then > pieces start flying away locally and eventually all remaining pieces drop and > tumble to the floor. > > The first part could be done without collisions, then the later action need > simulation with collisions. they are separate cuts so I have some freedom > here, regarding methods. > > I found Gustavos Motion Tools bullet implementation faster and more stable > than Momentums (!) but need to check with the full amount of geometry. The > trouble is the shell is not very thick, so the solvers have a hard time > handling intercollisions between fractured pieces. > > I would say I am inclined to give Houdini a try after the descriptions here > after all, but likely not for this job. > > > > >> Den 3. november 2016 klokken 17:12 skrev Simon Reeves >> <[email protected]>: >> >> >> I did lots of fracturing and deforming (rather than simulated) on a job a >> year or so ago in xsi with momentum ice etc. Though I was fairly happy with >> the system I had (based on a vimeo video from eric mootz by the way! About >> controlling pieces in ICE) really it was pretty buggy and slow, had to be >> really delicate with xsi to avoid crashes. >> >> After having used Houdini for a couple of months my life would have been >> soooooooo much easier in there for that job. >> I really haven't found the learning curve as steep as I thought (read >> about). >> I've used it most of 2016 now, I haven't touched xsi other than modelling >> (TODO: learn something not-dead for modelling) >> >> You can forget about those concerns about having to rely on expressions! If >> you dont want to have to use expressions all the time avoid Maya not >> Houdini :) >> >> >> On Thu, 3 Nov 2016 at 15:55 Morten Bartholdy <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> It was long ago and I know Houdini has progressed immensely, but from what >> I hear you still have to use expressions a lot, and I am much more a >> connect nodes and click buttons guy. It is awesome what can be done with >> Houdini, but it is just not very userfriendly that you have to remember or >> keep a repository of expressions to get things done. >> >> I wish it they would make an effort to get everything working with their >> nodes so it would just be a matter of connecting them right - how hard >> would that be, since the functionality is there..? >> >> //Morten >> >> >> >> >>> Den 3. november 2016 klokken 16:39 skrev Cristobal Infante < >> [email protected]>: >>> >>> "To get anything working" >>> >>> That's simply not true. Yes you can use some expressions here and there, >>> and some of it is the houdini way. Once you learn expression they make >> your >>> life easier. I personally use Evernote to write them down, eventually you >>> will learn them. >>> >>> The setup you described can be done with no expressions at all.. Up to you >>> though ;) >>> >>> >>> On 3 November 2016 at 14:43, Morten Bartholdy <[email protected] >>> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected]');>> wrote: >>> >>>> Well yes, I am sure Houdini is up to the task, and almost as sure I am >> not >>>> ;-) I tried a bit of Houdini tutorial once and quickly got stuck >> because >>>> you have to type in expressions here and there to get anything working, >> and >>>> I am just not the syntax type. >>>> >>>> I actually found that Gustavo Eggert Boehs fine Motion Tools probably >> can >>>> do what I want, so I will give that a spin. >>>> >>>> //Morten >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>> Den 3. november 2016 klokken 14:46 skrev Cristobal Infante < >>>> [email protected] <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected]');>>: >>>>> >>>>> This would be very straight forward in houdini, and possibly a good >>>>> exercise to get going ;) >>>>> >>>>> On 3 November 2016 at 13:19, Morten Bartholdy <[email protected] >>>> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected]');>> wrote: >>>>>> I am trying to put together an effect where I need to explode >>>> prefractured >>>>>> chunks of geometry from a mesh. >>>>>> >>>>>> Ideally it should be controllable so I can move a null o an object >>>> around >>>>>> and start bits flying off away from the original unfractured objects >>>>>> surface along the normals. >>>>>> >>>>>> I Have fractured the bits and used Julian Johnsons excellent Faster >>>>>> Polygon Islands operator to generate particles and lock the chunks >> to >>>> the >>>>>> particles. This setup works fine in a non simulated tree where I >> can do >>>>>> nonsimulated effects like turbulizing the position of the particles >>>> with >>>>>> emtool_turbulize_position, but I need to make it simulated, apply >> some >>>>>> forces, and use some sort of inititalizing object for the effect, so >>>> it can >>>>>> be animated to grow from one place on the geoemtry and spread out >> over >>>> the >>>>>> surface. >>>>>> >>>>>> I can't really figure out how to take the pointcloud generated by >>>> Julians >>>>>> emVI_Create Particles from Island Centres and explode the >> particles. Is >>>>>> there perhaps a tutorial somewhere or a different method for >> attaching >>>>>> geometry to particles and simulate them, either just straight >> forward >>>> or as >>>>>> Bullet RBDs? >>>>>> >>>>>> Thanks. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> //Morten >>>>>> ------ >>>>>> Softimage Mailing List. >>>>>> To unsubscribe, send a mail to >> [email protected] >>>> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected] >> ');> >>>>>> with "unsubscribe" in the subject, and reply to confirm. >>>>>> >>>>> ------ >>>>> Softimage Mailing List. >>>>> To unsubscribe, send a mail to [email protected] >>>> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected] >> ');> >>>> with "unsubscribe" in the subject, and reply to confirm. >>>> ------ >>>> Softimage Mailing List. >>>> To unsubscribe, send a mail to [email protected] >>>> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected] >> ');> >>>> with "unsubscribe" in the subject, and reply to confirm. >>>> >>> ------ >>> Softimage Mailing List. >>> To unsubscribe, send a mail to [email protected] >> with "unsubscribe" in the subject, and reply to confirm. >> ------ >> Softimage Mailing List. >> To unsubscribe, send a mail to [email protected] with >> "unsubscribe" in the subject, and reply to confirm. >> >> -- >> Simon Reeves >> London, UK >> *[email protected] <[email protected]>* >> *www.simonreeves.com <http://www.simonreeves.com/>* >> *www.analogstudio.co.uk <http://www.analogstudio.co.uk/>* >> ------ >> Softimage Mailing List. >> To unsubscribe, send a mail to [email protected] with >> "unsubscribe" in the subject, and reply to confirm. > ------ > Softimage Mailing List. > To unsubscribe, send a mail to [email protected] with > "unsubscribe" in the subject, and reply to confirm. > ------ Softimage Mailing List. 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