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Celebrity in the midst!
Posted on Nov 06, 2013

Invalid License Signature fixed!
Posted on Sep 20, 2013


Orbolt In Studio Environment
Posted on Sep 29, 2016
    In this guide we'll go over how to setup Orbolt assets in a studio environment. File locations, licensing, copyrights, user management are common questions when it comes to using assets in a studio.

    Users

    Since the Orbolt website and the Houdini Asset Browser use 'User' paradigm to match and track downloaded assets, the name of the studio account created on Orbolt will become the name of the structure path. For example, when you create a 'studio_name' user on Orbolt and download an asset or sync your account in the Houdini Asset Browser, Orbolt will create the default asset_store structure. If you decide to customize the path to somewhere else on your network, that path can be set so that only network administrator/supervisor has write permissions. Artists including the render farm would be able to read and use the assets but updates/downloads would be limited to only those that have access/password. Another option is to create multiple users per department such as 'studio_vfx' or 'studio_rnd'. This would allow grouping of assets by their intended usage.


    Location

    By default, all of the assets are downloaded and stored in the listed locations below in the 'asset_store' folder. The contents include the otl files containing Houdini Digital Assets, example hip files, and asset licenses. One thing to note, the asset license is separate from the Houdini license. It is created once at download, and is permanent after that. If needed, it can be moved with the assets to a different location, or if deleted it can be recreated on demand by syncing with the website. Also, asset licenses are only required for HDAs that are copy-protected. If the asset is free, it can be copied anywhere just like a regular otl file (license file is not required).

    Default location of the asset_store folder:

    ~/houdiniX.X/asset_store/user/otls
    Please note, the tilda (~) in front of the path is your home directory on your local network. For example, if Jim's home directory on on his local network is 'jim' and his account on Orbolt is called orbolt_jim, the default location for Jim's asset_store folder on Linux would be:
    /home/jim/houdiniX.X/asset_store/orbolt_jim/otls

    Windows: ~/houdiniX.X/asset_store/user/otls
    Linux: ~/houdiniX.X/asset_store/user/otls
    Mac: ~/Library/Preferences/houdini/X.X/asset_store/user/otls

    In order to use the assets in a studio environment, the location for the asset_store folder must be overwritten by specifying the HOUDINI_ASSET_STORE_PATH variable in your /houdiniX.X/houdini.env respective to the Houdini version being used. This will allow systems/pipeline personnel to customize it, to fit the studio pipeline and allow asset usage on the render farms. For example, if you decide to move the assets to a location on your network, you would need to put HOUDINI_ASSET_STORE_PATH = path_to_your_network in houdini.env

    After you set the path, you will need to launch the Houdini version that has the houdini.env with the variable you had set. Once that version of Houdini has been launched, go to the Asset Browser in Houdini and sync to Orbolt. Orbolt will launch your browser for you to authenticate the studio account you had created and once it has been connected, it will sync your assets and recreate the structure according to the path + studio account name created on Orbolt you had set. Downloading an asset through Orbolt will also recreate the structure as long as the variable is set is on your default Houdini version.

    For example, if you created the account cg_studio on Orbolt and had set the HOUDINI_ASSET_STORE_PATH to the path_to_your_network, The next time you sync or download an asset, it will automatically create this asset_store structure with your Orbolt account and folders appended to your path:

    path_to_your_network/asset_store/cg_studio/
    path_to_your_network/asset_store/cg_studio/hip/
    path_to_your_network/asset_store/cg_studio/icons/
    path_to_your_network/asset_store/cg_studio/licenses/
    path_to_your_network/asset_store/cg_studio/otls/


    Connectivity
    Network security is a big part of the studio environment. To aid with that, asset licenses are permanent and the Asset Browser does not require internet connection to function. The initial asset download/syncing can be done on a dedicated machine with external connection and then copied to a custom location. Assets can be used on machines that have no internet access.


    Royalty Free Usage
    In terms of usage licensing there two choices. The Standard Royalty Free License and the The Editorial Royalty Free License. They both allow assets and content generated by them to be used royalty free. The Editorial License is a superset that includes the Standard License with one main restriction. Usage is restricted to one of journalistic/non-commercial nature. (for more info see this FAQ link). Since a studio is usually working on a commercial project, assets that use the Standard Royalty Free license scheme should be used. To aid with that Orbolt website search can be restricted to assets with only particular license type (search toggles can be found on the Search page and under More->License Type on the left hand side). If the studio is using/cleared by their legal department to use assets from other providers such as Turobosquid, then they are clear to use Orbolt as the legal agreements are the same.


