Hi everyone!

Baking tools are considered to be very important in GameDev workflow, so we built a new lightweight version of the Simplebaker/Games Baker not too long ago. It is SUPER fast since it bypasses a lot of the stuff the mantra version does, which ofcourse also comes with some limitations. (The tool for example is not aware of anything not directly referenced by the geometry / material attached. Things like for example lighting / VEX based procedural shaders)

Let us know what you think, and enjoy baking!

Hi, I'm having an issue with this node. Perhaps a bug, or a lack of houdini understanding on my part. I'm trying to bake vertex colors from a frame sequence mypath/myname.$F6.png, but after baking a given frame all subsequent bakes seem to cache and output that original frame, whether output by playing on the timeline with manual mode disabled, selecting a frame and manually clicking bake, or using this script:

import hou

node = hou.node('/obj/file1/sop_maps_baker1')

for i in range(int(hou.hscriptExpression(“$FSTART”)),int(hou.hscriptExpression(“$FEND”))):
hou.setFrame(i)
hou.ui.triggerUpdate()
node.parm('newparameter').pressButton()

Is this the intended functionality? If so, where should I look to modify this node to suit my needs?

Hey Joseph,

Right now the maps baker only supports exporting a single frame, and not a frame range like the games/simplebaker.
I will add your request to my to-do list and update the tool accordingly.

The copnet inside the baker currently does not have any frame dependencies, which is why you get the same image (frame 1) exported regardless of the frame number the timeline is on.

Paul

Hi Paul!

You replied to me on this thread: https://www.sidefx.com/forum/topic/62146/ [www.sidefx.com]
about using texture re-projection when creating a “texture atlas creator” using a UVlayout node with the maps baker node.

I tried this and it works really well!

It would be great if we could transfer more maps though.
I'm texturing my assets with Substance Painter and bake out stuff like Emissive, AO, Height, masks etc.
that i'd need to re-project as well.

Right now this only seem to work with Diffuse, Normal, Opacity, Roughness and Metallic (which is all great :-))

Is there a work-around to achieve this? Or is there a possiblity you could add that to the Maps Baker node? :-)

Thanks,
Ron

Hey Ron,

Those maps are currently not planned, but you could plug them into diffuse as a workaround. (I agree it is not optimal) Please file an RFE for this request! https://www.sidefx.com/bugs/submit/ [www.sidefx.com]

At request of a user, here is how to use the Maps Baker with PDG

Hello, Paul!
I can't use Map Baker because of error when hit bake:


Houdini 17.0.352
Game Dev Tools installed manually because auto won't install Map Baker…

Hi,

Is your paintattr of type float or vector? The baker can only bake vector attributes right now.

Paul

Hi, Paul!

Sure, that was the first thing I've checked
(I am doing exact steps you doing on video)

Cheers!

Vlad

Ah I see. I also just noticed that you manually installed the toolset because the maps baker was missing. Did you install a production build or development build? Either way, make sure you install everything thats on the Github repo. Some tools rely on python scripts we also ship. (in the scripts folder)

That aside, could you send me your hip file so I could debug it for you?

Sure, Paul.

Production is not include Map Baker. Only Development does.

And, by the way, when I start Houdini I am getting also:


This happening only when I have Game Tools installed….


my file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rp1puo4dlp7hiig/MapBaking.hip?dl=0 [www.dropbox.com]

Thank you in advance, Paul!

Vlad

Hi Vlad,

I checked your file, and it seems you are using Houdini 17.0. The Maps baker uses some 17.5 features, which is what's causing the error to happen. It also explains the warning that pops up when starting Houdini. (viewerstates.utils is new in 17.5)
Next to that, it also explains why the Maps Baker doesn't show up when using Auto Update. The updater only downloads compatible builds.

To solve the above issues, please update to 17.5
If you can't, I can look into making a 17.0 port, but it will NOT be able to bake normalmaps. (Due to a required feature in PolyFrame that can export MikkT tangents)

Paul

Ah, that make sense…
Thank you for looking at my file, Paul! Only reason why I am not updated to 17.5 is you have no 17.5 branch in Game Tools. I had a though 17.0 is highest one
Thank you once again!
Vlad

No problem!

Development branch is always latest (17.5, newer, etc)

Hello

First of all, I apologize if this is not the right place/way of doing this, but I found this thread, and I am not sure if a GameDev tool problem should also be reported via the RFE/bug submission form.

I have a couple of problems integrating the Maps baker into an optimizer HDA I am custom-building for my client. They want to use this asset prefereably from within Unity using Houdini Engine.

Problem 1

Here, I link to Maps Baker's output path, grabbing the filename from the input FBX file, and keeping the $CHANNEL suffix.
This works fine in Houdini, however, in Unity, I lose the “filename”, and only the folder part of the path is kept. Even if I click the “browse” button, I cannot manually input a filename, as the dialog window is a “select folder” type.
I have tried appending a “_baked.png” to the end of the default path in houdini, it shows up in Unity when I use the “reset parameters”, but as soon as I try to browse for a different folder, I get the “select folder” window and I lose the filename again.
Probably because of this, when I click the Bake button, nothing happens.

Problem 2

Besides normal map and ambient occlusion baking, I also need the option of baking a tiled diffuse texture to the single-tile uv Set used for baking.
This was working, at least in Houdini, but is now giving me this error message (I have just updated the GameDev tools to see if problem 1 was fixed, don't know if there is any relation).

So, for now, I have no map baking working from Unity, and in Houdini I lost diffuse baking.

I am running Houdini 17.5.229, Unity 2018.3, and I have just updated to the 1.173 production build of the GameDev tools.

Thanks in advance

animanoo
Hello

First of all, I apologize if this is not the right place/way of doing this, but I found this thread, and I am not sure if a GameDev tool problem should also be reported via the RFE/bug submission form.

Hi,

Please submit this to support! Otherwise it becomes a bit hard for me to keep track of
Issues with Game Tools should also be sent there.

Hi Paul

Thanks, I have submitted both problems separately to support.

Hi Paul,
I've been trying to bake some rock pieces on to a plane, so I can use them in a particle system. The normals come out nice but I'm not getting any alpha channel generated.
I'm using the ‘Trace Mode’ as Surface Normal and I'm outputting Alpha from the generate property group.

I also tried the simple baker, and although I'm getting the expected results the alpha generated is not anti-aliased.

Any ideas?

James

Here's an example of what I'm trying to do. I just want to generate a texture from the rock shape and get an alpha channel with the baking tools.

Don't seem to work the same as they used to. Are both nodes using nearest surface?

Dear friends,

I'm looking for help:
I'm using houdini Apprentice and trying to find a process to generate diffuse/albedo baking.
If the baking part is ok we should be ok for a houdini production

I'm used to work on softimage then i'm a little confused now.

Here is the point:
I make a cube in a empty scene. Adding a Blue Sphere then using a sop maps baker .
- on the cube I put auto UV and normals plus a black color point .
- on the sphere i put a blue constant shader plus a red color point.


my wish is to bake the blue sphere on the cube, with a correct antialiasing as I want to use it as a mask for generate and create others stuff in substance.
or at this point I just get color point channel but it's not antialiased .
when I check diffuse , I only get a pink picture without any informations.

Could you help me on the good process ? Did I missed something?

Kind Regards ,
Fred