Houdini 13.0 Nodes

interface version 2

Sets up a snapping point (and/or direction) based on an input geometry.

Snaptools provides a toolkit to “snap” or align one geometry to another, using up to three points on the source and target geometry for matching.

A snapping network consists of one or more Snap/Point nodes, then a Snap/Xform qL node. Each Point can add a new snapping point (or direction), and the Xform performs the transformation, based on the information set up by the Point nodes.

Workflow

  • Procedural snapping: after defining source (red) and target (green) reference points, the torus is snapped and aligned onto the target surface (a grid).

How to set up a point (snapping component)

  • Open a Parameter panel for a Snap Point qL SOP (also, make sure the OP has the display flag)

  • Specify the reference geometry (it’s either the connected input, or another SOP drag-and-dropped into the SOP Path field)

  • Press the Display Selection Geometry: this displays the reference geometry

  • Specify the geometry components

  • for point: use src/tgt coord A/B/C

  • for dir: use src/tgt Aim or Up, from/to an already existing A/B/C point

  • press Done Editing

  • use the “Add New...” convenience buttons to build next element of the OP chain

Parameters

SOP Path

If enabled, this path specifies the geometry where the snapping component (point or direction) will be extracted from (reference geometry). If disabled, the input geometry is used.

Display Selection Geo

Pressing this button will display the reference geometry. If there are selected primitives and/or points (see below), only those parts will be displayed.

Tip

Workflow tip: press this button before tuning the parameters. It ensures proper visualization of the geometry component selections.

Selection Mode

The way of extracting a 3d point coordinate from the reference geometry.

Point(s)

The resulting 3d point will be the average of the selected geometry points. The Select Primitive(s) and Select Point(s) fields can be used to select the primitives and points (by their indices).

Point on Curve

The 3d position will be of a single point from a curve primitive.

Constant

The point coordinates can be typed directly.

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Done Editing

Press this button once all parameters are set up.

Tip

Workflow tip: always press this button once all parameters are set up as desired. This ensures that the proper geometry and data is passed to downstream operators.

To Do

  • Option for extracting directions from (per-point) vector attributes

Release Notes

interface version 2 —

2014-02-26

  • First prototype, with reworked UI

interface version 1 —

2013-05-14

First prototype.