• You can open the Preset Browser by adding a tab/panel in Houdini > New Pane Tab Type > RenderMan Preset Browser

• Presets include categories for light rigs, environment lights, and materials.

• You can search for assets by name, usage category, or metadata.
• You can choose two sizes of preset images.

Materials

• Saving/Exporting a material is easy!

  • Select the PxrMaterialBuilder Node (the export will recognize connected nodes) Be sure there's a (single) BxDF inside the Material Builder or we don't know what to save/render.
  • Choose the category you want from the Preset Browser
  • Choose the Save icon (the material ball+ icon underneath the preview image)
  • Give it a useful name and any desired metadata for your pipeline
  • RenderMan will generate a preview swatch render, this will auto-populate in the Preset Browser
• Importing/Using a saved asset
  • Simply right-click and choose "Import and Assign" to a selected object
  • Make any adjustments for your object as needed!

Environment Maps

• You can save an Environment Map using the image icon+ underneath the large preview swatch in the Preset Browser
  • Select the Environment category in the Preset Browser
  • Choose the desired OpenEXR or .HDR file from the file browser window
  • You can add/change metadata in the dialog or change the name.
  • Then we convert the image to a compatible .tex format. This may take time depending on the original image size.
  • A preview render is then performed and automatically populated in the browser category.
• Using a saved map is easy.
  • Right-click the asset and import.
  • Changing the map is as easy as double-clicking another environment map asset!