| dc.description.abstract | Game development studios are facing an ever-growing pressure to deliver quality content in greater quantities, making the automation of as many tasks as possible an important aspect of modern video game development. This has led to the growing popularity of integrating procedural workflows such as those offered by SideFX Software’s Houdini FX into the already established de-velopment pipelines. However, the current limitations of the Houdini Engine plugin for Autodesk Maya often require developers to take extra steps when creating tools to speed up development using Houdini. This hinders the workflow for developers, who have to design their Houdini Digi-tal Asset (HDA) tools around the limitations of the Houdini Engine plugin. Furthermore, because of the implementation of the HDA’s parameter display in Maya’s Attribute Editor when using the Houdini Engine Plugin, artists can easily be overloaded with too much information which can in turn hinder the workflow of any artists who are using the HDA.
The limitations of an HDA used in the Houdini Engine Plugin in Maya as a tool that is intended to improve workflow can actually frustrate and confuse the user, ultimately causing more harm than good. This led to the creation of a methodology for developers to create an automated interface wrapper for SideFX Software’s Houdini Engine plugin for Autodesk Maya that easily allows for the user interface designs that have been created natively in Houdini to be used in Maya. In this way, developers will be able to create interfaces with cognitive load and user experience in mind without having to adhere to the limitations of the Houdini Engine plugin or spend extra effort to create unique wrappers manually. | en |
