houdini .sim particles into xsi!

[hidalgo]

Hello guys

sorry if thats posted in the wrong section, i wanted to ask if anybody knows any reliable way to import .sim particle simulation from houdini inside xsi? i could try importing the vdb, but that would require me a further simulation which i would love to avoid if possible.

Thanks

[Bullit]

Maybe Realflow .bin?

[hidalgo]

bin files are mesh files (geometry) i need the particles, otherwise i can export directly into alembic for a solid mesh..my problem is that i have already a .sim sequence simulated and i wanted to avoid re simulating it out, but i guess i should..

[Bullit]

Are you sure? Realflow has particles also, so how they export it for 3d apps ? Soft, Max etc all have to render the Realflow particles.

I checked:

It is important to be aware that RealFlow supports two different file formats with the BIN extension - a Particle BIN file and a Geometry BIN file...

from karakatoa website.

[hidalgo]

ah thats super weird, my bad i was totally sure last time i tried with realflow that i couldnt get particles with bin!! i should recheck even if that sound anyway like a bit of a third passage which will make everything more complex to manage.

[pezetko]

File with .sim extension is simulation file with all that info from DOP net. You had to export it from Houdini with real flow bin exporter (there is particle export node that you can use for exporting to the .bin format).
In Softimage you can import particles afterwards, it creates pointloud with Ice Tree importer nodes.

[hidalgo]

@Pezetko
i manage to have the exporter to work now i have to understand how to add a numberic decimal to the sequence or xsi will not read it correctly heh damn life is hard!!

[dwigfor]

@Pezetko
i manage to have the exporter to work now i have to understand how to add a numberic decimal to the sequence or xsi will not read it correctly heh damn life is hard!!

Adobe Bridge can rename sequences, if you've got that.

[hidalgo]

thank you dwigfor, i manage to write the correct decimal directly inside houdini which is usually much better..

to rename stuff, if your interested there is a free small utility called rename it, very handy

[Rork]

Adobe Bridge can rename sequences, if you've got that.

Also, if you don't have Bridge installed, have a look at XNView. It can do that as well, and more. Also, it's free(ish).

[hidalgo]

well seems like really a tricky things to do, real flow import the particles, but then to mesh them the only solution i could find is empolygonizer, wich (although i am using it wrong) takes minutes only to scrub the preview in the viewport, means that if i want to make a flipbook with it for 300 frames it make take up to 400 minutes...

someone got any other idea?

[Bullit]

Mesh the particles? You certainly have mesh resolution options.

[hidalgo]

you mean in empolygonizer? sure there is a mesh resolution option i am talking exactly about it, even at lower res its useles... i am doing the turn of the world and i have exported the particles in real flow format, from there into frost then back in xsi trough alemebic...still faster then anything else...

[Mr.Core]

you can try also to mesh with VDB if you have it nstalled. Via VDB menu -> Mesh Tools -> Particle mesher, its pretty fast as for me ( and the main speed bottleneck is the way ICE creates mesh ), and you have a bunch of nodes for processing voxel representation of particles before the actual meshing happens.

[hidalgo]

yes ive tried that possibility too, but for my meshes the vdb its not working, for some reason i can't get the gridname to match on the vdb from my houdini tank to ice, so for now it didnt work at all...