Houdini 20.5 Nodes Geometry nodes

Feather Instance Pool geometry node

Creates a feather primitive for each combination of template weights found in the input curves.

The Feather Instance Pool operator is responsible for generating feather primitives based on the input curves and their template weights. It creates a feather primitive for each unique combination of template weights found in the input curves.

Parameters

Template Blending

Allow blending of templates. This will generate extra primitives at a number of blend intervals.

Template Weight Steps

The number of weight steps to be used for blending the template weights. Increasing the number of steps can result in a smoother blending of weights and finer variations in the feather shapes.

Output

The type of output generated by the operator. Three options are available:

Curves

Generate feather curves as the output. Each feather is represented as a curve primitive with barb attributes.

Agents

Generate feather agents as the output. Each feather is represented as an agent primitive.

Packed Geo

Generate packed geometry as the output. Each feather is represented as a packed primitive.

Create an Instance Per Curve

Once the chosen number of unique templates is generated, copy the appropriate template for each input feather. The result is a feather geometry ready to be moved/deformed to the feather groom. This can be done using the Feather Deform SOP. With the Agent and Packed Geo output options, the produced copies are instances of one another, meaning the copies require very little extra memory.

Cache

Whether the generated feather instances should be cached. This makes results in much faster updates when the input changes, but the number of curves and their template assignments remains unchanged. Very useful for fast display of the full feathers while grooming.

Agent Properties

Shaft Segments

The number of segments to be used for the shaft of the feather when generating feather agents.

Barb Segments

The number of segments to be used for the barbs of the feather when generating feather agents.

Create Barb Joints

Whether joints should be created for the barbs of the feather when generating feather agents. When enabled, joints are created, allowing for articulated movement of the barbs.

Barb Segments

The number of segments to be used for the barbs of the feather when generating feather curves or packed geometry.

Geometry nodes