particleShape name in expression

[zoo-prod]

Maybe you could use a little simple script that you launch before your simulation. To store the name of your particle shape in a string... And then call this string in your expression.

[YourDaftPunk]

So you have a call something like this?
dynExpression -c -s $theFileString paritcleShape1;

Right before that couldn't you run a substitute command with a simple regular expression to replace a unique word with the correct current particle name? You might then have:

string $file; // your file you read in
string $regularExpr = "@@@@"; // what we replace
string $pExp; // the adjusted particle expression

for ($node in $particleShapeNodes) {
string $pExp = `substitute $regularExpr $file $node`;
dynExpression -c -s $pExp $node;
}

And that line in your file would look like:
string $buf[] = `listConnections -p 1 @@@@.goalGeometry[0]`;

[Aikiman]

Then capture the particle shape by having to select the particle first and write this code in the beginning of your script.

pickWalk -d down;
string $particle[] = `ls -sl`;
print $particle;

or use a global proc where you write in your particle as in

global proc yourMel( string $particleShape )

Either way would work and is more flexible than your way because yours assumes there is only one particle shape in your scene at one time. The above code means you can have many particle shapes but because you are specifying which one, maya knows where to apply the expression.

[akril]

ok so... I think there was some misunderstanding of my explanations.

Boris, heureux de te voir ici ;-)... alors la Nouvelle Zelande c'est cool ?
In fact, use a simple string to store the particleShape name in the particle expression will not resolve the trouble.

YourDaftPunk, I already tried your tips (with "substituteAllString" command) but it will also not resolve the maya errors. Let's try this example in maya.

seed(particleShape1.particleId);

vector $pos = particleShape1.position;
vector $vel = particleShape1.velocity;

string $buf[] = `listConnections -p 1 particleShape1.goalGeometry[0]`;

If you change the name of your particle (so the shape name as-well)... the expression make some failures because Maya don't replace the shape name in the last line. That's why I need to retrieve "dynamically" the particle shape name in a string and not like a simple string in order to change the particle name as I want.

thanks for your replys ;-)

[YourDaftPunk]

Ah! I see what you are saying. So the user is changing the name of the particle shape nodes after the script is run and the expressions are built... How about attaching a script job which can run when the particles are renamed?

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