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TOTAL DURATION: 2h 26m 32s

Learn how to use the Solaris Lookdev, Layout and Lighting tools to create a market scene using existing assets. The Solaris environment converts everything into USD [Universal Scene Description] which is an open source initiative created by PIXAR. The Solaris/LOPS context allows you to work with USD natively using procedural nodes to manage key USD concepts.

You will learn how one artist can publish USD layers or files that can be picked up by the next artist. Changes can be added non-destructively to set up a scene or refine a shot. The way USD is used in this lesson is for artists who need to benefit from its power without getting mired in its technicalities.

This lesson includes a step-by-step PDF which you can use to follow along the lesson supported by video tutorials.

DOWNLOAD PDF | Step by Step
DOWNLOAD START FILES
DOWNLOAD USD FILES
Introduction [3:56]
An overview of all the lessons being taught in this tutorial to help you figure out where things are headed.
1 | The Component Builder [27:43]
To start, you are going to focus on asset preparation. This is where you bring together the geometry and textures to create a USD-based asset. To do this, you will use the Component Builder which makes it easier for artists to create first class USD that will work reliably throughout all of the stages of the pipeline.
2 | Create Assets with Variants [27:09]
The next few assets will be set up using Variants. Variants are different versions of an asset which have unique geometric or material qualities. The component builder lets you set up all the different variants then incorporate them into the USD file. Later you will have access to the variants during scene assembly and layout.
3 | Work with the Layout Gallery [8:11]
You now have assets that have been properly set up as first-class USD. For this part of the lesson, you will play the part of an assembly artist who is going to create a scene out of the kit of parts you just prepared. This will give you a sense of how different artists on the same team can work together using USD in Solaris.
4 | Instance Jars on the Bookcases [12:48]
You now have two bookcases that are sitting empty. You are going to populate these shelves with jars using instancing. You will start by pulling the shelves into the geometry level where you will scatter points on the shelves. This provides a very efficient workflow for dealing with many similar objects. You will also add some variation to the size and orientation of the jars.
5 | Add Props using the Stage Manager [10:51]
So far you have dragged items from the Gallery to the stage which has resulted in reference nodes in the network. You are now going to use the Stage Manager node to work with several assets at the same time. This node gives you access to the gallery and lets you place, duplicate and set variants on your assets.
6 | Create Background Elements [26:24]
This scene would look better with some context. You are going to build a small building behind the market stall to flesh out the scene. This involves going to the geometry level where you can still see the Stage level to make creative decisions. You will also add detail to the ground surface using textures created in Copernicus to make it look like sand dunes.
7 | Shot Layout and Lighting [18:57]
You are now going to start a new scene where you will layout two shots as a Shot Layout/Lighting artist. You will learn how to tweak the elements of the scene to suit each shot and how to use insertion nodes to make it easier to add nodes to the right place in a network. Each shot will have a unique look using the same base assets you set up in scene assembly.
8 | Render Shots with Karma XPU [10:33]
Now that the two shots are ready, you can refine the rendering. Using Karma XPU, you will use render settings and set up AOVs - render layers for the shot. You will then Snapshot different lighting setups and compare the results. Once the shots are ready, you will render them to disk.

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

  • kerris45 3 months ago  | 

    Thank you very much sir, very appreciated

    • chrystah@sidefx.com 3 months ago  | 

      Awesome work Rob!

      • VFX4DESIGN 2 months, 2 weeks ago  | 

        I welcome ay videos on USD and Solaris! Thank you so much Rob 😀

        • Natsu 2 months ago  | 

          Thank you for the great tutorial!
          Your tutorials really help me learning Houdini.
          In the 5th movie step 08 in PDF, I had a difficulty getting Use Physics and Add Physics UI.
          It seems I need edit node to get those UI in Operation Control bar?

          • dariosaquetti 1 day, 16 hours ago  | 

            Thanks for the learning material. It's a good course for anyone wanting to be up and running with Karma + USD. The combination of video tutorials and a detailed companion PDF, makes learning much faster.Looking forward to more materials like this.Specially when the new AI tool comes out.

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