Octane for Houdini

The Octane QT5 IPR window provides more functionality and a more modern interface than the original raw OpenGL IPR window. The QT5 IPR window can be selected from the Octane Plugin Options window (figure 1) under the IPR tab (figure 2). 

Figure 1: Accessing the IPR options from the Octane Plugin Options 

Figure 2: Accessing the Qt5 option from the IPR tab

Figure 3: The QT IPR window

IPR Interface Overview

File - Allows for rendered images to be saved directly from the IPR window. 

Update - Provides options for what scene assets are updated in the IPR. 

Resolution - Provides options between camera resolution and Fill Window. The Fill window option now maintains the aspect ratio of the camera.

AOVs - Allows for viewing of individual enabled AOVs. 

Layers - Allows for viewing individual render layers. 

ROPs - Provides the ability to choose between multiple ROP nodes for rendering. 

Misc - Provides an option for the IPR to always remain on top of all other windows and an option to open the Octane log. 

Figure 4: The IPR menu bar icons

Render - Activates rendering.

Reload Scene - Reloads all objects onto the GPU. 

Update Scene - Only updates what has been changed in the scene. 

Pause Render - Pauses the render process. 

Full Scene Reload - Reloads all objects when any object in the scene has changed. 

Disable Scene Updating - Pauses the updating process. 

Take Snapshot - Takes a snapshot of the rendering and adds it to the Snapshot Gallery. 

Snapshot Gallery - Provides a gallery view of rendered snapshots. 

Viewport Zoom - Zoom in or out of the viewport.

Camera Selection - Provides a list of scene cameras to render from in the IPR. 

Reset Perspective - Resets the camera settings back to the camera's default settings. 

Zoom Perspective - Zooms the camera in and out from the IPR window. 

Any Perspective - Allows for orbiting the scene from the IPR window. 

Render Zone - Renders an area of the IPR viewport indefinately. 

Film Region - Renders an area of the IPR window but only up to the samples specified in the Kernel settings. 

Subsampling - Provides smoother scene navigation by reducing the render resolution while navigating in the viewport.

Pick Focus - Selects a part of the scene to set as the focused area. The Auto-focus setting in the camera's settings needs to be disabled for this to function. 

Pick White Point -Selects any part of the scene to set the white point value to that part of the scene. 

Pick Material - Select any part of the rendered scene to inspect the material in the VOP NET. .

Pick Object - Select any part of the rendered scene to inspect the object in the OBJ network window. 

Pick Camera - Selects the camera specified in the ROP as the render camera.  

Pick Render Target - Selects the Render Target specified in the ROP as the render target.

Pick ROP - Selects the ROP specified in the ROPs menu.

Disable DOF - Disables the depth of field in the IPR window. 

Show Alpha - Displays the alpha channel, if one existing in the scene. 

Show Denoised - Displays the denoised version of the scene. 

Clay Mode - Displays all scene objects with a clay material. 

Decal Wireframe - Displays a bounding box around any decal objects in the scene to assist with decal placement. 

Tools/Statistics - Opens a side window in the IPR to display various performance statisitcs from the scene.