Day 63: Open Dynamic Engine in RBD

Open Dynamic Engine is the best bart in RBD system in Houdini.
It start with an object "Tjack" use anothe robject a sphere and apply the point deforming function to put the "tjack" on each point of the sphere as shown in the image below.

Further most add Ground plane as an static object to as a resistance to the ODE object.
We use the ODE engine to calculate the force. which is much more easy to render and fast to calculate.

Lastly, I add camera and lights to the animation so able to render as a movie file.

Day 62: Using Stereoscopic Camera

"Steriopsis" is techniques to create a "depth of field. "Houdini uses the techniques is called "Anaglyph". Creating a image of red and blue tones.
The camera has left and right lence which able to render the two different images.

Create a normal model of an sphere and tube and ground plane as shown below. All the objects must apply some material. add lights in the scene. one light may able to create a "depth map " shadows.then add the "stereo camera"
when we add the camera, make sure that the "Zero parrallax" plane will reach the object the object infront may be destrot.

finally creat a small animation of the camera movement. which can be render using the mantra node.. Use th ecomposite view to open the individual left and right plane files and usen " anaglyph" nod eto composit ethe final render...
Export the file as quick time..

Day 61: Creating a ram and use IPR for cartoon

To start with open a 3D charachter IPR_start.hip

If we do a quick render the ramp color it look like hollow shading. now click on the render view to use the IPR render. Open the material pallete first create a skin color In opecity check remove the "check opacity tag and in base colour create a skin color as shown in the imadebelow so it gives two tones as in cartoon. to apply the color just drag and drop the color on the model body.

To create the dress color, seelct another simple ramp and drag in the render view to apply the color to the dress.
we able to modify the color by adjusting the base color int the properties.

To compare the old and new color we took a snapshot and use the compare node at the botton in the render view. finallyto add the hair color add another ramp. change the hair color shading to "blond" colorscheme as shown below.

see the model color render from all angle and save the final image file.

Day 60: Creating Procedural city

It was bit exiting to create a city from Satalite map
there are two ways to create the city from the satalite data one is by using the xml code and the other one is using the SVG image data.

I am describing the procedure of using the SVG image as it's a vector based image from able have data as an XML in the back end. we use the opnsource editor named inkscape to edit and manipulate the image to delte the unwanted text and the data from the image as shown below.

later we use the houdini's compositing manager to impot the file. we edit the file using the Hue to conver thte image to black and white, later use contrast to make image more black & white. finally
we use the rotoshape node with atop node to mask the unwanted area of the image. Add the null node to out the final output.

In the object node add the geometry then add trace to import the file from the img manager out. Then add group the imported data to a object. use polyextrude node to extrude the polygones to building height. we also use the random function so we will get differnt height buildings.

Day 59: COPS Introduction

COPS stands for compositing operaters. Houdini has in built compositing which allow people to do many effects.

To use the COPS, In network view switch to IMG plane : compositing network
Default it has an comp1 node. so double click the node. to go in to compositing. Next press tab and add the "file" node to import pic. default it has a butterfly pic. we use this pic to do compositing. At the out add the color correction node.> change operation mask to : mask input :Cr. then add channel copy node, target c: input 1A

we add ramp change to verticle, connect the ramp1 and channelcopy1 node to multiply node as shwon in the image above so we get a gogod mixture of both in the alpha channel.  multiply node is followed by contrast node to adjust the constrast. then it merge to color correction node as shown in the image

finally we merge the two nodes in to rop_cop to oputput as a image file.

Day 58: VEX Introduction

VEX is stands for Vector Expression (VEX) and Vector Operator (VOP)in this exercise we learn the basic capabilities of VEX.

First start with VEX, so in network view, we start with a geometry node and in geopetry node add a line node
Then go to the VEX dropdown list and press tab to add the "SOP type" rename to sinWave builder.
In the VEX builder add "Vector float node" and "float to vector node and connect it as shown in the image.

later add new three parameter nodes like "frequency", "offset", and "amplitude" and connect it to "trignometic function and multiply function so we able to create the "sine" wave.
finally outout the wave with the controls as shown in the image below.

For the VOP we use the same line as base and add the "VOPsop" then dig in to the VOP sop and create new parameters like height and radius of the circle as shown below.

lastly add the circle node and connect it with the swep node to merge the connection. in line we use the distance value to put in the poits so to incrise the distance of the points.

Day 57: Creating a glow wire trail

Creating a wire trail we start with an particle emitter. so drag a particle emitter from the shelf to scene.
when rewind and play, it emits the particles in all direction, we need to add the cache node.  Houdini will remember the earlier position of the points. we need to follow the cache by trail node.

Trail node helps to create new polygons also to help how many past points position to remember or shown in the scene. now it's time to add the poly wire node to convert the line to tube or any shape available. we able to create a different type of moving effect in the scene.

lastly add glow color for the poly wire mesh to enhance the glow.

Day 56: CHOPS Introduction

CHOPS (Channel operator) mainly use for Motion and audio network.

In object view is created a sphere. which able to animate using the audio wave
so go to Chopes and add the wave one is an sin wave then add another wave is called cosine wave

use the math operator to merge the both wave
Which create a new wave as shown in the image below

then use export to export the wave to the sphere object so the object able to stimulate on the "y" axis as shown in the animation below.

Day 55: Creating a procedural briedge

Staterd  houdini with an line curve in the scene. This curve able to modify and gove shape as shown in the image below .later add the "refine" node to make curve more points.

