padding zeroes in vex

 s@frameNum= sprintf('%04d',clamp((@Frame-1000),0,68));

//s@name = sprintf('%04d',@Frame);

s@textureFile=chs("part1")+@frameNum+chs("end");

slight update on zero padding in vex...

use sprintf to reformat numbers..

cryptomatte arnold houdini

 

I always forget how to do cryptomattes in Arnold & Houdini

culling stuff camera

 string camera=chs("../camera");

vector campos=toNDC(camera,@P);

vector2 padding =chu("../padding");

if((campos.x+padding.x)<0||(campos.x-padding.x)>1||(campos.y+padding.y)||(campos.y-padding.y)){

        i@group_kill=1;}

matrix cam=optransform(camera);

vector camera_position=cracktransform(0,0,0,{0,0,0}, cam);

float distance =distance (camera_position,@P);

float threshold=chf("../distance");

if(distance>threshold){

        i@group_kill=1;}

instance ass files (not paths)

use instancefile to access geo saved somewhere...

in a point wrangle - 

  s@instancefile=chs("path");

now with the geo node, you gotta add the instance tab and turn on fast instancing.

resource - projecting curve onto heightfield with control

 Projecting a Road Curve onto a Heightfield - procegen - Procedural Content Generation (konstantinmagnus.de)

some of the newer tools in Houdini might do this, but it's quite nice to see how to do it manually.

point wrangle the curve, with heightfield in input 1..

float lift = chf('lift'); f@height = volumesample(1, 'height', v@P) + lift;

then plug that into a volume wrangle (input 1), heightfield in input 0 

float width_min = chf('min_width'); float width_max = chf('max_width'); float ease = chf('roll_off'); int prim; vector uvw; float dist_crv = xyzdist(1, v@P, prim, uvw); float height_crv = primuv(1, 'height', prim, uvw); float mask = 1.0 - smooth(width_min, width_max, dist_crv, ease); f@height = lerp(f@height, height_crv, mask); f@mask = mask;

You can control the height with the "lift" slider made in the point wrangle, and the width/falloff in the sliders made in the volume wrangle.

simple rigging setups using kinefx

 

typical basic kinefx rigging for organicish shapes

simple rigid body FK rig. Key points are packing each rigid part, and using the capture packed geo node. make sure the skeleton points are at the desired pivot points.

basic setup here - line as a skeleton, isolate the FBIK controller points. the MATCH BY ATTRIBUTE setting is usually what makes things work! Also on the FBIK node, you might need to tweak the tolerance parameter.

look at constraint but only in the X or Y etc

 

There's a Look At Constraint, in the Constraints tab, however if you only want this aim to work on the X, or maybe just the Y, you have to dig into the constraint, then go to the Common Tab (see top screenshot) and then only specify the rx or ry in the scope.

Remember to use Nulls to set custom pivots etc, then parent your desired geometry to the null.