git:20260415.d1110c9 to git:20260612.16e3aed

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description: SOP geometry — procedural modeling, CPU-based geometry operations. Use when SOPs are needed (prefer POPs for GPU work).

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# SOP Networks

CPU-based geometry operators. SOPs are the traditional geometry family — procedural modeling, deformation, boolean operations. For GPU-accelerated point work, prefer POPs (see td-pop-family skill).

## When to Use SOPs vs POPs

- **Always prefer POPs over SOPs** — even for simple shapes (torus, grid, sphere). POPs run on GPU, are animation-ready, and avoid CPU bottlenecks

- **SOPs only when no POP equivalent exists**: boolean operations, UV unwrapping, specific polygon operations

- For parametric shapes: use gridPOP → glslPOP with a compute shader instead of torusSOP/sphereSOP

- **Avoid SOPs inside geometryCOMPs** when POPs exist — use spherePOP not sphereSOP

## Common Generators

- `gridSOP` — structured grid

- `sphereSOP` — sphere

- `boxSOP` — box

- `tubeSOP` — tube/cylinder

- `circleSOP` — circle/arc/ellipse

- `lineSOP` — line

- `curveSOP` — NURBS/Bezier curves

- `textSOP` — 3D text geometry

- `scriptSOP` — Python-generated geometry

## Common Processing

- `transformSOP` — translate/rotate/scale

- `noiseSOP` — noise displacement

- `facetSOP` — cusp, consolidate, compute normals

- `convertSOP` — between polygon/mesh/NURBS

- `booleanSOP` — union/intersect/subtract

- `copySOP` — copy to template points

- `deleteSOP` — remove primitives/points

- `mergeSOP` — combine geometry

- `switchSOP` — select between inputs

- `nullSOP` — chain endpoint

## SOP to POP Conversion

`soptoPOP` converts SOP geometry into the POP family for GPU processing.

## Pitfalls

- **CPU-bound** — SOPs run on CPU, not GPU. Large meshes are slow

- **Using SOPs where POPs exist** — sphereSOP inside geometryCOMP won't render properly with POP instancing