OctaneRender™ 3.0 for Houdini™ - production build 3.05.3.0

[juanjgon]

Hi!

This is the latest production build of OctaneRender™ 3.0 for Houdini™. This release is available for the Houdini 13.0/14.0/15.0/15.5 latest production builds for Windows x64, Linux gcc4.8 and OSX 10.10. This plugin is also compatible with Houdini 15.5 Indie. In this case, the plugin will have a 1080p limited resolution while rendering sequences, and the scene export and cloud rendering features disabled.


Release 3.05.3.0
https://render.otoy.com/customerdownloa ... _Win64.zip
https://render.otoy.com/customerdownloa ... _Linux.zip
https://render.otoy.com/customerdownloa ... ni_OSX.zip

Release 3.05.3.0 Demo Version
https://render.otoy.com/plugindownloads ... 4_demo.zip
https://render.otoy.com/plugindownloads ... x_demo.zip
https://render.otoy.com/plugindownloads ... X_demo.zip

Standalone version for the network rendering nodes
https://render.otoy.com/customerdownloa ... _3_win.exe
https://render.otoy.com/customerdownloa ... _linux.zip
https://render.otoy.com/customerdownloa ... _macos.dmg


New features
A list of all the new features is provided here: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=51679
The plugin manual is being updated to cover most of the changes. https://docs.otoy.com/manuals/products/houdini/v3/


=============================================
RELEASE 3.05.3.0
=============================================

* NEW PLUGIN FEATURES:
- The output filename prefix output has been set to "$HIP/render/$HIPNAME.$OS.$F4" by default to match the Mantra default.
- Support of the Parameter VOP node with any parameter name, including the prefix and postfix.
- More robust XYZ rotation parameter to control the texture environment orientation. NOTE: Due to the deprecated heading/pitch parameters, this feature can modify the texture orientation of the existing scenes, that should be readjusted.

* NEW OCTANE FEATURES:
- Added pins to specify a ground colour and the transition from sky to ground colour to the daylight environment node.
- The daemon list shows the computer name of the master that is bound to a daemon, which allows you to figure out who is currently occupying it.
- Replaced the pin "distributed ray tracing" in the info channels kernel node with a new enum pin "sampling mode" - which does the same as the pin in the render passes node.
- Optimized the film buffer sizes for the wireframe passes and deep pixel rendering.

* OCTANE BUGS FIXED:
- Fixed inverted vertex normals when the geometry is subdivided.
- Fixed box mapping when used in a emission distribution texture.
- Fixed the motion vector pass: which may produce in non-continuous motion vectors when modifying the shutter interval or subframe interval
- Fixed texture environment mapping when X axis translation is set to anything different from zero
- Fixed a crash when setting any displacement texture UV transform scale component to zero
- Fixed shadow catcher material to take media into account


Thanks,
-Juanjo

[cybernetix]

HI - does "support of the parameter VOP" mean we can bring in attributes?

[juanjgon]

I don't think so, not at render time. The Parameter VOP can hold now a parameter with a custom name, including the prefix and postfix, but it is available only at extraction time. As you know Octane doesn't support user attributes yet.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

[jiayujinn]

When will octane start to support user attributes.... I've been waiting so long...

[juanjgon]

Well, I suppose that once the OSL feature is in place, to write the shader nodes needed to retrieve the user data at render time. Believe me, I have also been waiting for this feature so long ...

Thanks,
-Juanjo

[Fake Pilot]

@jiayujinn Have you watched this hack...?
https://vimeo.com/172594655

[juanjgon]

Yes true. There are several hacks around. Even the plugin has one inside to render a color attribute in the particle systems, but there is not a real support for multiple point/vertex/polygons/objects user attributes using the Houdini attributes workflow. For me, this is the most important feature not supported yet by the Houdini plugin, and a showstopper for using it in a lot of projects.

Anyway, the Octane team is aware of this limitation and I'm sure that once we have the OSL feature in place to write new shader nodes, the user attributes feature will be added.

Meanwhile, along the 3.1 dev. cycle, I'll add some new cool features to make the plugin more robust in production, like support the direct rendering of alembic files loaded at render time, an updated IPR window with support for the render region feature, direct rendering of the Houdini area lights, etc ... so stay tuned

Thanks,
-Juanjo

[pasto]

Meanwhile, along the 3.1 dev. cycle, I'll add some new cool features to make the plugin more robust in production, like support the direct rendering of alembic files loaded at render time, an updated IPR window with support for the render region feature, direct rendering of the Houdini area lights, etc ... so stay tuned

Wow sounds good !

Is there any problem with using this new version to render a scene that has been built with an older one ?

Many thanx

Jérôme

[juanjgon]

The only problem to render older scenes with this build is that if you have an environment texture using the not default rotation (heading and pitch not 0) you could need to readjust it in this new version. There are no other incompatibility issues.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

[Angelos]

I created in this version (Octane_3.05.3.0_Houdini_15.5.673_Win64) and then would like to downgrade to Octane_2.25.0.0_Houdini_15.5.523_Win64 and when I try to open old scene the program just hang down.