How do I set the default scene illumination to something like the Left image in the picture ? As opposed to the default, glaringly ghastly illumination on the Right. “The Alien marching cube invasion”

Switch to Flat Wire Shaded and set the viewport background to Dark in the Display Settings. I think that's the closest you can get.

If you are talking about the hard edge look…append a vertex Sop and under Normals select Cusp and keep the default 20.

sl0throp
If you are talking about the hard edge look…append a vertex Sop and under Normals select Cusp and keep the default 20.

I will be more specific. I really don't care about the background color, I know I can change that. I'm talking about the curious issue where the illumination of each object with its over overexposed lighting look, is predominant over a global scene illumination strategy, regardless of how many objects are in the scene.

That look is because the shading on each face is blending to the next face. The shading is bleeding from one face to the other because the edges are not cusped. The Vertex suggestion is the best to get square shapes to shade properly without changing the point count on the object.

Sidefx could create square shapes with vertex attributes set this way but in Houdini these steps are generally left in the artists' control.

Robert

Hi Robert:

Thanks for chiming in. Your words tell me what I already know, my picture is worth a 1000 words! I'm not convinced!

OK! I'm the Artist. Where do I change those settings, or do I have to use another 3d program?

Time is money. I don't always have time to construct renderings. Design is a work in progress, until the client signs off on it. If I'm collaborating with other members on a team, ….I'm using Houdini, ….they're using other 3d programs, and this is the best screen capture I can send them red-lined with comments, of what I'm working on. I'm worried they will not return my call.

Surely we want the scenes we construct with computers to look somewhat like the environment we human beings live in, that's the whole purpose, of computer programs such as Houdini. To mathematically reconstruct the natural environment we live in.

This is a quick setup with a bunch of boxes cusped to look like boxes. One point light with Physically correct falloff, one ambient light. Viewport settings:

- Shading mode to Smooth Shaded ('box' icon on the top toolbar, to the right of the path gadget)
- High Quality Lighting with Shadows (right toolbar, icon just above the sunglasses icon)
- Specular highlights off (RMB on HQ Lighting icon, toggle Specular off).
- Shadow Quality = Antialiased Point Shadows (RMB on HQ Lighting icon)
- 8x AA (display options, hotkey ‘d’, effects tab)
- Ambient Occlusion @4 (display options ‘d’, effects tab)
- Gamma @ 2.2 (display options, viewport tab, color correction group)

After that, it's just a matter of adjusting your ambient light and point light to give you the exposure you want.

I'm familiar with the cube icon: and its settings. Its sad that there is nothing more sophisticated offered in that dropdown list at this time.

On my wishlist I would expect a basic parallel ray, light source like the sun, whose shadows I can be adjusted easily given time of day, and city location.

I don't think too many new users are willing to remember a 6 step procedure to get basic lighting information into a scene, nevertheless I appreciate your How to light a scene contribution

cheers!

With all due respect Yak, i start to be a bit annoyed by the newbies that moan about Houdini not being more this or that, or not having a “click-here-to-make-great-art-button”.
Just familiarize yourself a bit with the software, read or follow the tutorials that you can find online, THEN ask questions politely and see how the gurus will be helpful. The Houdini community is fantastic and can help you out in times of need.
You don't want to start your Houdini-career by annoying the helpful people in the forums so next time think twice before you say things like “time is money” when you just received advice for free from professionals that invested a lot of time in being where they are now and still take the time to help newbies out.

All the display options settings can be made permanent by clicking the “Save as Default” button in the Display Options dialog.

There is also the SkyLight tool in the Light & Cameras shelf, which is pretty much your “one button press” solution for creating a distant light and an environment light with the appropriate lat/long/time-of-day controls (near the bottom of the skylight parameter dialog).

After that, it's up to your artist to light the scene properly, which I don't think is too much to ask of a lighter.

RudiNieuwenhuis
You don't want to start your Houdini-career by annoying the helpful people in the forums so next time think twice before you say things like “time is money” when you just received advice for free from professionals that invested a lot of time in being where they are now and still take the time to help newbies out.

RudiNieuwenhuis, I'm sorry!….. Its not my intent to annoy YOU.

Yes I'm new Houndin. I'm considering bringing Houdini into the workflow of the company I work for. Maybe your lucky enough not to work in a stress free environment, I have never had that luxury, so far. I get paid a bonus based on performance. If I find software that does not deliver I look elsewhere, There is lots of competition in this market.

In the mean time I appreciate forum members taking the time to reply.

No worries Yak, i'm not offended.

And Stress? Ha, I eat stress for breakfast!

;-)