Setting up the interface

1. Launch Houdini

2. Click the "Build" button at the top of the viewport area and select the "Training Desktop".

3. Change the Viewer window from the Sop level to the Object level by clicking the Model icon in the top left of the window.

4. Delete all objects except cam1..


Setting up the Camera

1. Select cam1.

2. Under the Xform tab set:

ty = 3
tz = 0
rx = 8
uniform scale = 6

3. Under the View tab select the Resolution fly-out arrow and select HDTV720.

4. Change the Focal Length from 50 to 35.

5. In the Viewer window select "cam1" from the flyout at the bottom of the screen.



Adding the ground plane

1. Add a geometry object.

2. Rename it to "ground_plane"

3. Under the Xform tab set: tz = -10

4. Enter the sop level of "ground_plane" and delete the file1 sop.

5. Add a grid sop.

6. In the grid parameters set:

Primitive Type: NURBS
Orientation: ZX plane
SizeX: 80
SizeY: 80
CenterX: 0
CenterY: 2
CenterZ: -35
Rows: 20
Columns: 20

7. Append a point sop to grid1.

8. Now make the ground plane uneven.

9. In the point sop set:

PositionX: $TX
PositionY: 10*turb($TX, $TY, $TZ, 1)+1
PositionZ: $TZ *equation

Explanation: The point sop manipulates the points in the source object. The "turb(float X, float Y, float Z, float depth)" expression generates random numbers which are close to each other when the X, Y, Z points are close to each other. This creates a smooth transition across the surface even though random numbers are being used. The depth passed in is the amount of "fractalization" which is done to the noise. Play with the numbers to generate a different ground plane if you like.

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