I'm quite the opposite Morthen. I found that learning little math (add subtract vector mostly...) is just an open path to what's called "creativity" nowaday. I'm more in the particles "do stuff" part of the work than in the character-toon-story telling though. I can't say that I'm excited by the modeling tools added in the 16 (I'm sure they are great), but having that wide software that's able to not lost attributes whatever the context, that constantly amaze me.
2017-03-31 12:00 GMT+02:00 Morten Bartholdy <x...@colorshopvfx.dk>: > Don't get me wrong - I understand the power and flexibility of Houdini and > the fact that it stems from its core architecture and I am not looking for > the 3D equivalent of Kais Power Tools. > > It is however not very straightforward to use for the average 3D artist, > no matter how experienced, nor is it easy to pick up. You need to be good > at math and know syntax well, and that is plain and simply taking > ressources away from the purely artistic part of the work which is why I do > this. I want to make great work, not need a science degree to do it. > > I used to think that 3D software would evolve to become extremely user > friendly so it would at some point be fairly easy for almost any user to do > even very advanced stuff, so the real difference in output would be how > skilled an artist you are. > > Obviously this is not the path SideFX has taken. It may be my future is > not with Houdini, but Soft is parked at the roadside, Maya is a mess still, > and the other competitors don't really come close to the level of these > anyway, so naturally I am looking in the direction which is developing > rapidly and outside of the dark side of AD. > > It is just that using Houdini seems like driving a car without a steering > wheel but having a graphical UI with trigonometry controls to do the > steering, and if you want more speed, no gas pedal, but go write an > expression that provides the proper mix of gas and air and change the > ignition timing. It is hardly intuitive and perhaps the goal is not to be > that, but imagine if this solid core architecture was given a better > interface, I am sure many more artists out there would jump the wagon > straight away and we would see even more fantastic stuff created with > Houdini plus make a lot of people more happy. > > I am guessing growing userbase and popularity is not a problem for SideFX, > and making their software more accessible is probably very hard, and takes > ressources away from developing new and better tools, but I really wish. > > Have a nice weekend all :) > > Morten > > > > > > > > > Den 31. marts 2017 klokken 10:26 skrev Dan Yargici <danyarg...@gmail.com > >: > > > > > > I think people need to accept that just as they understandably expect > > SideFX to push the software to be more approachable for themselves they > > really ought to try and push themselves in the opposite direction also. > > > > If there was a theoretical race to DCC dominance, I'd really favour > Houdini > > right now. I think starting with so many of the hard things solved and > > working 'creative' workflows into the software is a far more enviable > > position to be in than having to go in the opposite direction. > > > > Really exciting times ahead as far as I'm concerned! > > > > DAN > > > > > > On Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 8:34 PM, Jonathan Moore < > jonathan.moo...@gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > > > I hate to sound inflexible in my views but Houdini is such a powerful > > > application because of its technical approach. > > > > > > > > > > > > Just because Softimage is no longer available and Maya is ‘problematic’ > > > (to say the least) shouldn’t mean that SideFX should have to change > their > > > development strategy. > > > > > > > > > > > > I believe that SideFX have in fact done a fantastic job of listening to > > > customers that have moved to Houdini from other packages including > > > Softimage. The speed with which they implemented a suggested change ref > > > dropping VOP nodes over wires the other day is a fine example of that. > But > > > there‘s a danger of allowing the ‘tail to wag the dog’ so that Houdini > > > gets changed for the worse rather than the better. I think SideFX have > the > > > balance of things pretty much spot on. There’s still huge improvements > that > > > can be made to the approachability of certain aspects of the user > > > experience but I it’s never going to transform into something radically > > > different to what’s available today. If anything, with so much of > Houdini > > > moving away from Hscript style expressions to VEX expressions (for very > > > good reason - multithreaded performance) certain aspects of the Houdini > > > user experience are in fact getting more technical. > > > > > > > > > > > > The best way to learn how to adapt to Houdini is first to accept it for > > > what it is. And part of the Houdini user experience has always been > > > scripting and programming. That’s why it’s so often described as a 3d > > > operating system rather than a DCC. > > > > > > > > > > > > Apologies for spelling things out so bluntly but I can’t see Houdini > > > evolving into something less technical. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *From:* softimage-boun...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto: > softimage-bounces@ > > > listproc.autodesk.com] *On Behalf Of *Nicole Beeckmans-Jacqmain > > > *Sent:* 30 March 2017 19:57 > > > *To:* Official Softimage Users Mailing List. > https://groups.google.com/ > > > forum/#!forum/xsi_list <softimage@listproc.autodesk.com> > > > *Subject:* Re: Houdini Digital Assets for Softies > > > > > > > > > > > > hi. yes, was forced to stop following this week's entagma taurus > tutorial. > > > > > > again, these monthes i spend most of my time to write & storyboard. > > > > > > got recently interested by _computer_ 2d possibilities, new for me. > > > > > > but as discussion advances here, i am getting discouraged to be able to > > > talk in the future, about a project with a Houdinist. > > > > > > (i don't want to just supervize) because i am foremost a visual artist, > > > isn't it that Houdini should evolve upside down, > > > > > > so that Visual controls Math Thinking, and not the other way around. > > > > > > Procedural Innovation looked nice, so far, i guess? > > > > > > so, in a way i donot opt if a new community shift occurs between > > > > > > Maya artists and Houdini vop sop artists. or do you think it necessary, > > > and why? > > > > > > thanks > > > > > > Nicole. > > > > > > > > > > > > 2017-03-30 18:04 GMT+02:00 Morten Bartholdy <x...@colorshopvfx.dk>: > > > > > > > > > > > > I just also wish Houdini would be made more accessible for less > > > technically inclined artists like myself. > > > > > > > > > ------ > > > Softimage Mailing List. > > > To unsubscribe, send a mail to softimage-requ...@listproc.autodesk.com > > > with "unsubscribe" in the subject, and reply to confirm. > > > > > ------ > > Softimage Mailing List. > > To unsubscribe, send a mail to softimage-requ...@listproc.autodesk.com > with "unsubscribe" in the subject, and reply to confirm. > > ------ > Softimage Mailing List. > To unsubscribe, send a mail to softimage-requ...@listproc.autodesk.com > with "unsubscribe" in the subject, and reply to confirm. >
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