Software Technology: Research Project

For our team research project, we decided to do the marble machine in Houdini. We each modeled 2 props in Maya (4 props total) that were put together to form the machine and then imported the files into Houdini. Our marble machine was successful, thankfully, but we did run into issues. The problems we encountered was that when gravity took effect on the marble (sphere), the sphere would start to slowly move for the center of the grid instead of downward onto the machine, working as a passive object. Without the proper movement of the ball, the machine itself would not work.

First, a geo node was created. When dove into the geo node, we created a file node and imported our OBJ files (our models). The models were made into static objects. From there, transformation nodes were put into place the models in their respective position. Then, the sphere was created, and it was changed into a polygon and placed in its position with a transformation node. We then made the sphere an RBD object so that gravity would be applied to the sphere.

Below I have attached some photos of the marble machine.

This image displays the entire marble machine.

As seen in the image below, the marble started at the top of the machine as gravity took its effect, dropped the ball on the machine, and then sent the sphere sailing down the machine.

 Then the sphere went spiraling down a different type of ramp...

...and once off of that ramp, it then sailed through a tightly spiraled tube, onto another slide and then through the tunnel - which is the finish line.

We had to troubleshoot the errors in our project simply by tilting the first ramp more drastically, and we change the setting "Geometry Representation" to "Concave" instead of "Convex".

I have learned a lot this month about Houdini and Soft Image, and these softwares are both very different than what we are used to (Maya, ZBrush, PhotoShop are what we mainly use). However, I do like how Houdini works and the interesting things that you can create within it. Even though we encountered issues with our project, we were able to trouble shoot the errors for a successful project! I still had a lot of fun with this project and researching information about it.