In the scene add another curve and create a half shape of the briedge polugone. us emirror to reflect on the another side of the shpe use "sort" node to make points in one line.

finally merge the road profile and road path to a sweep node.
add the poly cap to cover the end of the briedge.

Day 54: Using L-system (Plant growth)

Today, I started working on a small palnt with flowers, buds and leafs.
I created a different approch, when I was started working on the plant.
I stated with a blank L-system and premise X.
Rule 1: X=F/(137.5)[&A]X
Rule 2: A=FT(-10)[&M]FT(-10)[^M]F/(90)[+A][-A][C]
Rule 3: C=FJ
Rule 4: J=K
where F - angeled, &M- first leaf, ^m- 2ND leaf,  90- roatation angle
+A -A – two branches, C- 3RD branch, J – is the bud, K – is the flower
A- current segment to produce C.

later add the "sphere" in to "J" input, "Flower" in to "K" input and "leaf" in to "L" input of the L-system. on the tube tag in geometry to give some thickness to the plant.

By using the generation tab 0 to 7 we able to geenrate the animation of the plant.

Day 53: Using L-system

What is L-system?
Its' a structer of imformation followed by premises and rules.
which helps to create or generate structers like plants. or organic shapes.
So it always start with a base system in houdini. the rules will be followed as below:

F is the base tree (premise)

X is the growth of the tree.

The rule1 growth is define

+F is the growth on right, -F is the growth on left

These rules will be writen in a sequence folloed by the generating the growth.

the basic object can be plug in as a referance to the plants as leaf (circle) or buds(sphere).

the tree will make shape after generating the poits and also by affing the thickness to the steam.. it's actually generating a ramdom numbers. so no two trees are look alike.

A plant generated using L-system

Day 52: Creating a VEX operator

VEX-(Vector Expression) It's the shading

Modifying the particle attributes. VEX does not create data.. it modify data
Two types:
VEX is the code and VOP- Visual operators
Propose to define new SOP operator.

Getting started with VEX in the network view. press tab and type "SOP type" to add the SOP operator. right click and create new to "SOP" operater in th eproperties tab type "deformer" as the name of the operater.
Dig in to the node, press tab and type "multiply" to add the vop operator.
press tab and type "parameter" to add the vop operator.
language it extended to other objects like Geometric points, particles, pixels etc.

Open one more network view to add the "geometry" node. dig in to the "geometry" node. delete the "file1" node and add the " grid1" node.
at the output of the "grid1" node press tab and type "deformer" to add the "sop" node we created. from the properties we able to change the size of the grid using the "defromer " VEX operater.

Day 51: Using the fur

Open the file fur_start.hip, it's nothing but an human head.
make sure that in object level of individual items the geometry file is liked to the object.

later from the fur tool, select add fur to object it gives an a brush , it add's fur to whole object. then use paint density tool to adjusting the proper size of the brush we able to paint the fur on the area we would like to add or remove the fur. we also able to use "paint length tool" to incrise and devrise the length of the fur.

Final touches are be given by using comb th hair, add the color to the hair in required direction then use the "Depth of shadow" map to make rendering more faster..add camera and render the sequence..

Day 50: Animate mouse and render the sequence.

Houdini has a good procedural animation tecnique which able to multiply and animate the mouse.

Create a simple encloser using the box and extreude it also create a grid as a base. from the base grid, add  and null as a emitter of particles.
Number of particles emits at frame One is 25 and frame Two is 0, we control the numbers using the animation key frames.

later use the instance and attached the mouse to the particle. so mouse follow the particle path. some of the mouse are colliding each other so add the collision node, and incrise the collision tolerance to 0.5. so before they collide they move away. then also add interact nod eso it affect the individual interaction with the mouse. lastly add the speed limit node to control /reduce the speed of the mose running around.

lastly, add lights and camera in to animation to add some realastic effects of material and lights.This exercise is very good if people would like to explere the procedural work flow of houdini.

         

Day 49: Animate key and mouse tail using channel editor

Open mouse_anistart.hip. to animate the key select the key and use transform node in the properties change the rotation sequence to Ry,Rx,Rz
then in Rx use expression $F*5 where they key able to rotate for th ewhohe timeline sequence that is 240 frames.

next task is to create use the bones to animate the tail so we create a 24 frames animation of one cycle. wher ekey can rotate from left to right and back.

this cycle need to change the value a bit so on frame 12, Change the parameter values of four bones by offset them a bit.
last part is to repeat the cycle for whole length. this one id done by using the channel editor, where we able to move the mouse left and right scene for the whole 240 frames of the animation the loop we use the expression  repeat(start frame,end frame)

Test the animation using the scene viewer.

Day 48: UV unwrap and apply textuer to mouse

Started with the full mouse model file modelUV_start.hip

In houdini the UV maping is bit simpler as it's a node based. select the key model in scene view by choosing points and select uvproject from the texture shelf. all the points will we projectes in the UV view.
Make sure you aline the key in the top left as there are other objects going to come in.

select the mosue body project on XY plane and see the body in the UV plane. next one to seect the mouse tail,
select the tail using premitive mode and view in the UV view and move down at the bottom. next one select the ear..
this work a bit different than the other nodes. select the ear baseic node that is "cap" then use UV unwarp.. to unwrap the uV then use UV transform node to move and scale the objects in the UV view.

after doing all the UV unwrap right click on the merge nod eto save the TGA or JPG file. this file we able to do touch up using phototoshop or any image editing software.

To apply the texture.. create the mantra material and add color map to assign the color map path also apply amaterial in the material to appy to object.
Rensder the save the final render file with subdivide node.