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Assets In The Orbolt Cloud!
Posted on Mar 28, 2013

    Assets In The Orbolt Cloud!


    Asset versioning, management, distribution is something that users have expressed interest in. One of the things that's often overlooked is that Orbolt provides you with the platform to do just that.



    The assets uploaded to the website are available anywhere and anytime. Switching to a different machine in another location around the world.. no problem! Login into the website and your current Houdini session Asset Browser will download all of the assets you've had before. The store always has the latest version.

    Useful workflow tip.. by creating a simple 'Custom Pack' asset, that contains all of the assets you'd like to group together (they can be just a group of disconnected nodes); you allow users to download a pack of assets with a single click. This is quiet useful if you have a collection of utility assets that are best distributed together.


St. Patrick's Contest Winner!
Posted on Mar 18, 2013

    St. Patrick's day Contest Winner!!

    ..and we have a winner!!!
    Congratulations to Miguel Pérez Senent!!

    Link to the video
    Looks like the Houdini 12.5 HD license found quiet an appropriate home!

    We invite you to join in!



    Send your entries to support@orbolt.com

    .
    Just like December's Holiday challenge, we're offering prizes for the best entries!
    Stay tuned for updates which will help you win a Houdini Apprentice HD subscription!

    See how assets were put to use for the last contest:


Houdini 12.5 is out!!!
Posted on Mar 14, 2013

    Houdini 12.5 is out!!!


    TORONTO: March 14, 2013 - Side Effects Software, an industry leader in 3D animation and visual effects software, is proud to announce the immediate release of Houdini 12.5 which offers a wealth of new and enhanced features including Cloud FX , Ocean FX, OpenVDB volume sculpting tools and an optimized lighting and rendering pipeline with built-in support for delayed-load Alembic primitives.


    Houdini 12.5 + Orbolt Assets = Profit!

    Side Effects Houdini 12.5 Announcement


March Contest Update
Posted on Feb 22, 2013

    Assets for St. Patrick's day contest

    Earlier in February we announced a contest coming this march! And to make sure that your well prepared for it, we're going to supply a few assets which can be adapted to a St.Patrick's Day theme.

    This Hat Asset will fit nicely on your leprechauns head, or perhaps just serve as a prop in a pot-o-gold composition. Whatever you like!

    Remember to send your entries to support@orbolt.com

    for a chance to win!. Contest deadline is this March 17, 2013.

    Stay tuned for more assets to assist you with this challenge. And remember, top entries receive a Houdini Apprentice HD subscription!

Uploading Dependencies via Author Tools
Posted on Feb 20, 2013

    Have we got dependency issues?

    Not unless you consider innovation a dependency... This post is a follow-up to Part1 on upload via the Asset Author Tools RMB menu.

    Use other assets in your own

    We've noticed that some authors are beginning to use store assets within their own, bigger assets. This is pretty cool because it lets us build upon each others work! It does raise a few speed bumps however. The most common issue with this is how to handle these dependent assets.

    Previously, in part 1 of this tip, we outlined how to skip a few steps when uploading your assets to the store by using the Author Tools RMB menu.

    The image below shows a convenient way to upload assets with dependencies, directly from Houdini. One of the virtues of this method, is that it handles all the renaming, installing, and referencing of the dependency assets.

    Upload the lowest-level assets first, and work your way to the top.




    Once you have all you dependencies uploaded to the store, save your hip file to use and example file.




Asset Author Tools; Upload Tips
Posted on Feb 19, 2013

    Special tools make authoring easier!

    A while back one of the developers published some Asset Author Tools to help artists create assets. There are some little-known advantages to using these tools that I'd like to share with you.
    The main advantages are
    • Upload directly from Houdini
    • Embed extra files, (automates opdef commands)
    • Handles renaming of asset to unique "store namespace" version for you.
    First, see the installation tips here .

    Direct upload from with Houdini lets you skip a few steps!!

    With the Asset Author Tools installed, you can just RMB over and asset that you are working on and you'll see some new commands available. Notice the "Upload to Orbolt Asset Store..."


    Uploading this way will:
    • Prompt you to login at the store
    • Scan your file
    • Open the upload dialogue (leave it open for now)
    • Send you back to Houdini
    • Install the store version of the asset into your hip file



    Now is the perfect time to save the hip file as an example file.


    The store version of your asset has your user account name appended to it. It now replaces the original asset. The hip file can now be saved as an example file to upload. Use the "Browse" button on the upload dialogue to include this file with you upload.

    The last thing you'll need is an icon, about 500x500 pixels square to showcase your asset. Screen-shots and YouTube or Video URLs are also great to have, but you can easily add them later.

Houdini Artists love your work!
Posted on Feb 15, 2013

    There are Houdini Artists working at night for you!

