If you are choosing to put the tools into a different location, modify the paths in the .json file. The default assumes that the ODHoudiniShelftools2021 folder was copied right into the Houdini documents folder. In any case, check whether the path specified as "HOUDINI_PATH" points to the correct path of your ODHoudiniShelfTools folder.
<aside> ⚠️ If you copied the ODHoudiniShelfTools2021 folder to your c:/temp folder, the original Houdini Path line:
{"HOUDINI_PATH" : "$HOUDINI_PACKAGE_PATH/../ODHoudiniShelfTools2021"}
should read: {"HOUDINI_PATH" : "c:/temp/ODHoudiniShelfTools2021"},
By default, the shipped .json file assumes that the location is relative to the packages folder. That's what the special variable $HOUDINI_PACKAGE_PATH is. It essentially automatically points to that packages folder that we talk about in step 2, and everything past that, is just the relative location to a folder, so ../ means one folder up from there, etc.
(for more information on package files consult the houdini documentation. You can keep folders relative for easy portability, etc)
</aside>
The package .json file has a few entries that help you customize or change the behavior of how ODTools for Houdini operates.
By default its at 0, which means all the thumbnails will be loaded first, then displayed and the UI is given back to use. This is extremely stable, but also slow in cases where you have large directories.
Optionally, you can set this to 1, which enables async loading of the images, meaning, while the thumbnails are being read, the UI updates. This enables for a much more pleasant user experience, but comes with a few warnings. You still have to wait for the UI to finish, and you will get many warnings in the console. Those are just warnings though, and instead of closing the console, just minimize it.
Since its easy to change the modes, feel free to experiment and see which is the best option for you.
By default, is set to "Prompt", which means you'll get prompted anytime a renderer selection action is needed by an odtools tool. You can set this preference to one of the following choices: "Prompt", "Octane", "Redshift", "3Delight", "Renderman", "VRay", "Arnold", "USD PreviewSurface", "MaterialX" (MaterialX is for H19+ only)
By default, is set to "Prompt", which means you'll get prompted anytime an fbx action is needed by an odtools tool. You can set this preference to one of the following choices: "Agent", "File", "FBX as Scene", "Labs Import", "KineFX Character Import", "KineFX Anim Import"
djvpath Path to a popular flipbook viewer that can be used with the right click on parm "open in" function
photoshoppath Path to the Adobe Photoshop Executable that can be used with the right click on parm "open in" function
affinitypath Path to the Affinity Photo application that can be used with the right click on parm "open in" function.
We recommend adding some of the python panels to your default desktop. That's typically as simple as clicking the Plus button on a pane and selecting the appropriate panel. However, should the panels not show up in that dropdown list, you have to add them to the list manually. Once you go to the Pane Tab Menu tab, you should see all the OD Panels on the left side and can simply drag them to the right. After that, they should be available in the dropdown.
<aside> 💡 To Update from ODShelfTools to ODShelftools 2021
Simply log into your Account, and download the the latest version. You can overwrite the old install. and just continue as usual
When you log into the store, the date of the file in your downloads is irrelevant. It always points to the newest version.
</aside>