This video will show how you can use COPS (Composite Operators) to generate normal maps inside Houdini. The convenient thing about COPS is that it is lightweight and easily editable, which means that you can iterate and make many different versions using a combination of COPS and SOPS (Surface Operators... eg. geometry) to get the image you want to make. You are essentially layering all the elements together, as you would in any 2D image editor - but inside of a 3D application :)

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SideFX
SIDEFX

For over thirty five years, SideFX has been providing artists with procedural 3D animation and visual effects tools designed to create the highest-quality cinematic results. We are passionate about what our customers do because our roots are in production, both as artists and as pioneering technical innovators.

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COMMENTS

  • MrBrN179 8 years ago  | 

    I've always wondered how to get those pluses on the nodegraph and how to get the straight line node connections?

  • TwinSnakes007 8 years ago  | 

    Thank for you this excellent tutorial. Is there any end to Houdini's magic?

  • fianna 8 years ago  | 

    @MrBrN179 you hit D for options over Network Editor Pane and select "Points" for Grid Display. You may want to enable "Snap to Grid" and then change Grid Spacing. I changed mine to 0.5 x 0.5 and as for straight line, choose in Display tab > Link Style > Rounded.

    @ Daryl :) thanks for the kind words. As for the magic.. who knows what we can pull out from the hat :)

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