Importing USD files into Houdini (and textures with them)

[mary.baker]

Hello All,

This is a newbie question, alas. I’m attempting to import the Agave.usd file from the NVIDIA Assets (NVIDIA/Assets/Vegetation/Plant_Tropical/Agave.usd) into SideFX Houdini. I’m using a File SOP to do this. Is this the wrong thing to do? I see the asset imported in my view window, but I don’t think I understand what it really is. It has only one point/vertex/primitive. How do I turn it into a mesh geometry? Or a VDB, or anything, really? I’d also like to import the materials associated with the object and apply them, but I’ve had no success. Perhaps because I’m not importing it correctly?

I’m using Houdini FX 19.5.435 and have successfully installed the connector and nucleus, so I’m able to browse the installed assets from Houdini.

Does anyone have any guidance? I haven’t found the answer in my online searches yet.

Thanks very much,
Mary

[walai]

Hello @mary.baker,
Thanks for using Omniverse Houdini Connector. I would suggest using usdImport SOP instead of file SOP. In some cases, file SOP can read an USD file, but might be buggy sometimes, like when an USD file is modified while you are still accessing it, or reloading an USD causes Houdini crash… etc.

For this asset, there are some tips I can share - This asset is set to Z up (v.s. Y up in Houdini by default) and some other reasons make it difficult to focus (space + g). I usually put a cube in origin and focus on that cube first so I can see my asset. Hope this helps. The material might not working in Houdini for this asset yet. if you like to see what it looks like with materials - try it in Omniverse Create. :-)

Also attached an image that I loaded the asset from Houdini usdImport SOP.

[walai]

Forgot to mention - Houdini loads USD files into SOP as packed USD primitive by default. You can unpack it by use following settings.

Thanks,

Wayne

[mary.baker]

Thank you so much, Wayne! I will go try out all your advice right now.

Best wishes,
Mary

[mary.baker]

That worked beautifully, Wayne, and the materials imported well. Here’s the lovely plant in Houdini:

Thanks again,
Mary

[walai]

Glad it works for you! Mary. and happy to see you have the materials work, too!

[mary.baker]

Hi Wayne,

My apologies for troubling you again with another newbie question. The above solution worked super well for the agave, but I’m wondering what else I should do for a more complicated scene with many materials – for instance, the astronaut in the NVIDIA Samples. I’m not successfully picking up the materials using the omniverse://localhost paths. Have you succeeded with that one?

Thanks so much,
Mary