Rebel Pack 0.3.0 for Bifrost 2.1.0.0 released!

[jonah.friedman]

We have a new rebel pack for you! This version of the Rebel Pack, 0.3.0, works with Bifrost 2.1.0.0 and later versions.

https://area.autodesk.com/downloads/rebel-pack-030/

How to install compounds and graphs: https://help.autodesk.com/view/BIFROST/ENU/?guid=Bifrost_Common_install_compounds_and_graphs_html

New compounds:

• any_true_in_array
•  all_true_in_array
• create_particle_trails (+ docs)
• disconnect_mesh_faces (+ docs)
• normal_and_tangent_to_orientation (+ docs)
• point_scope_3rev (+ docs)
• sample_points_by_radius (+ docs)
• sort_array_and_remove_duplicates (+ docs)
• strand_basis_to_orientation (+ docs)
• points_array_to_strand_trails (+ docs)

New Graphs:

• basic_raycast_example
• dielectric_ray_visualizer
• sample_points_by_radius_example
• snow_shadows
• test_inside_mesh_example

What is the Rebel Pack?

The product team of Bifrost often make compounds for our own use, and these sometimes make it into the compounds Bifrost ships with. Quite a few of the compounds that ship with Bifrost today started here. These compounds are distributed together in a "pack", where some compounds use and rely on other compounds in a pack. The compounds include math utilities, property access nodes, and nodes for manipulating strands, meshes, as well as some simulation caching utilities.

In the graph these are all marked with a orange "R" icon as their names and namespaces are integrated into the existing ones. Ones with an orange test tube are especially experimental - we expect them to change.

These are not officially supported like the compounds that ship with Bifrost, but we have been maintaining these and intend to continue to do so. We will also specify which versions of Bifrost these nodes are intended to work with. This is also a way for us, the product team of Bifrost, to act as if we're TDs at a studio maintaining our own set of compounds, which makes our testing a bit more like the real world.

Sample graphs:

These sample graphs, available in the browser after installing the Rebel Pack, are some simple and advanced examples of using the new geometry queries. 

Basic raycast example traces rays along normals. 

Snow shadows tests how much of the sky we can see to generate snow. 

Test inside mesh tests two meshes, to see if any points of either are inside the other. 

Sample points in radius example uses a rebel pack compound, "sample_points_in_radius", to transfer color from some points to the vertices of a mesh in a smooth way. 

Dielectric ray tracer is something a bit different - a ray tracer that does reflection and refraction. It visualizes the rays, help build intuition about refraction, and is also an example of advanced usage of ray-casting. 

[mcw0]

I finally got the update and the rebel pack.  Just want to make sure I'm placing the rebel pack in the right place.  I didn't quite understand the directions in the link.

Can I just place the rebel_pack directory in the users Autodesk/Bifrost folder?  Or will I have to split out the subfolders?

[sepu6]

you can put the rebel pack there, it should read it. 

C:\Users\myname\Autodesk\Bifrost\compounds\

[mcw0]

I placed the rebelpack folder under C:\Users\myname\Autodesk\Bifrost\ and got the following:

// Error: Error: 'file:///get_closest_locations_on_mesh.json' can not be resolved. //
// Warning: Warning: 'bifrostGraph1' does not match a registered resolver. //

[mcw0]

I got the same results when I moved the rebelpack folder under C:\Users\myname\Autodesk\Bifrost\Compounds\

[sepu6]

Do you have your Maya env point it into that? 

BIFROST_LIB_CONFIG_FILES=C:\Users\myname\Autodesk\Bifrost\bifrost_lib_config.json

[mcw0]

Maya was already seeing the compounds that I had made before in that location.  So it's looking in the right place.  But I tried adding that environment variable to my Maya.env and got the same results.

It's interesting that it's complaining about "get_closest_locations_on_mesh.json".  I noticed that compound while using 2.0.5.1.  This is only happening after updating to 2.1.0.0.  And I looked in the folders in the rebelpack.  And I didn't see a duplicate of that compound.  So not understanding what the issue is.  Or the issue with bifrostGraph1.  But Bifrost appears to be working so maybe it's not really an issue.

[sepu6]

oh I see so you can read the rebel pack - Ok so yes some of the compounds get move to the BF graph so that is what is happening that is why you getting the error.  Im not in my computer but the node should be there it should name similar if not the same. 

[Anonymous]

Just installed Bifrost 2.1.0.0 for Maya 2019.2 and put Rebel Pack 0.3.0 in %USERPROFILE%\Autodesk\Bifrost\Compounds on windows.

