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TOTAL DURATION: 2h 49m 48s

Learn how to use Houdini’s modeling tools to create an old west revolver. A lot of this work will be accomplished in the viewport and will teach you how to model interactively. Houdini’s node network will be used for some modeling tasks and to organize your work. The revolver will be created using primarily Polygon Modeling Tools with a focus on creating good topology that can be subdivided at render time.

To finish up, learn how to move the revolver into the Solaris context for lookdev and lighting. Here you will assign materials for the body and handle of the revolver. You will then render out an image of the final model using the Karma XPU renderer.

Be sure to download the PDF document with step-by-step instructions that work with the video.

Research for this lesson by Michael Buckley.

DOWNLOAD PDF | Step by Step
DOWNLOAD PROJECT FILES
Introduction [2:59]
An overview of all the lessons being taught in this tutorial to help you figure out where this project is headed.
1 | Model the Cylinder [23:28]
To start, you will learn how to set up reference images for three of the views to assist with the modeling process. You will focus on one section then use reflection and rotational symmetry to build up the cylinder geometry.
2 | Create the Front of the Revolver Body [23:07]
The front of the Revolver requires a bit of planning to make sure there are polygons where you will need them down the line. Learn how to create and combine shapes then use Polydraw to fuse everything together with good topology. PolyExtrude will then be used to build out the shape.
3 | Create the Back of the Revolver Body [16:00]
To finish up the revolver body, you will create a half sphere and boolean it into the main shape. You will also carve out the revolver’s gate which will also require another boolean and some tweaks to the points. This will complete the main body of the revolver which you will use to build out parts such as the barrel and the handle.
4 | Cleanup Topology [15:53]
The booleans created a lot of n-side polygons which makes for a messy topology. Learn how to clean up the model using tools such as PolyDraw and PolySplit. The goal will be to create quad polygons that will subdivide properly down the line. This lesson will tackle a number of topology issues. You may find more that you can fix using these techniques.
5 | Create the Barrel [12:04]
When you modeled the front plate of the revolver body, you used three rings that will now be used to create the barrel. Using PolyExtrude, you will bring out this shape and add enough detail to accommodate some of the smaller parts such as the sight. Because this is being extruded from the main body, the barrel will be well connected to the overall shape.
6 | Model the Trigger Guard and Handle [23:01]
To create the Trigger guard and the handle, you will learn how to use tools such as PolyBridge. There will also be various edge loops, polydraws and tweaked polygons along the way. Some of these steps will be repeated from earlier in the lesson but practice makes perfect and each of these parts of the model come with their own challenges.
7 | Model the Trigger and Hammer [27:18]
You will start building both of these shapes using polydraw then extrude and center them. Transform nodes will be set up to create rotation points for future adjustment. The hammer requires that you cut a box out the back of the revolver which will again require cleanup. The revolver is getting very close to being ready.
8 | Add Details [15:52]
There are a couple of finishing touches to finish up the model. The base pin will be built out of a half sphere and the ejector rod will use a Helix to create the spring and PolyWire to surface it. These small details add to the look of the revolver and are worth taking the extra time to create.
9 | Render the Revolver [10:06]
To render the revolver, you will learn how to bring the geometry into the Solaris context to add materials and lights. This will involve adding a name attribute to separate the handle from the body for rendering purposes. You will then build a background shape and add a textured material. You will then render using the fast Karma XPU renderer.

CREATED BY

rmagee
ROBERT MAGEE

Robert Magee is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at SideFX who has been working with Houdini for 20 years. He has created lots of learning material and demos designed to help artists understand how going procedural with Houdini can benefit their work.

More from Robert Magee

COMMENTS

  • ItsGamma 2 months, 1 week ago  | 

    I am just about to start part 4! So far I have had only one issue, which was the handles on an edit were not flat. It was easy to work it out on my own.

    This has been a great, well explained tutorial, I only started with Houdini 3 months ago, after years with Blender. The nodes can look frightening, and confusing, but learning from Robert has eased that fear! Can't wait to finish this!

    Thank You Robert!!

    • ItsGamma 2 months ago  | 

      Well I finished the Tutorial! So happy with the result, but more so that I learnt so much! As I said, 3 months in Houdini now, but only feel like I have done the peel of the wrapper! My Result Robert, and again Thank you!! https://ibb.co/wFYPXwP6

      • rmagee 2 months ago  | 

        Great job! Glad that the lesson was helpful for you!

      • carlos.go.jorge 2 months ago  | 

        The best tutorial!Congratulations!

