OpenVDB to Softimage

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OpenVDB ICEAuthor: Oleg Bliznuk
This is a Softimage ICE integration of the OpenVDB suite, Dreamworks Animation's volumetrics toolset which has been built around a new data structure for efficient storage and manipulation of big volumes. See openvdb_dreamworks.pdf for slides of a OpenVDB feature presentation.

Oleg Bliznuk, author of Exocortex's Implosia FX and Explosia FX has created this ICE adapter. His fluid simulator »Explosia FX« (free as a noncommercial version) can be used to create VDB files. OpenVDB ICE covers the essential features of the OpenVDB suite:

Mental Ray/Arnold shaders included: VDBGridReaderScalar VDBGridReaderVec3 VDBGridReaderInt VDBVolumeShaderSimple VDBBlackbody

Compounds included: Voxelize Geometry Voxelize Particles Get VDB Grid Set VDB Grid File Grid IO Add Noise Fogvolume Filter LevelSet Boolean Operations LevelSet Morphology VolumeFog Boolean Operations Advection Get Value at Coordinate Set Value at Coordinate Grid To Mesh Mesh To Grid Get Grid Data Particles To Grid Grid IO Fill Box Grid Change Grid Class Noise Advect Level Set Morphological Filters Rebuild LevelSet Resample Grid Transform Platonic Create Grid CSG Deep Copy Grid Morpher Polygonize Grid Solidify Level Set Create Velocity Field Display Grid Info Platonic Sphere Resize Container to Active Volume Visualize Grid Slice Visualize Scalar Grid Visualize Scalar Grid Slice Visualize Vector Grid Visualize Vector Grid Slice

For feedback and questions, visit the si-community thread. There's also some info there on how to interoperate with emFluid. Here is a demo video by the author and another video from the thread, created by Rob Chapman using only OpenVDB ICE nodes and rendered using the included openVDB arnold shaders. Requirements: Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable Package (x64)

local backup: OpenVDB_to_Softimage_v0.8.rar

caledonian_tartan
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by caledonian_tartan » 07 Jan 2014, 17:18

thanks Tekano

caching .bafl is easy, but i get this error at rendertime. (while reading the renamed bafl file)
# WARNING : [VDB][GRIDIO]: IoError: not a VDB file

what do i need to chache on emFluid? waste? heat? density? velocity? all?

what's the ReadingGridName on the VDB_IO reader?


(using emFluid4 _ Solver v6, including the beta cache on file node)



I do believe you are turning the emfluid visualizer particles to VDB rather than the actual fluid grid.
i'm not shure how to get the real grid instead of just the visualizer. are you shure they're not the same?

the emFluid docs say:
"Grid (Array) - for advanced users. These ports give you access to the solver's internal data grids which are stored as flat arrays."
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Tekano
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by Tekano » 07 Jan 2014, 18:07

ah yes the grid array should work! I thought you were just connecting the pointcloud and the cell size attribute earlier

will try a VDB export out later to see if it works
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caledonian_tartan
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by caledonian_tartan » 08 Jan 2014, 09:24

here's a comparison of BA_Fluid and VDB rendering.
both using the same emFluid4 Grid as Source with a cell size of 0.25
vdbba.jpg
Looks quite the same. still lacks detail.

i noticed strange behaviour with "emFluid4 _ Solver (v6)".
the VisualFeedback_AlphaBox is limited in size and cuts the top. works wrong. especially with low cellsize.
no problem with v4. got to discuss that somewhere else.

still not able to load .bafl (renamed to .vdb)...
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Mr.Core
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by Mr.Core » 08 Jan 2014, 16:15

>>Gradient
tools::gradient
Mean curvature
tools::meanCurvature
Closest-point transform
tools::cpt
Divergence
tools::divergence
Laplacian
tools::laplacian
Buoyant density in an incompressible
fluid simulation
Magnitude
tools::magnitude
Curl
tools::curl


caledonian_tartan
Maybe you better try to get emfluid 5 beta and use it's native vdb export ..? It should be much more faster and in some cases may hasn't interpolation artifacts

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Tekano
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by Tekano » 09 Jan 2014, 16:10

Caladonian tartan:
yes my mistake you can only change the extension on the write file node to .vdb in emfluid beta not version 4

but it does work fine and also I used the blackbody shader driven by an emfluid heat grid (exported as vdb)

