Boolean Concepts for Beginners in Houdini

Boolean concepts about geometry relations and how Houdini's Boolean Node is smart enough to create new geometry to make water tight models. Slicing and fracturing geometry using the Boolean Node. Maintaining Clean Topology.
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[@tigerija]

Excellently explained! Thank you!

[@bubblepins]

Thanks so much!

[@MortalVildhjart]

Relaxing voice, to the Point with some peripheral interesting knowledge. Neat Examples. I learned i subbed. Thank you!

[@bubblepins]

Thanks for watching!

[@keltart809]

great video, easy to understand

[@bubblepins]

Thanks!

[@Wharp11]

great tutorials! thank you very much! :)

[@bubblepins]

Thanks for watching!

[@DovahDiaz]

Now finally, I’m ready to bake

[@fracteller]

freakin' love this! Thank you!

[@bubblepins]

THanks! I thought the boolean node was super cool too!

[@uscarchstudent1962]

Love the video, thank you very much.

[@bubblepins]

Thanks for watching!

[@eobiri]

Thank you!!!

[@bubblepins]

Thanks!

[@idirbelaid2837]

Thank you so much, well explained, now i can make my spaceships !!

[@bubblepins]

Thanks for watching!

[@idirbelaid2837]

@@bubblepins i'm not done watching, i need to learn more, do you have a discord server ?

[@bubblepins]

@@idirbelaid2837 I use to, but I kept forgetting to log on and never checked it, so I stopped using it.

[@idirbelaid2837]

@@bubblepins hahaha, too bad !! please keep making more tutorials !

[@bubblepins]

@@idirbelaid2837 Will do!

[@nizar34]

Thank you very mush , you are great

[@bubblepins]

Thanks!

[@pfeffermartin642]

what hotkey did u use for quick change viewport color ? -- thx a lot

[@bubblepins]

Hover the mouse over the viewport and while the mouse is still over the viewport, press "D" on the keyboard. Then under the Background tab, on the top there's a drop down for Color Scheme. It comes in super handy!

[@pfeffermartin642]

@@bubblepins thx

[@jacobdutton919]

is it possible to get clean and even topology out of a boole object? is there an automatic way to remesh with even quads?

[@bubblepins]

The Boolean node has a few options for generated topology, but it mainly uses the 2nd geometry's topology as a guide to do the boolean and transfers the topology over to the resulting geometry after the boolean. You need to try to keep clean topology before the boolean for both objects that get fed into the boolean, then the resulting geometry can try to maintain the clean topology. Hope that helps!

[@jacobdutton919]

@@bubblepins Wow thanks very much for the response. I think im just a little confused how you could match up the geometry of 2 objects before 'booling' them. I bassicly just want to be able to model hard surface objects that could be subdivided when brought into another program - do you think thats manageable using this modeling technique?

[@bubblepins]

@@jacobdutton919 For simple geometries like the primitive shapes I think it could be possible, but you probably want more complex shapes. In that case, I have a trick that I use. Method 1: First do the boolean operation that you need with the 2 objects, then throw down a vdb from polygon node to convert it to a volume, then throw down a vdb convert to convert it back to a polygon, then you'll have nice topology. The problem with this method is that you sometimes loose the nice hard edges. Method 2: Well not really a method, but you can use the boolean operation to do the stuff you need and after that use the remesh node, but there's a "Hard Edges group" parameter where you can specify the edges that you want to keep. So what I usually do is put a * in there to keep all the edges made by the boolean and then usually the remesh node will be able to maintain the original shape with ease. But this will only work if the resulting boolean geometry is simple enough. Less topology after boolean node the better. Keep important edges like hard edges and stuff that make it look good in the renders. Hope that helps!

[@kartik4996]

i ve got a warning in boolean fracture in the end ... warning says cross boundary (unshared) edges in a solid A plz tell me how to fix this

[@bubblepins]

Yeah this warning comes up quite often. Usually for me, it comes up when I have a not so good geometry fed into the boolean. If the geometry isn't water tight or one of the corners aren't fused properly. Try dropping a fuse node on both geometries feeding into the boolean inputs, and see if that helps make the warning go away.

[@kartik4996]

@@bubblepins thanks for the reply ... My problem is solve i take polyfill node in that setting geo. type set to quadral i have to set it to Triangles .. after that problem solved

[@carlosrivadulla8903]

i like listening to you

[@bubblepins]

Thanks for watching!

[@stevejjd]

Where is the part where the hole in the box is made to look more complex like a bullet hole in concrete?

[@smyrkphace]

The assemble node is bringing my cutting geo into the simulation. I dont want it in there. I have a sphere cutting out the center of a cube. I shatter the resulting geo (in a dopnet to sop net), but the sphere is also dropping out and getting shattered separately. I can blast it after, but Id rather have it not there to calculate.

[@bubblepins]

I'm not sure why it brings in the cutting geo as well. Try filtering the geometry on the assemble node using the group parameter. This will assemble only the selected group geometry. But if you're cutting geo is being merged into the assemble node, then it might still end up in the sim. I think blasting it before the assemble node, may be the only way, I think. Hope that helps!

[@smyrkphace]

@@bubblepins Thanks it turned out that the sop solver simulation wasnt able to calculate the boolean. a combination of a that and because the boole was a cavity.

[@iranaester8156]

Thanks a lot for your explanations =^_^=

[@bubblepins]

Thanks for watching!

[@dewhoop]

how to access boolean output edges group?

[@bubblepins]

Near the bottom of the boolean node, there's a bunch of groups that you can output. Try enabling them and see if one of those seam groups will be the edge you're looking for.

[@dewhoop]

@@bubblepins unfortunately, i couldnt make it work. i want to use the edge group to kinda make a bevel edges with noise

[@bubblepins]

@@dewhoop Try using the rbd interior noise node instead, they give you a lot of these functions out of the box. I have another tutorial demo-ing this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fICqo4Grd6yhsJo Hope that helps!

[@dewhoop]

@@bubblepins Woah, thankyou for speedy reply, will look on that!

[@risnandarmultimedia5296]

what i really like is when we doin really messy step in this software it still can be saved and non destructible

[@bubblepins]

I know, that's the best thing I love about Houdini! No worries about committing to something, lol Houdini is king of procedural non-destructive workflow!

[@KarelChytilArt]

It looks like Live Booleans in ZBrush. Thanks

[@bubblepins]

I agree!!! That was my first thought as well!

[@KarelChytilArt]

@@bubblepins I tried some ZBrush meshes in Houdini and boolean functions there but with one subs mesh it is little weird .. shading like polygons from A mesh in that cutting area have some weird shading. But i used GoZ for that. I will try just import meshes and unpack and convert. Or do some meshes just in Houdini. But my knowledge there is quite limited for now. In ZBrush booleans work perfect. ..... I think i have figured it out ... Thanks ... just turned off that :Seam polygon are flat and it works. I also try to turn it on.. and nw iit works :D so .. sorry for that reply :) some crazy stuff maybe

[@bubblepins]

@@KarelChytilArt It is true, I have found that zBrush Booleans work very well in comparison to Houdini. I think it might be due to the fact that zBrush can handle a higher polygon count than Houdini or even voxels. Both Boolean functions came out around the same time from what I recall, I wonder if someone release a new thesis for a new way of coding an algorithm for booleans or something.

[@plentynimrod6526]

Every time you say A, B, and watertight geometry a smart person dies. Have you ever tried tutorials without talking?