object layer color inside GEO SOP?

[ptunstall]

Is there a way to assign an object layer color to a group inside a geo SOP? Currently I gave 1 object that I am rendering and it be great if I didn't have to break it apart and make multiple geo nodes.

[juanjgon]

An object layer color? Sorry, I don't understand. You can set the object layerID using the OBJ spare parameters, that always works at OBJ level.

Can you elaborate a bit more what workflow do you need from the plugin?

Thanks,
-Juanjo

[sohara20]

I think we are looking for something similar as well . A way to create masks per material or per houdini group within a Geo node. the current object level masking requires geo to be split into many nodes just to create masks.

[ptunstall]

Yes separate masks within a single geo node based on groups would be amazing. The material ID thing works kind of but it chooses colors arbitrarily and I'd like to explicitly say R G B or A.

[juanjgon]

Let me think about it, but is not going to be easy (or even possible) because in Octane the layers work at object level. One object can't handle several masks. You can use the material masks, but of course this is not the same, because two objects with the same material are going to have the same mask.

I will think about it, or fill a feature request to add this feature to Octane.

-Juanjo

[juanjgon]

Anyway I know that it only works at object level, but now you can set a custom color for the OBJ layer masks.

-Juanjo

[ptunstall]

It is by no means a show stopper, just curious! Thanks for the quick responses!

[sohara20]

Thanks Juanjo!,
Perhaps octane standalone needs some sort of sub object tag system for things like this (Masks or even subdivision) , I realize this is prob a Houdini-centric thing. Even a option for masks per shader might do the trick for the amount of control needed. Our solution will be a Houdini procedural object network with object colors in the meantime. ( Obj merge+ Blast Nodes to isolate specific sub objects).
Thanks!!