Rohan Dalvi made a few tutorials worth buying. The floating island one is probably the most fun and comprehensive course you could take. He approaches it from an artist point of view, rather than coding and scripting stuff. He also has a few free vids on vimeo. Peter Quint is another guy who tends to stay away from too much coding, and he has some very useful tutorials!
One thing about sidefx, they change the software all the time. This makes for great cutting-edge software, but really painful to learn if you use old tutorials. My advice is to use the version of houdini that was used in the tutorial, until you get the hang of it. Oh and the "vop sop" is now the "attribute vop" :) (this is basically an ice tree) Good luck, and ask if you get stuck! I hate seeing fellow softies forced into maya-bondage G On 2016/11/08 11:41 AM, Morten Bartholdy wrote: > Thanks for the advice Gerbrand, it is much appreciated. I have no love for > Maya and if anything, that might help me get over the steep part of the > learning curve with Houdini, knowing greener grass fields lay ahead. > > I guess it is time to give it some attention. > > BTW did you learn these expressions from tutorials? > > > Cheers > Morten > > > > >> Den 8. november 2016 klokken 08:50 skrev Gerbrand Nel <[email protected]>: >> >> >> 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. >> 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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