Houdini 20.5 Reference Panes

Parameter spreadsheet pane

The parameter spreadsheet shows a flat list of rows representing nodes in the network, and columns representing the flags and parameters (and parameter components) of each node.

You can press on a row heading to show a sub-set of that node’s context menu. Press on a column heading to show options for the column, such as sorting.

To...Do this

Populate the spreadsheet

  • Set the Op mask, Op filter, and Parm mask fields in the toolbar. The fields support wildcards.

    The default is to not show anything (to prevent the spreadsheet from becoming overloaded with irrelevant information). For example, after you add nodes to the spreadsheet, it will not show any parameters on the rows. You must specify parameter names (such as t* for all parameters starting with t) in the Parm mask field.

    You can use bundle references in the Op mask field (for example, @arm_bones to show all nodes in the arm_bones bundle).

  • Open the tree sub-pane (right click the background and turn on Open parameter tree, or press W, or use the gear menu) and select nodes from the tree. Parameters and flags are also shown in the tree as a convenient drag source.

  • Drag nodes and/or parameters into the pane, or into the Op mask or Parm mask fields to add them.

  • Use Load Scope from the gear menu to populate the spreadsheet with the parameters from the channel list.

  • Drag a take into the pane to populate the spreadsheet with the nodes, parameters and flags currently in the take.

Show flags in the spreadsheet

  • Instead of using a parameter name in the Parm mask field, use one of the following:

    • .display-flag

    • .render-flag

    • .template-flag

    • .footprint-flag

    • .selectable-flag

    • .export-flag

Edit the value in a cell

  • Click a cell to start editing the value inside.

Select multiple cells

  • Drag down the row headings (node paths) to select rows.

  • Drag across the column headings (parm names) to select columns.

  • Hold Space and click or drag to select multiple cells.

  • Press C to deselect any selected cells.

Edit multiple cells at once

  1. Select the cells (see above).

  2. Click in one of the cells and edit it.

  3. When you press Enter, the new value is copied to all selected cells.

Note

The pattern in the Parm mask matches the channel name of the parameter, not the human-readable label from the parameter editor.

To see the channel name of a parameter or parameter component, hold the mouse pointer over the parameter in the parameter editor. A tooltip will appear showing the channel name.

Note

Because the Parm mask matches by name, the same pattern can match different parameters on different nodes. Some cells may be empty because the parameter in a column might exist on some nodes but not others.

Note

Empty rows, i.e. those without matching parameters, are excluded by default. To change this, toggle Show Empty Rows from the gear menu.

Note

Use the parmsheet command to control the options of a parameter spreadsheet pane in HScript.

Tip

You can drag and drop a take from the Take List into the Parameter Spreadsheet to set the parm mask on the spreadsheet. This will let you quickly isolate the parms enabled in a given take and present them to you in a convenient, spreadsheet-like fashion for editing.

Troubleshooting

A node I want does not appear in the spreadsheet.

  • The node path does not match the pattern in Op mask.

    Check the pattern in the Op mask field. See Populate the spreadsheet above for how to add a node to the spreadsheet.

I can’t edit a cell.

Possible causes and solutions:

  • That parameter does not exist on that node.

    Cells at the intersection of a parameter (column) that does not exist on a given node (row) are empty. You cannot edit these cells.

  • The parameter is locked.

    If the field’s background color is pink, the parameter is locked. You can press on the parameter’s name in the parameter editor and choose Unlock to unlock it.

  • The parameter is not included in the current take.

    If the field has a dark background color (the same color as empty space in the pane), the parameter is not in the current take. You can press on the parameter’s name in the parameter editor and choose Include In Take to include it in the current take.

Panes

General

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Rendering

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