        • Natsu 2 months ago  | 

          I'm learning so much from your tutorials, and they are amazing.
          Thank you Robert!

          • rmagee 2 months ago  | 

            Thank you for exploring Houdini!

          • ItsGamma 2 months ago  | 

            I know you are busy, and spending time on your work, but could you make a 'Part 2' to this? An animation of the revolver firing? Something between Beginner and Intermediate?

            • ItsGamma 2 months ago  | 

              I find that sometimes the jump from Beginner to Intermediate can but overwhelming!

            • henkeblomman 2 months ago  | 

              Love the tutorial Robert! You are truly a master.

              • Matei 1 month, 4 weeks ago  | 

                Hello Robert, I am having an issue on the first video when it comes to PolyBevel the selected edges, i press PolyBevel and my Houdini instantly crashes and closes.
                I tried to group the edges with a group node but it's still the same problem. Do you know what could cause this issue ? Thx again for the tutorial!

                • rmagee 1 month, 4 weeks ago  | 

                  Not sure - please log a bug with your Houdini version # and details. One workaround could be to put a polybevel node in the network then press the arrow button next to Group on the node - hopefully that allows your selection without any issues.

                  • Matei 1 month, 3 weeks ago  | 

                    I've tried many things but sadly nothing works, i'm currently on Houdini 19.5.368
                    I can't attach a screen in my msg but here what the error message says :
                    2052 : Fatal error : Segmentation fault

                    • rmagee 1 month, 3 weeks ago  | 

                      Oh - this tutorial is designed to work with Houdini 20.5 - I would anticipate issues using Houdini 19.5. Try out the latest Houdini 20.5 build - hopefully that resolves your issues!

                      • Matei 1 month, 3 weeks ago  | 

                        Appreciate this, thank you for your time and answers Robert!
                        Best regards.

                • martinkovachevdesign 1 month, 3 weeks ago  | 

                  Hey Robert! I'm really enjoying the modeling techniques so far. I'm currently stuck on Part 3—around the 6-minute mark, you added a PolyFill node to connect points and create polygons. However, when I switch the Fill Mode to Quadrilateral Grid, I get a spiral-like connection instead. I noticed that yours connects only the rows, whereas mine is also adding columns, which causes the connections to bend. Any idea what might be causing this?

                  https://ibb.co/YFyQNn6P

                  • rmagee 1 month, 3 weeks ago  | 

                    Try the corner offset paramter - that should twist it back into place.

                    • martinkovachevdesign 1 month, 3 weeks ago  | 

                      Yes, that adjusts the angle, but there's still a noticeable bulge. https://ibb.co/TqRQrLZx

                      • martinkovachevdesign 1 month, 3 weeks ago  | 

                        I started the tutorial again, and that fixed it. Not sure what I missed the first time, but it's working perfectly now.

                        • rmagee 1 month, 3 weeks ago  | 

                          Glad to hear it.

                    • otiose 1 month ago  | 

                      Thanks so much for this tutorial! Even though I'm a TD I rarely have a chance to work in the Modelling space, so was great to see how easy this was to create and apply! Definitely keen to try this to create some of my own models into the future to really 'get' the concept!

                      • rmagee 1 month ago  | 

                        Glad you enjoyed it

                      • cqdev4964 1 month ago  | 

                        Hi Robert,
                        So far I have been following along with 20.0 and haven't found to many differences I wasn't able to over come with a bit of librewolfing.
                        My laptop is not quiet up to 20.5 standards so I'm running what I got.

                        In my mid 50's and looking for new challenges in life I'm glad I came across this monster of a program.

                        Your teaching style is to the point and precise, and it is clear you have great knowledge in this program.
                        Can't wait to get stuck into it.

                        Cheers Mate!!!

                        • arkreatives 3 weeks, 5 days ago  | 

                          Hello Sir,
                          I was just curious about why you set the quad fill offset to align with the diagonal, I'm assuming it was done to better follow the quad topology but then again if I set the offset to 1 it follows the vertical line and still quads the geo similarly. I'm pretty new to Houdini can you please help me understand why that decision was made?
                          Thanks!

                          [Time mark: 02:55]

                          • rmagee 3 weeks, 5 days ago  | 

                            So that you are ready for what happens at 5:66 when you reshape some of the points to set up for the GATE - if the longer line was pointing up and down then the shape would not flow quite as nicely. It could still work but this works out a bit better.

                          • SerjKirchano 4 days, 7 hours ago  | 

                            Loved it!

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