FauxLiner: part 4 — Now What.

end thoughts …
In these posts we looked at how to make a tool to help transition new artists to Houdini and allowed a different accessible way to select nodes at different levels. We talked about various hiccups that one might run into when developing such a tool including mixing languages, issues with documentations and reversing in script what was previously done in the GUI.

There are some areas that could be far more compact but for the sake of instruction readability is favored over compactness. A python floating tab could have been used as well, but keeping it in hscript allowed us an easy way to devise the script in steps and allow the title to display cleanly in the floater.  The technique of returning a python ref to a preexisting FauxLiner helped keeps the function simple in addition to making sense since having multiple floaters would not offer anything additional.

what is available for download
This script is available in floaters.py in the script downloads section as well as incorporated into eyevexTools py module also available for download.

In addition to FauxLiner, floaters.py in both cases also contains “Quick Bundler’ (floaters.quickBundler() ). This is a floating panel with a bundlelist pane paired with the FauxLiner.  This is made specifically with rapid bundle creation and editing in mind. I assign “add to selected bundle” in the hotkey editor to CTRL+” Then with the Quick Bundler open, you can rapid bundle by:

  • activate/create bundle on the left
  • select node from any/all levels via the FauxLiner on the right
  • just move pointer over left side and press your hotkey
  • repeat …

caveats

  • currently with the quick bundler, there cannot be any other floating bundle lists open. This is a known issue.
  • after opening either floater, you may go to list mode in the node graph for the next network you create. It seems to only do this once. Press ‘t’ over the node graph to toggle it off list mode

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