Bifrost sees the new nodes but I get this error when creating a scatter_points node:

Warning: while compiling top level compound 'bifrostGraph1', around the port 'Modeling::Points::scatter_points.locations':
no promotion exists from a value of type 'array<Geometry::Common::GeoLocation>' to a value of type 'Amino::Object'

Anyone know what could cause this?

Thanks!

[jonah.friedman]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Just installed Bifrost 2.1.0.0 for Maya 2019.2 and put Rebel Pack 0.3.0 in %USERPROFILE%\Autodesk\Bifrost\Compounds on windows.

Bifrost sees the new nodes but I get this error when creating a scatter_points node:

Warning: while compiling top level compound 'bifrostGraph1', around the port 'Modeling::Points::scatter_points.locations':
no promotion exists from a value of type 'array<Geometry::Common::GeoLocation>' to a value of type 'Amino::Object'

Anyone know what could cause this?

Thanks!

---

It sounds like you also have an older copy installed. That error is signifying that the locations output doesn't work because the types are different - something that indeed changed with Bifrost 2.1.0.0 and Rebel Pack 0.3.0. 

[Go.Meditech.Personal]

The link to download rebel pack redirects me to a 404 page.  Has the rebel pack moved? 

[Grahame_Fuller]

Hi,

It should be back now. Not sure what happened there...

Cheers,

gray

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm new to bifrost and trying to learn, so this may sound foolish, but should I be able to just open the graphs and have them be renderable as is? Mine are all appearing black and I can't see them in any render port. 

[Christoph_Schaedl]

Are you using Arnold for rendering? 

Are there lights in the scene? 

Are you using the latest Arnold and Bifrost versions? 

[mcw0]

You might have to convert the Bifrost geo to a mesh.  And I believe there is an issue if you don't update the normals inside your graph just before the output.

[moonpotato]

Heeyyyyyy... so, I can't install any of the compounds either.. 

I have downloaded them, I saved a compound out of maya and it created those folders for me (users/name/Autodesk/Bifrost/Compounds/) , I put the rebel pack in the correct location (i mean.. i think !?), and I've added this line to my maya.env (changing myname obviously) 

BIFROST_LIB_CONFIG_FILES=C:\Users\myname\Autodesk\Bifrost\bifrost_lib_config.json

if i look at that path i can see the json file, and the json file just contains paths to the two subdirectories- which are there and can be read.. 

bifrost can see the compounds i had previously published, but nothing from the rebel pack..

any ideas ? 

I feel like ive tried everything 

thanks

Andrew

[mjcg91]

@moonpotato 

You don't need to set the BIFROST_LIB_CONFIG_FILES if you put the Rebel pack in the default user folder. Bifrost will read it anyway. This path is used to load Libraries which are at custom location. (which is better to do for libraries anyway).

If you want to use this env variable, you must place the rebel pack at another location than the default user compound folder, and do not change the internal folder structure. Then, just use a BIFROST_LIB_CONFIG_FILES pointing to the Rebel pack's JSON file.

[moonpotato]

thanks for the reply, I was actually just trying the line in the env file, as putting the library in that location didn't work.. 

If I could get the default location to work, I'd be all set! but, it doesn't seem to work here.. 

thanks

Andrew

[mjcg91]

Are you sure you set it in the correct location then? The Rebel pack folder should be placed inside this folder.

C:\Users\USERNAME\Autodesk\Bifrost\Compounds\

For the config file case, you could place the Rebel-pack like shown below, and use this variable.

C:\Users\USERNAME\Autodesk\Bifrost\rebel_pack\

BIFROST_LIB_CONFIG_FILES=C:\Users\USERNAME\Autodesk\Bifrost\rebel_pack\bifrost_lib_config.json

[moonpotato]

Hey, 

thanks again for the reply, so I'm never entirely sure, I think i have things in the right place, 

here is where I've put the compounds- 

and this is what I get in bifrost-

I've also tried putting them here- 

which, i realise is probably wrong, as you would want the json file to be in the compounds, directory, just thought i'd try it. again- the same result as before. 

but it gets weirder, 

if in maya i publish a compound

it saves the file, alongside all the others here- 

and, this is what I get, 

again, I've tried both configurations of the files in that folder- here is what they look like the other way, 

and, I get the same result in bifrost- 

ive been restarting maya between each rejig in the folders, and have restarted my computer, deleted my prefs, and tried other maya versions aswell, I'm using maya 2020 here, am i perhaps using the wrong version of maya ? I've tried this all with 2022 as well, but haven't currently got 2019 installed to try.

thanks again for any help pointing me in the right direction

Andrew