    Ultimately Orbolt and it's assets are built around our user community so let us know if you run into any issues or have workflow improvement suggestions ( support@orbolt.com).

Changing asset location
Posted on Aug 22, 2013

    Changing asset location



    We've added an environment variable 'HOUDINI_ASSET_STORE_PATH' that lets you override where the asset store files are kept. This should help with rendering assets on the farm. By default otls/hips/licenses are stored in the following locations.

    Windows Username/My Documents/houdini12.5/asset_store/user/otls
    Linux ~/houdini12.5/asset_store/user/otls
    Mac /Users/username/Library/Preferences/houdini/12.5/asset_store/user/otls

    To use the variable, copy 'asset_store' folder and it's contents to location of your choice on the network and set the path in 'HOUDINI_ASSET_STORE_PATH.

    If needed the default user can be changed in '../asset_store/users.json' .

The Time to Start Building Assets is Now!
Posted on Jul 17, 2013

    The Time to Start Building Assets is Now!

    With the announcement of Houdini Engine from SideFX Labs, the playing field has changed and the possibilities are becoming limitless. It opens up a whole new world for Digital Assets and an entire new audience for the authors.


    In short it offers integration of Houdini technology into other applications through Digital Assets. Users are able to take advantage of the full power of Houdini in the environment that they're comfortable in. The entry barrier has lowered and it's never been easier to jump into Houdini.

    Houdini Digital Asset Flow
    Digital assets can now flow from Houdini to Orbolt to a custom digital content creation app such as Maya or Unity. The Houdini Engine provides a bridge that connects other applications to the Houdini universe.

    So what implications does this have for Orbolt?

    For asset authors, this opens up a whole new facet of users that will be able to experience your work. Those that aren't familiar with Houdini or working in a pipeline based around other packages are now able to use your assets. All of the controls and functionality that you've put into the setup are still there, but now are functioning in the host application thanks to the Houdini Engine.

    For artists, they are now able to use the assets in their favorite environment. The Engine opens up features that are unique only to Houdini and allows other users to experience them in their package of choice. You get the power of Houdini in app of you choice.

    The world of Houdini Digital Assets is expanding. The great news is that you can start creating them at no cost today. Orbolt will take assets created in Houdini Apprentice and convert them into commercial format on upload. This allows authors to create full, commercial assets that can be shared with others or sold!


    Now is the perfect time to start working on your assets! The Houdini Engine and Orbolt extend the user base and allows you to share you creations with other artists. It's a great day for Houdini Digital Assets!

Side Effects Labs!
Posted on Jul 16, 2013

    Side Effects Labs!

    Big news!!
    Side Effects opens up Labs and one of the first announcements.. Houdini Engine!!!

    SideFX Labs



Website Update!
Posted on Jun 12, 2013

    Website Update!

    * Random failures with https connections have been fixed
    * The author of an asset can see the number of trial, Apprentice, and commercial downloads for an asset just by visiting the asset page
    * The author of an asset can now send private messages to someone who added a comment
    * The asset node type (Object/SOP/SHOP/etc.) is now displayed on the asset page
    * The version log history has been made easier to navigate



Asset Store Update!
Posted on Jul 02, 2013

    Asset Store Update!









To embed or not to embed.. multiple assets and example hip file.
Posted on Apr 22, 2013

    To embed or not to embed.. multiple assets and example hip file.


    Example hip files are a great way to show off your assets, demonstrate usage and workflow. The hip file is uploaded after the main asset otl file has been uploaded and processed by the website. One of the current limitations is that the hip file can contain only single asset. The asset can have multiple subassets inside of it, but at the top level there's only a single one.



    This can be problematic if the asset is part of a bigger workflow and represents a single step in a chain of steps that you'd like to explain. Here is where asset embedding comes in. Ordinarily asset definitions live in an otl file. But, it is possible to save the definition into the hip file itself. By bringing up Type Properties on the asset node and replacing 'Save To Library' file path with keyword 'Embedded', the definition of the asset will be saved into the hip file itself. This will allow you to include extra assets into the example hip file, even though they're not part of main one.

    One caveat to note with embedding assets in this manner, is that they must be unprotected. Embedding a copy protected asset while technically possible, wouldn't work as the user would be missing the needed license. If a case like this presents itself, another approach is recommended. The easiest way to deal with it is to save nodes with needed data by locking them. Instead of saving the asset definitions you're saving the data needed for the main asset to function. While it's not optimal since the actual geometry gets saved into the hip file potentially increasing size; it would still allow the asset to use these nodes to show off it's functionality.



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