Working With the New Network Editor in Houdini 16

Houdini 16 has hit the streets and with it comes some amazing new features. Some things have been completely revamped and made better, such as the network editor, which is arguably the heart of Houdini.

The Network Editor has been rewritten, offering brand new architecture, better performance and a refined user experience. The look and feel for the network editor has been redesigned, with Dot connections to help users route wires.

Customizable node shapes make networks recognizable at a glance. A new “Flyout Ring” offers users quick access to common node flags and node info, no matter when your zoom level is within the network editor.

Have a look at some of the new features of Houdini’s network editor with GoProcedural’s latest postings.

Houdini’s New Network Editor Features:

• Brand new architecture for better performance, user experience and control
• Completely redesigned look and feel
• Dot’ connections to help route wires
• Customizable node shapes
• Resizeable colour palette
• ‘Flyout ring’ to quickly access node flags and node info at any zoom level
• Persistent node info dialog with live links and cut-and-paste capabilities
• Visual ‘badges’ to indicate certain properties of the node
• Multi-selectable and multi-assignable wires
• Ability to knife-cut wire connections
• Snapping guides for fast and easy node alignment
• Automatic shifting of nodes to accommodate new entrants
• Intuitive, gesture-driven network layout tools
• Quickmark hotkeys to jump between networks or within one network
• Dimming of long wires to prevent obstruction of nodes
• Visual indication of non-local dependencies, with handy jump-to controls
• Background image support for network boxes or the entire canvas
• Font size, colour and background controls for sticky notes
• Optional display of the node type
• Powerful search engine