Digital-Tutors working on Houdini/Torque learning DVD

#1 This is a good idea, It makes me wonder why there isnt more offline options like this. Being able to pop in a training course on my tv would be a great idea. There are few subjects that would work well.

#2 FYI - The DVDs are designed for the computer and let you playback high quality video that makes it easy to ready dialog boxes etc. There are a number of free lessons on the digitaltutors.com website that you can see for reference.

#3 As a person that is sadly still working from a 56k modem, the free lessons are great. but id like to have a solid copy. I have to go to the city to watch them. a hour and half away.

#4 I think some guides on setting control surfaces to existing FBX imports/rigs a very good topic! Along these lines, some animation producing ones would be nice as wel[walks, runs, leaps!]... How to get a cyclic sequence built, how to UV map/unwrap with the HD native tools....ah; I'll think up some more!

#5 How about some visuals on working with MoCap data? Specifically, BVH format and the ability to apply it to Imported rigs[if possible] in HD or the Auto Rigs. Also, some data on combining both capture weights and parenting entire point groups to a single node/null., would be nice.

Would almost say, "Have them take a look at the provide Example files", they're great examples of the features, now demonstrating how they got that way, might go a long way in easing and learning curve misgivings. They are mostly the non-character based examples. I have a Auto Rig example in a biped and have many Imported FBX files for point/click exporting, those type of examples would be helpful, perhaps?

#6 Texture Baking :D

i think that there is a way to do that ( mantra -u or something like that ) but i have no idea on how do i set everything up. I know its marked "Beta" inside the mantra command line help output. But still i'd say its a feature game devs will use rather frequently.

#7 Any walk throughs showing export to torque format would be great. I myself was only able to export one of the dts examples, and i have no idea how it got there. So just showing how to do that would be great

#8 Which examples didn't work? I ran thru them all when I first began testing; perhaps they didn't get updated with the new schema of no metaNodes[details, sequence, etc...], and that may be preventing the successful export? I know that when I open older Scenes/files with the old metaNodes, I get some errors on the nodes.

Let me know, I'll take a look at them...! I'll certainly help you get them going, I found the morph and scrolling UV ones the most unique; as I'd never even seen these features in a DTS before.

Yah, might be really relevant to have some videos of the examples as I suggested earlier, progressing towards a skinned character Render, then animated dts, then DSQ output only.

#9 Well I am a real noob when it comes to any 3D program, so the fact that I could export anything at all is amazing, the fact that i got something into TX at all is awesome.

But I found it wasn't entirely clear how to set geometry to triangles. I understand we probobly wouldnt have to do that for those examples, but still, need more info on that.

For the actual morph, ie flag export, I tried once exporting and it took 25 minutes and did nothing. I'm not sure how i was supposed to set the sequences, or anything. Or really how the output path, export thing was suposed to be set. Even though it seemed to be set correctly, the html it produced said i didn't have anything to export... Hmm.. Well hopefully I'll know more by the end of the week, I'm going to download the digital tutors on houdini right now and see if i can't do better by first rounding out my houdini skills.

Once again I'd like to stress that I have used 0/9 of the 3D programs on this site, so take my complaints with a grain of salt.

#10 Oh, didn't think you were complaining....just wanted to know which ones weren't working. I've just gone and started to bring in the examples and exported the first 3 just fine. I have to head in for dinner now, I can walk you thru working the ROP. Try loading an example scene from the Help on the Node. Then bring in the ROP by the Menu dropdown. At this point, everything should be set. Find the Bounds tab of the exporter/ROP, check the custom box and create a bounds. Now, try the Render button on Export tab. I'll be back later. I'm on MSN as well....my profile has my contact info.

#11 Houdini sounds like a really powerful piece of software...
Things I would be interested in learning about:

Basics:
basic mechanics of the program of course...DTS exporting, Collisions, Animations and sequences, Alpha Channels, ...just get the program really "needed" for Torque users.

Intermediate type stuff:
Lighting (normal lighting, halos, candles, torches and such...using it with the lighting pack would be neat), morphing, LOD, gun shots(like on the jill pack) ...particles look really neat on Houdini, that would be interesting to have a lesson on. Using DTS from Houdini with DIF(BSP) models.

Advance stuff:
Advanced lighting (complex CG type stuff), shaders, particles for fog/waterfalls...advance particles...controlling particles...how the modeling, lighting and particles can be used together and can create some nice effects

#12 Please point out any differences among platforms (MS Windows, Mac OS, etc.) when using Torque.

Carpenter Software

#13 Is there rough date on when this may be available?

#14 Hmmm. *Crickets*. Does anyone at GG have a contact at DigitalTutors to see if this DVD is still planned?

#15 This DVD is still being researched. The DT Houdini guy went and got married this summer and that threw off his original schedule. At the same time these lessons will probably take a little more prep work than originally anticipated.

Please continue to point out on this thread the topics you would like to see covered. The community can also help by continuing to assist each other and posting working examples that your colleagues and DT can take a look at.

Robert

#16 Congratz to the developer for his marriage!!

anyone know an ETA on the DVDs?