** edit ** here is image as promised below


Mr Core:
I have found various functions mentioned earlier in this thread in the VDB Levelset Mortphology compound. eg

mean value
dilate
erode
Gaussian
median value
mean curvature
Laplacian Flow
Track Narrowband
Renormalize

also have grasped that you have to input a vdb file and rebuild the level set before any noises or morphology can be applied then the grid class needs changing back from sdf to fog afterwards

so yeah looks like already have pretty much what I had asked for already :D and as for speed.. well from my tests so far these functions are being done in real time over 100's of vovels radius. I even accidently toggled off voxels into units..? any way hundreds of units took a few minutes to gaussian blur :)) but I let it continue and did not crash. so yes this seems VERY fast.
Attachments
emfluid_vdb_ai.jpg
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forton
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by forton » 12 Jan 2014, 09:58

The vdb export from emfluid5 works fine here, export with vdb extension, put shader on a cube, render.
One problem I have here is: how do I read sequences in the shader?
I tried tokens: [Frame #4], #### etc. but that doesn't seems to work, I don't know how to use the currentframe slider...

Any hints?

Cheers, Wim

forton
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by forton » 12 Jan 2014, 11:22

Found it! it seems $F5 stands for the "currentframe" parameter.

For example grid_00_$F4 gives me the name + currentframe in 4 digits.
The correct gridname I found by opening the vdb file in a text editor (waste).

Very easy to use if you know the basics, I know it's WIP but some more basic examples would be handy.

Thanks for this great plugin!

benmalartre
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by benmalartre » 14 Jan 2014, 12:54

First of all, great work Oleg!

But I have a problem though:
I'm on a windows xp 64 bits machine and I can't figure how to install properly the addon.
With DependencyWalker I have an unresolved symbol : InitializeCriticalSectionEx in Kernell32.dll
Do you think it's even possible? Or the plugin has to be compiled on a xp machine?

I also try to compile from source(from steven caron github repo) and while I compile successfully(on my XP setup), I encounter
the same problem.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

Ben

caledonian_tartan
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by caledonian_tartan » 14 Jan 2014, 13:29

seems like "Kernell32.dll" is 32bit, which is not supposed to be working on 64bit softimage... but correct me if i'm wrong
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Mr.Core
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by Mr.Core » 14 Jan 2014, 13:40

Hi Ben,
Which version of Visual studio you are using ? according to some info in web VS2012 uses runtime lib features not available on XP.
http://forums.codeguru.com/showthread.p ... -statement

benmalartre
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by benmalartre » 14 Jan 2014, 23:02

I'm using visual studio 2008...
Which version of VS are you using?

I definitely should update my setup, I know.
Since then I never had encountered such problem,
but also never used lib whith so much dependencies...

thanks for the link, I'll look at it.

reaver
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by reaver » 08 Mar 2014, 07:44

Ok Oleg, so I've got the plugin up and running, and everything works great! Except for one thing.......how on earth do you get the cloud fx files in houdini to save to a vdb file?? This is driving me nuts, as I can't find ANYTHING on the internet on how to do this??

luceric
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by luceric » 08 Mar 2014, 08:34

benmalartre wrote:First of all, great work Oleg!

But I have a problem though:
I'm on a windows xp 64 bits machine and I can't figure how to install properly the addon.
With DependencyWalker I have an unresolved symbol : InitializeCriticalSectionEx in Kernell32.dll
Do you think it's even possible? Or the plugin has to be compiled on a xp machine?
That's an API that's only from Windows Vista and up.

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Mr.Core
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by Mr.Core » 08 Mar 2014, 14:50

reaver wrote:Ok Oleg, so I've got the plugin up and running, and everything works great! Except for one thing.......how on earth do you get the cloud fx files in houdini to save to a vdb file?? This is driving me nuts, as I can't find ANYTHING on the internet on how to do this??
you should find some houdini guy and force him to open his secret :) Seriously, i got my files from friend who is experienced with houdini. And this question is pretty actual as you are one from many who asked on how to export these .vdb.

reaver
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by reaver » 08 Mar 2014, 16:12

Well, I guess its a good thing I have some technical smarts then, since I figured out how to at least get one frame out, and was able to load that into SI. I'm not too worried about an animation at this point as the project I'm currently working on involves a plane flying through some clouds.

I'll post how I did it once I get a better workflow going.

ronaldomiranda
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Re: OpenVDB to Softimage

Post by ronaldomiranda » 28 Mar 2014, 03:26

Hey Mr. Core, thats just so amazing! i could not believe in my eyes.
I have been studying houdini for some time, so thats so cool!

Btw, would be great to know if there is a manual or kind of some help on this great plug in?

I tried to open some VDB meshes that are on the OpenVDB site. they open in HOudini.

So wondering if the OpenVDB can exchange much more than fluids (smoke), is a kinda of alembic? but that exports all?

Can i import and export OpenVDB meshes from your plug-in? is it easy?

Oh man, sorry for so many questions, but i got to excited about this!

And very sorry for your country, you all Ukranians have been on my prayers!

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