appwiki:houdini

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Intro to Houdini

  • Houdini, a procedure oriented 2D,3D graphic application, with built-in package for a lot of simulation operation.

Concept inside Houdini

  • it is all about asset, anything is a asset, (tool, shelf, node, parameter)
OTL Operator Type Libraries
hda houdini digital asset, file format for asset library which contain lots of assets (Channel Editor, Motion View)
IDO Internally Defined Operator, built node asset type in houdini
Chop (#vop) channel operation, basically a attribute driving network of nodes
ChopNet
Cop2
CopNet
Dop
Driver
Object
Particle
Pop
Shop
Sop
Vop
VopNet
VEX builder operatpr

Setting and Configuration

  • env file for environment setting
    HOUDINI_PATH = "$HOUDINI_PATH;X:/myPath/houdini/HFS/16;&"
    HOUDINI_OTLSCAN_PATH = "$HOUDINI_OTLSCAN_PATH;X:/myPath/houdini/HDA_Libs/otls;&"
    HOUDINI_TOOLBAR_PATH="$HOUDINI_TOOLBAR_PATH;X:/myPath/houdini/ToolBar/16;&"
  • icon path
    icon format: svg or PNG_20x20_pixel
    custom icon should be in: HOUDINI_UI_ICON_PATH
      * $HOME/houdiniX.Y/config/Icons
      * $HOME/Library/Preferences/houdini/X.Y/config/Icons
    
    system icon is at
    houdini_19_app_path\houdini\config\Icons\icons.zip
    houdini_18_app_path\houdini\help\icons.zip
  • start houdini with init script (optionally in full path)
    houdinifx.exe X:\myPath\123.py
  • houdini start will run 123.py, new session will run 456.py, it will always run pythonrc.py in its search path.
  • houdini python path environment variable “HOUDINI_PATH”
  • Houdini project env variables
$HFS/houdini, $HH houdini environment
$HSITE store shared houdini resource
$JOB current work job directory
$HIP readonly houdini internal scene variable, last saved path
  • list all configuration of houdini in Shell:
    hconfig -ap

Tutorial

Houdini GUI Tool Develop

  • Houdini is same node concept as Nuke when access objects in application, based on a root node “hou” to access object under it,
  • in Maya.cmds, you are calling Maya to return the data of the object by object string name instead of the object itself
    • while OpenMaya api and PyMel in Maya is more like same node concept

Houdini Digital Assets - HDA

  • houdini digital asset is like a group of node functions and saved as a big single node, like Gizmo in nuke.
  • HDA naming convention, (asset's internal name)
    • operator name: [namespace::]node_name[::version]
    • operator name with sub category: [namespace::]node_category/node_name[::version]
    • operate label: Node Name (as shown in menu)
  • HDA appearance in menu category:
    • HDA asset's Type Properties panel > Interactive tab > Shelf Tools tab > Context tab > Tab submenu path: BigFolder/SubFolderLike
      • also optionally to check OBJ, SOP, DOP alike content type filter
  • show HDA path info in panel
    • Window > Asset Manager : Configuration tab > asset definition toolbar = show always
  • appwiki/houdini.txt
  • Last modified: 2022/12/01 17:55
  • by ying