COPstance - plugin for Houdini

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Hello, guys!
I developed a plugin for Houdini - COPstance [copsubstance.com], that adds some most powerful Substance Designer atomic nodes to Houdini in COP2 context. For now, there are 24 nodes in Substance menu: Arc Pavement, Blend, Channels Shuffle, Cube 3D, Directional Warp, Distance, Emboss, Fluid, FX-Map, Gradient (Dynamic), Gradient Map, Grayscale Conversion, Levels, Normal, Seamless Noise, Shape Mapper, Simple Perlin, Slope Blur, Splatter, Splatter Circular, Tile, Tile Generator, Transform 2D, Warp.

And 16 nodes in Substance Patterns menu: Checker 1, Fibers 1, Fibers 2, Gaussian 1, Gaussian 2, Gradient Linear 1, Gradient Linear 2, Gradient Linear 3, Liquid, Mesh 1, Mesh 2, Shape, Waveform 1, Weave 1, Weave 2, Weave Generator.

All nodes have the same specific parameters as nodes in Substance Designer. All nodes work almost identically to nodes in Substance Designer.



Node FX-Map has some specifics in work. The nodes inside the FX-Map in Substance Designer work in such a way that multiple outputs can be connected to one input and each output can have only one connection to the input. That is, the outputs act as inputs, and the inputs act as outputs. Therefore, the nodes inside the FX-Map node in COP Substance must connect from right to left. That is, the root node is on the right, and the entire hierarchy goes to the left.


For now, there are support only Windows versions of Houdini 17.0, 17.5, 18.0, 18.5 and 19.0.
Edited by Quantico - Feb. 9, 2022 15:46:36
COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
Follow COPstance on Twitter: https://x.com/copsubstance [x.com]
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Moved this to 3rd party tools where it belongs.
Chris McSpurren
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Updated plugin to version 1.0.1
- FX-Map node: added Color Mode parameter for Quadrant node
- FX-Map node: added Luminosity parameter for Quadrant node
- FX-Map node: fixed root node loading.
- FX-Map node: fixed some rare crashes.
- Added 5 assets (.hdanc): Fibers 1, Fibers 2, Mesh 1, Mesh 2, Waveform 1.




COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
Follow COPstance on Twitter: https://x.com/copsubstance [x.com]
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Updated plugin to version 1.1.0
- Added new base node: Tile
- Added 2 assets (Substance Patterns): Shape and Shape Mapper.




Edited by Quantico - Oct. 18, 2021 13:43:37
COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
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Just FYI the gamedev tools already have a pretty amazing Substance integration in COP (currently in beta)
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Akelian
Just FYI the gamedev tools already have a pretty amazing Substance integration in COP (currently in beta)
Wow, this is cool! It was exactly what I wanted when I started to develop this plugin half a year ago. There are some old threads on Substance forums, where people asked for this.
But there are some problems with this Substance node: I can not figure out how to pass some image to it.
COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
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@Quantico - How did you create this ? I like this, thanks. I think why many will choose the gamedev tools is the price of your tool COP Substance.
【T】【C】【S】
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@Quantico - How did you create this ? I like this, thanks.
It all started as a challenge. I wanted to replicate the Substance Designer nodes in Houdini. But it turned out that not all nodes can be replicated in Houdini. So I decided to make this plugin. Developing it was fun and very interesting. A separate challenge was to make the result of the nodes identical to the Substance Designer ones.

I think why many will choose the gamedev tools is the price of your tool COP Substance.
Unfortunately, I cannot make it free - it took a lot of my personal time, to develop this plugin. Besides this, to use Substance Designer integration from gamedev tools, you also need a license for a Substance Designer, which costs a minimum of $150 for indie. Without it, it is just a player of ready-made assets. Also, this integration does not work with textures with dimensions that are not powers of 2, as well as large than 4096x4096. Also, you cannot use this integration to transfer your texture to Substance Designer for processing.
I think these are two different products that are designed for different purposes.
COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
Follow COPstance on Twitter: https://x.com/copsubstance [x.com]
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I never said to make it free, rather simply lower the price. If many choose the game developer tools over your COPSubstance tool considering the game developer tools are free, then lowering the price may not be a bad chose, especially if it has not sold well.
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This is a great plugin. Hope Sidefx cuts a sweet deal with you.
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Christopher_R
I never said to make it free, rather simply lower the price. If many choose the game developer tools over your COPSubstance tool considering the game developer tools are free, then lowering the price may not be a bad chose, especially if it has not sold well.
OK, thank you. I will think about this.

Avik
This is a great plugin. Hope Sidefx cuts a sweet deal with you.
Thank you!

I added a subscription button on website, so you can be informed when a new version of the plugin is out (and about discounts).
COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
Follow COPstance on Twitter: https://x.com/copsubstance [x.com]
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A new version 1.2.0 of the plugin is just released!
New in this version:
- Added Transformation 2D basic node.
- Replaced Houdini's Transform node with a new Transformation 2D node inside all pattern nodes. Now tiling is much faster.
- Normal Node: fixed scaling problems. Now its output looks identical for different sizes and same parameters.
- Added new pattern nodes: Cube 3D, Gaussian 1, Gaussian 2, Gradient Linear 1, Gradient Linear 2, Gradient Linear 3.







COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
Follow COPstance on Twitter: https://x.com/copsubstance [x.com]
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A new version 1.3.0 of the plugin is just released!
In this release:
- Added new basic node: Levels.
- Added new basic node: Splatter.
- Added new pattern node: Checker 1.
- FxMap node: added Render region parameters.
- FxMap node: fixed nodes recursion loop detection.
- FxMap node: fixed AlphaBlend mode rendering.
- FxMap node: fixed some other bugs.
- Tile node: fixed bug with using not connected image.

COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
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It looks like an awesome plugin, I have a few questions though.

Are there any plans for adding any equivalents to the tiling noises available in substance designer?

Do you have any plans for making the blur nodes that can be driven by grayscale maps, for example slope blur?

What happens if we want use one of the Copstance nodes inside a hda, will it work without the plugin installed on other PCs?
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FFD
Are there any plans for adding any equivalents to the tiling noises available in substance designer?
Yes, I can add noise nodes.

FFD
Do you have any plans for making the blur nodes that can be driven by grayscale maps, for example slope blur?
Slope Blur is not a very complicated node. I can add it too.

FFD
What happens if we want use one of the Copstance nodes inside a hda, will it work without the plugin installed on other PCs?
I would like to give you such an opportunity, but unfortunately, Houdini didn't allow to embed plugin inside hda, or make a read-only plugin.
COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
Follow COPstance on Twitter: https://x.com/copsubstance [x.com]
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Hello, guys!
A new version 1.4.0 of the plugin is just released!
In this version:
- Added Houdini 18.0 support.
- Added new basic node: Blend.
- Added new basic node: Arc Pavement.
- Added new basic node: Slope Blur.
- Channels Shuffle node: fixed parameters saving.
- Directional Warp node: fixed non-tile render.
- Warp node: fixed non-tile render.
Blend and Slope Blur nodes are totally identical to Substance Designer's ones.

COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
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Hi,

just stumbled over this - fantastic work, I love it! The price - if I see it right - is extremely low and absolutely fair. I am going to buy a license right now, even though I have no personal use for it because efforts like this NEED to be supported.

That said, I would strongly recommend to not call it “Substance” in any way. I haven't researched whether Adobe (now owner of that stuff) owns rights to the name, but the original authors most probably do. Besides, they do own patents (which, as far as I have followed discussions about what they got patented, I found funny, as the same kind of things have been done since the beginning of coloured computer graphics )
It would be quite sad if you had to shut down because of name-infringing or even patent-issues.


Marc
---
Out of here. Being called a dick after having supported Houdini users for years is over my paygrade.
I will work for money, but NOT for "you have to provide people with free products" Indie-artists.
Good bye.
https://www.marc-albrecht.de [www.marc-albrecht.de]
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malbrecht
Hi,

just stumbled over this - fantastic work, I love it! The price - if I see it right - is extremely low and absolutely fair. I am going to buy a license right now, even though I have no personal use for it because efforts like this NEED to be supported.
Thank you for your support!
Yeah, the price is low because there are no so many nodes for now. Maybe I will increase it in the future.

malbrecht
That said, I would strongly recommend to not call it “Substance” in any way. I haven't researched whether Adobe (now owner of that stuff) owns rights to the name, but the original authors most probably do. Besides, they do own patents (which, as far as I have followed discussions about what they got patented, I found funny, as the same kind of things have been done since the beginning of coloured computer graphics )
It would be quite sad if you had to shut down because of name-infringing or even patent-issues.
OK, this is an interesting question. Note, that the name of plugin is “COP Substance”, not just Substance. And their product name is “Substance Designer”. I don't think that they patented the “Substance” word.
In any way, I don't think that they worry about me But if they ask, I will change the name of my plugin - this is not a problem.
COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
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Hi, Oleg,

just pointing it out here, don't shoot the messenger :-D

Honestly, I'd be careful with companies like Adobe. I would not expect their lawyers to accept an argument like “my product is called Cop substance” … actually, I would ask them and, if so required, change the name of my product, just to avoid an unnecessary quarrel on a battlefield that I neither could win nor profit from.
They'd probably not ask but sue you right away … so I would definitely take the action and ask them.

That said: License bought - and I will try to find the time to look into it, too! :-)


Marc
---
Out of here. Being called a dick after having supported Houdini users for years is over my paygrade.
I will work for money, but NOT for "you have to provide people with free products" Indie-artists.
Good bye.
https://www.marc-albrecht.de [www.marc-albrecht.de]
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malbrecht
Hi, Oleg,

just pointing it out here, don't shoot the messenger :-D

Honestly, I'd be careful with companies like Adobe. I would not expect their lawyers to accept an argument like “my product is called Cop substance” … actually, I would ask them and, if so required, change the name of my product, just to avoid an unnecessary quarrel on a battlefield that I neither could win nor profit from.
They'd probably not ask but sue you right away … so I would definitely take the action and ask them.

OK, Marc, I understand. I will think about it.

malbrecht
That said: License bought - and I will try to find the time to look into it, too! :-)
I hope you will enjoy it!
COPstance - plugin for Houdini
https://copsubstance.com [copsubstance.com]
Follow COPstance on Twitter: https://x.com/copsubstance [x.com]
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