    ..well, it's night somewhere on the planet right?
    On the average day here, we have at least two Houdini Artists working with your files. Part of their job is to review incoming assets (fun!) and assist with any upload problems. The assets coming in from the community are really cool!

    Keep up the good work!



    Staff Artists are Busy

    Houdini artists here also spend a bit of their time creating assets for the store too! Right now we're focused on creating tools for learning, and reviewing incoming Assets from you. We do this as a way to seed the store with fresh content, and ensure that there is some free content for hobbyists and students.

    We have made our content fully documented, and annotated so as to set a decent example. It's mostly playful stuff, much of it geared towards demo material and learning tools. We don't really intend to be in the authoring business though. We figure that when it comes to content, you, the community will do better than us.

    Our Role is to Facilitate

    We view our customers as the artists, for whom we provide tools. The Orbolt Asset store is intended as a tool and resource for our community. The community artists provide the content
    • Secure it if they choose
    • Sell it if they choose
    • ..At a price they choose.

    We offer infrastructure for this:
    • Free, organized distribution
    • Security
    • QA
    • Customer communication
    • Version updates
    • Support
    • Integration into Houdini.


    There are lots of benefits to working with the Orbolt Smart 3DAsset store!"

    BTW, the figure at the desk pictured above is Male Motion Capture from the Orbolt Asset Store!

Valentine's day best wishes from the Orbolt Asset store.
Posted on Feb 14, 2013

    Happy Valentine's Day!

    We thought we'd send you this festive image...hope you don't mind that we chose this instead of sending chocolates or long-stemmed roses!



    Send a Video !

    While approach might work for a store website, we recommend that you not try this with your significant other (I did last year and ate dinner alone as a result, sniff).
    If you want to make a card to go with the flowers you're rushing out to buy at the last minute, feel free to start with ours! Here's a hip file with some bouncing-balloon-like hearts, and a comp network which allows you to add a special someone's name. Or you can just send a URL to this VIDEO !



    Get the Houdini hip file HERE

    Note: This scene file uses the free HDRpath Environment Asset .

High value assets can save you time and money.
Posted on Feb 13, 2013

    Honest Pricing for High-Value Software

    What's your household budget for Console games?
    And how does that compare to your budget for mobile games/apps?
    ...and which do you spend more time with?

    It's pretty common to pay $40-60 for a console, or $2 for a smartphone App.
    Collectively, we do this thousands of times each week* .

    Does the $2 app entertain me 1/20th of the console game? Not necessarily, but each type of purchase does come with different expectations. Consumers are aware that console games can cost millions to produce, whereas apps often are perceived as being made after hours, on a shoestring budget. As a result, one costs more than the other. Consider what you're getting: each has different production quality, and represents a different scope of product altogether.




    Free vs. Paid
    This topic pertains to Houdini asset authors and customers alike. Deciding how much to pay, or charge for your Houdini Digital assets can be a difficult task. The time required to make these assets, and the production value they provide, certainly factor into their price.

    At the Orbolt Asset Store, we're sharing and selling visual effects, tools and experiences ( to name a few). But we could make an analogy to the game industry and ask "Do I want a console game, or a mobile app?". Both are available here.


    Variety is the spice of life!

    As our community continues to grow, you're going to see a wide range of assets and prices. We recognize that different customers have different needs and expectations from our store. Hobbyists and students may prefer free stuff to experiment and learn with, whereas production studios are more likely interested in higher-end "developer" assets which offer major, plug-in like, functionality.



    Even a modest After Effects plug-in can run $500 bucks or more. A major plug-in for Maya, such as RealFlow can cost thousands of dollars. When you consider these costs, the value of Houdini digital assets becomes really apparent.

    The Orbolt Asset Store is a resource for the global Houdini community. Whether as a "first touch" point for new users, or a go-to place for the most seasoned veterans, the Asset store is your place for Houdini Digital Assets.

    Links

    Learn more about Houdini digital assets (webinar).

    Did the 'games" analogy make you want play a little? No prob! There's a a video game-like asset in the store:
    Arcade Bug Hunt

March Contest
Posted on Feb 09, 2013

    St. Patrick's day Contest

    We're hosting another artist challenge! St.Patrick's Day is Sunday March 17th.
    We invite you to join in!


    You don't need to be Irish, or wear green to participate in this contest. Heck, if you can spell the word Irish, you qualify! Just have a sense of fun and use any asset from the Orbolt Asset Store to help make an original composition.
    Send your entries to support@orbolt.com

    .
    Just like December's Holiday challenge, we're offering prizes for the best entries!
    Stay tuned for updates which will help you win a Houdini Apprentice HD subscription!

    See how assets were put to use for the last contest:


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