Re: [Maya2osg-users] osgpreview, UI and flags

[Javier T. <jav...@gm...>]

  Hi Peter,

On Tue, May 24, 2011 at 12:32 AM, Peter Wrobel <pp...@cg...> wrote:
>>    Now we have to add the features we need to preview animations. Btw,
>> I hope to start next week with blend shapes export.
>>
>
> Cool, I will try add the skining module. To be honest, I hope I can
> overtake the blend shape stuff, as all regarding characters and rigging
> ( this includes best possible and fatest meshes export ) are my major
> field of interst.

  Don't worry, if you're with the skinning part, its OK. Let me do the
blend shape part and I'll ask you for help if I found any problem.

> If you know about corrective BlendShapes, I might be writing my Bachelor
> Thesis about a certain extension to this system which would yield
> perfect results at joints with more than one degree of freedom.

  I only know the very basic theory about blend shapes, I don't know
what corrective blend shapes are.

> But we should talk about the curent mesh export mechanism, as there are
> some traps waiting :-) see new thread.

  OK. I'll let you know what I found in my way...

>>    OK. All what you suggest is interesting. What about creating a new
>> section "Previewing" or "Previsualization" or something similar in the
>> export options window?
>>
>
> That can be done, but currently its only one TextField, does it really
> make sense for now ?

  Of course not. I thought you were talking about some new options
related to preview, that's why I said that. If there is only one,
there is no sense in making a new section.

>>    I don't understand completely what you are proposing. Just two notes:
>>
>>    1. maya2osg_export and maya2osg_preview procs must be in two
>> independent files with these same names to be automatically loaded the
>> first time they are called. This is the same reason I created the
>> "osgFileExportOptions.mel" file (otherwise the Maya Export option
>> failed if you haven't called maya2osg_export before).
>
> Now I think I can't follow you, neither  can reproduce the case you are
> talking about.

  What I mean is: when you start Maya, the procs in these files are
not available. When you call for example the "maya2osg_export" proc,
as there is still not available, Maya looks for a
"maya2osg_export.mel" file in the scripts directories. When Maya
founds it and loads it, the procedure is available and executed. From
this moment, as the file is already loaded, all global procs in this
file are available, but they were not if you haven't called
"maya2osg_export" first.

> I have merged the function already, but just not commited, and it works
> as expected.

  What have you merged? maya2osg_export and maya2osg_preview? If there
are not the two files, then try to call (just after starting Maya,
before calling anything else) the proc that has no file with its name
and see if it is executed. I think it will not.

> Before evaluating a global proc, the file where it is defined needs to
> be sourced, that's it. And as all settings are stored in environment
> variables, the UI does not have to be opened or executed, you can
> directly use the osg_preview command.

  But who is loading this file when Maya starts?

> The only case is, when the whole system is installed, and no envVars are
> created, so we can catch this case, and generate the default ones.

  I think I am not understanding you. It's not about envVars, its
about MEL procs.

>>    2. The maya2osg_preview command is meant to be a "quick preview" and
>> so it has no GUI. It just uses the last options that were set on the
>> plug-in and creates the output files in the temp directory and deletes
>> them after closing the preview window.
>
> As said, all that can be done without the UI opened, or the preview
> command existing in a seperate file.

  OK. Commit it then and let's try it. If it works, it's OK. I just
thought it wouldn't work, but I am not a Maya expert anyway  :)

> Btw, I like it very much, that it is a Maya window :-) do you remember
> the discussion about having a direct connection between Maya and a osg
> Window ? :-)

  Yes, we only have to add now the animation preview features and it
will be great!


-- 
Javier Taibo