In this section, I tell you the problems that I found when I make addond, compounds…

This section is not a tutorials one, are simply some dev notes

Idea is simple, make a gradient background with a custom preferences to store permanent configuration. I suppose that I’t will be a very fast dev. Finally was fast, but not so fast..

I created a display callback and draw a opengl in Post-begin frame pass, and a custom property stored at preferences.
First problem.. the custom preferences, it’s seems a softimage bug but dobule values not  was remebered by xsi at restart  I made some test with a very simple propery but the same behavior, double values not was stored persistenly… I need to make more test, but it seems a softimage bug. Solution, make two properties one double and other float syncronized by events. The float is the user one and the double is hidden and the one that I use in my c++ code.

The second problem was a own bug, rotoscopy was hidden by the gradient. The solution was simple, change pass to a siBeginFrame one.

Third problem, when transforms or paint tool was activated and move the camera, the gradient was painted in gray color. The solution was simple, disabled GL_LIGHTING and GL_DEPTH_TEST before draw the gradient, softimage modify that openGL states when activate transform so It needed to force disable them.

The last problem, when launch a start capture the gradient is painted correctly but it openGl antialiassing option is checked, the gradient is not painted. Becouse the person that suggested me the addon not need this, at this version I left the bug, but I’ll investigate it soon…

In short, a simple and fast development but… always there are problems!! :-p  I’d found a possible softimage bug, and now I undestand more callbacks details.

Instalation

1. Install addon and restart. Donwload agGradientBackground 1.0 (Right click – SaveAs or drag and drop into softimage)
2. Restart softimage
3. Activate and configure at File/Preferences/Custom Preferences/agGradientBackground

Limitations

If create a start capture with OpenGL-Antialiasing checked, the gradient is not drawed.

a td diary

You can read the problems that I founded developing this addon in the td-diary section.

Sometimes, writing code, I need a method that returns a data, but I need that if the method fails, returns information about the reason of the error.
Returns different data information in each case is not a solution that I like too much because the valid returns type influence the error returns type and viceversa. So check if the returns is valid or not can be not a simple line.

A solution that I found is store errors inside the method,  so I can access that information if I need

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import inspect
def f(x):
  felf = globals()[inspect.getframeinfo(inspect.currentframe()).function]
  if x == 0:
    felf.myLastError = "error: %d" % x
    return None
 
  return x
 
res = f(3)
if res == None:
  print f.myLastError
res = f(0)
if res == None:
  print f.myLastError
res = f(3)
if res == None:
  print f.myLastError

I want to test it with decorators… python rules!!

It’s gives object and components visibility state, in static frame or animation.

As I responsed to Cesar (at the agMathParser comments), a second version will be released when I have more user feedbacks. This version was a personal one and I’d published it becouse I think that it could be userfull but I know that to be a public tool would be nice to allows a better customization to add new nodes and perhaps supports to others areas (render tree or expressions simplify)

I want to share this small tool. It is a math expression to ICE compound converter. (Softimage 2011)

Donwload agMathParser 1.1 (Right click – SaveAs or drag and drop into softimage)

Supported functions:

• +, -, *, /, ^,  %
• sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, atan
• sqrt, abs, min, max, floor, log, ln
• PI, E

Install the addon, and execute it at Ice Tree View\User Tools\agMath Parser.
If you find any error, please tell me and indicate the expression taht cause the error.

Any comments or ideas are welcome too.