HoudiniHelp2CommentSuite
A serie of python scripts which manage node(s) comment and add documentation to comment functionality.
AUTHOR:
eng. ANDREA LEGANZA
TESTED VERSION/S:
HOUDINI 16/16.5 Windows/MacOS
DESCRIPTION:
When learning Houdini it may be hard to undestand flow of nodes and to take a sneak peak on the purpose of a single node: a user has to select right click on node -> help and wait for Houdini internal browser to load the help page.
These scripts simplify this operations letting user automatically/manually populate node comment with proper text. Also i developed some functions to autolayout nodes, autotranslate node help description using google and disable auto generation of Geometry file node inside Geometry node.
Link:
https://github.com/Neogene/HoudiniHelp2CommentSuite
RESULTS:
0
INSTALLATION:
- close Houdini
- copy h2c folder inside <$houdini>/scripts/
- Add the content of file AddToOPmenu.xml into <$houdini>/OPMenu.xml, this is required to display menu on RMB. I placed after “Edit Comment” voice, but is up to you.
- optional: copy OnCreated.py inside <$houdini>/scripts/ : this script automatically adds help as comment for every new node
- start Houdini
- create a node (eg: geometry)
- selecte node -> right mouse button -> Help to comment -> select proper menu voice
WARNING:
If your path contains SPACES some scripts don’t work, i filled a bug on 05/19/2018 (declared fixed on r16.5.482), this issue is cross-platform, a temp fix IF YOUR HOME PATH HAS NOT SPACES (otherwise use a folder without spaces in its path) to:
- replace on OPmenu.xml all occurrences $HFS/houdini/scripts/h2c/ with $HOME/scripts/h2c or ($HOME/h2c)
- create the folder in your home folder
- install scripts in that folder.
- close and reopen Houdini.
RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON MENU VOICES ON NODE/S:
- Use help as comment: populate node/selected nodes comment with online documentation headline
- Use help as comment for children: populate node/selected nodes and its/theri children notes comment with online documentation headline
- Display node comment: make node/selected nodes comment visible
- Hide node comment: hides node/selected nodes comment
- Remove node comment: removes node/selected nodes comment
- Display children comments: make children nodes of node/selected nodes comment visible
- Hide children comments: hides children nodes of node/selected nodes comment
- Remove children comments: removes children nodes of node/selected nodes comment
- Translate comment: translates comment using Google Translate service (it may take some seconds when using on multiple nodes)
- “Layout” submenu: these options modify space between nodes to let user avoid comments overlap (if you select a single node and it has children it will lay out its children, otherwise it will layout selected nodes):
- Lay out all increasing space: lay out increasing space between nodes (+0.5)
- Lay out all decreasing space: lay out increasing space between nodes (-0.5)
- Lay out all to x.y: quick layout all to fixed space value
- “Settings” submenu: these options let change auto-tranlsate settings:
- Enable/Disable show help on node selection: load help page when selecting or creating a new node; if a browser tab is not found is added to main window.
- Auto translate new nodes comments: translates online documentation headline comment when creating a new node. NOTE: this options delays node creation depending on your network connection while requesting comment tranlsation to Google.
- Set auto translate language: insert desidered language, eg: en (no translation), it, fr, es, ru etc
- Disable Geometry file node generation: Enable/Disable automatic Geometry file node creation inside Geometry node
NOTE:
- Scripts works when selecting a single node and with multiple nodes
- Some nodes don’t have headline or the whole documentation file.
- Script should work on every OS due to OS path separator code, if fails fix/report please.
- Scripts are separated to make them simpler to study and undertand.