Baking Sexy Recipes | Attila Torok | Houdini 20.5 HIVE Paris

In Houdini 20.5, parameters and nodes can be represented as JSON-compatible dictionaries through the HOM API. Recipes are an extension over this functionality to create and manage node presets, per-node shelves and tab menu entries.
Attila Torok is a London based FX TD working for SideFX. He started out as a SideFX intern then went on to work for Double Negative on projects like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Godzilla. Attila then spent 4 years at ILM, where he worked on movies like Doctor Strange, Avengers: Infinity War, Ready Player One, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, he was building and maintaining tools for particle simulations, deformable and tearable rigid body simulations and for Pyro FX used throughout the company.
00:00 Intro
00:43 Overview
06:12 Parameter Value Data
11:09 Parameter Data
14:30 Network Item Data
21:45 Network Item Cluster Data
27:51 Parameter Template Block Data
30:44 Recipes
40:40 Decoration Recipe
46:02 Q&A

[@SimonvandenBroek-zl5jp]

Absolutely perfect addition!

[@isstuff]

the question of "why didn't you make this 10 years ago", cracked me up! i know the frustration.

[@fastlearner292]

Houdini devs be like "This specific thing is annoying to do" *builds completely new general purpose functionality with ease of usage* 😂

[@oleit3]

Oh wow. That looks so much better to work with!! Can't wait for this release

[@reasonsreasonably]

I really like hearing this presentation not only for what it brings, but also as evidence to the fanboys who say over and over that Houdini and its UI and systems are already 'no problem' and 'easy'. Here we see it can be improved, and it takes time, and even so, it still isn't simple for most people. Which is all fine, however please stop the gaslighting and suggesting everything is fine as is and you just have to keep at it or whatever excuses people come up with. Frankly, Houdini is tough to learn and takes time and dedication, and everyone should just start and don't give up, because it's worth it. But please, just stop the lying about how it is easy, or 'once you get it' it suddenly becomes easy, and the like.

[@atefezare5623]

More tutorials please!!!! And thank you!!!

[@NFSDieHard]

hi Attila, nice work🎉 and does it have the ability to update an existing recipe? like I saved a recipe and then can it be updated, just by saving/adding new changes to the recipe? simply as hda? or if I missed that in video please comment the time stamp anyone thank you

[@ati7900]

Yes the Recipe Manager, shown here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXOsmZdvp9WZbbssi=cFoPEpJzbOBA-Utb&t=2364 has the Edit button that will place down your recipe nodes for editing. This method however not yet fully preservers your settings used when the recipe was originally captured. (Just a little side note)

[@johnli4006]

Ahh yes, much better

[@carlosrivadulla8903]

Can someone briefly explain what these new data structures mean for Houdini? This isn't just about recipes, is it?

[@TyHoudinifx]

It's a huge change to the data structure of the program behind the hood, but as a seeming add on type of way. Like you can still code it in just as horrible way if you don't use these new techniques if you want, but the underlying structure is a game changer for when doing python coding in the program. Used to like he was saying it was a nightmare coding up new parameters for a node. Now it's a breeze because it's using this new underlying structure. It means for artists a very easy way to create presets, libraries, and script your own quick setups using variables from the current node. For example, you could use recipes to create custom domain sizes for Pyro solvers that use the scale of the object to determine what the default Pyro voxel scale should be, saving you a little bit of time. You can finally use it to create custom nodes inside of nodes very easily, like oh I want a curl noise, okay now change it to regular turbulent noise. It opens up lots of preset like possibilities. Super exciting. I'm sure lots of people are gonna be creating recipes. It also means the underlying scenes can be saved out in a human readable format, allowing you to create tools to say do comparison tests between files, that would be very easy with this new structure. Things like that.

[@carlosrivadulla8903]

@@TyHoudinifx damn now that's comprehensive, thanks a lot!