Hard Surface modeling test

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amm
Just for info, Maya doesn't.

I dug up some info on this and apparently, there isn't something in the interface by default, but one can open the Tool Settings floating window and there you'll see the axis orientation displayed. And changing it is easily done with a ctrl+shift+RMB menu.

amm
So unfortunately, yeah it is a kind of negative, of “others have it”.

For clarity sake, I never thought “others have it” is a good argument. In fact I've expressed my aversion to it occasionally, arguing that things should be copied/reproduced when that thing is intrinsically good, not just because other users are accustomed to it in other apps. An example of SideFX going with “others have it” w/o (maybe) considering whether it's actually better, is the “new” default move gizmo which no longer has negative axis (by default) and for plane manipulation has those small square thingies that are harder to grab than to simply point the cursor between two axis. Some people love this Maya style gizmo for some reason, even though it's demonstrably slower to work with it than with the older one.

BUT, from an ethical and business pov, it makes sense to offer your clients what they want just because “others have it” even when you think it's not better for them, long term. Otherwise, one can invoke something that other companies (and governments, but we ought to keep politics out of these forums) have been guilty of and rightfully so - arrogance. The arrogance to think you know what's best for others. Or worse, to act on those convictions, as you're free to think whatever you want, as I do, related to the new gizmo. The arrogant thing to do of SideFX would've been to not implement it. Or to remove the old one, thus not offering people the choice to make good or bad decisions, as they deem it's best for them, rightly or wrongly.


amm
It seems they choose the worst possible ergonomics as reference, that is, Maya one, or to say precisely, no reference. As far as I know, Maya developing ‘philosophy’ when it comes to modeling tools, it is to avoid any significant effort, any change in UI exactly for that purpose, and Houdini seems to admirably follow that style.

To make things work easier, i.e. with less effort, is a desirable goal. The crucial thing to keep in mind is to not compromise on flexibility and accuracy while trying to achieve that, something that I think you believe Maya has failed to do. I take your word for it, as I know very little about Maya.

Also, I think we ought to be a bit more accurate (and fair) here and acknowledge the fact that SideFX's business model is very different than Autodesk's, in a good way. So far, many RFEs of mine and other users' have been implemented since I came here around H14. I don't see any evidence to think Adsk is that willing to engage directly with its users. I don't think anyone believes this is a controversial thing to say.

I'm sure Houdini will suffer some UI changes to accommodate new tools and workflows, as they're being added and already suffered a few. The pace at which this happens on the UI/modeling side, as you know, it's not something that impresses me positively. But to deny its existence, I think is a mistake (not that you do).
Edited by anon_user_89151269 - 2019年4月5日 10:58:33
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McNistor
amm
Just for info, Maya doesn't.

I dug up some info on this and apparently, there isn't something in the interface by default, but one can open the Tool Settings floating window and there you'll see the axis orientation displayed. And changing it is easily done with a ctrl+shift+RMB menu.

amm
As we all know, Maya Tool Settings is one *huge* window, created to accommodate things like weight painter or such, and info about coordinate system is lost whenever any such tool is activated. ctrl+shift+RMB is at least weird, imho there should not be any combo with more than two keys, anywhere. It's so easy to forget these ‘easy’ things in Maya, after few days of using something ‘normal’ (normal = not influenced by Linux or TDs from big studios) like Blender, Max or Cinema. Long story short, info about cord system, or position of selected anything ( object, vertex ) should be accessible permanently.
Back to Houdini, I have to admit that in nodal part, networks and so on, hopefully they don't following the Maya path - but, when it comes to viewports and interaction, H seems to be a full of unpleasant similarities.
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Well, let's keep complaining and also file RFEs then, because we know that around here, at least we have a chance to change those unpleasant aspects of H, unlike on some of the industry behemoths' forums where you seldomly get an answer from a staff person that tiptoes around the issue brought into discussion and nothing gets done when the new version comes out.
I for one, have filed a RFE a while ago for a Transform panel. But if it's only me who did that, chances of getting it implemented remain low and we're back to the well known egg-chicken problem: users are not using Houdini for some things because they're poorly developed and SESI will not develop those areas because users are not using them. And my suspicion is that the slow developing on some of these things is SideFX's solution to this conundrum. I hate it, but it might be the wisest thing to do from a business PoV - slow but steady development = minimal risk taking.
Edited by anon_user_89151269 - 2019年4月5日 11:10:09
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For sure McNistor. Sidefx support and development is second to none, but they need help to understand what the end user needs, and how it should work in practice.
I've had very good response from people over the globe asking about the videos I posted. That tells me that there are more people out there who really wants to stay in Houdini, for all their needs.
I will submit the same RFE from my side for a proper transform panel. Lets get more people on board.

On a different note. Here is something I did recently while beta testing DM tools from Alexey. Fantastic set of tools, and a video will follow soon, showing this in action.

Attachments:
DM_Drone_in_Houdini.jpg (67.2 KB)

Werner Ziemerink
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Here you go. Pull it apart.
Notice the use of hotkeys fr most operations. Lovely!

Werner Ziemerink
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thank you Werner for videoing how to use DM tools and nicely modeled too
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Amazing!
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Wow! fantastic work! Keep it up!
Procedural Girl
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Great work.

It's always nice to see other people experiment with the modeling tools in Houdini - then I feel less alone in hoping for awesome interactive modeling tools. Coming from Modo, I found it difficult to model in Houdini, but the tools have come along nicely since H15.

Lets hope they keep chipping away at it and we get a nice upgrade in H18.
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