Reload / update deformer plugin in a scene

tontonsuspect · 2012-06-12 07:43:50 UTC

Perhaps try to delete your node, flushUndo and then unload–> copy mll–> rehash script/plugins directory–> loadplugin. Maybe, just flushing undo will be enough

zoharl · 2012-06-12 07:57:22 UTC

No need to rehash, since there are no new files.

Tonton, I think that you are missing here. If I delete my node, then it’s deleted with all its connections. Who would restore them, and would reapply the node to all the scene objects it was attached to?

tontonsuspect · 2012-06-12 08:49:47 UTC

Not really, your action are stored in maya undo list( in the API look around the MDAGModifier+MDGModifier)(unless you have disable it ): some memory is assigned for this purpose.

Once your history is erase you can proceed to update your plugin.

I just have done a test and on my computer it works .

procanic · 2012-06-12 09:32:57 UTC

EDIT:
sry, fallacy on my side - post deleted …

@zoharl:
what exactly is the problem with writing a script that writes all nodes and connections to a file and restores them after reloading the plug?

zoharl · 2012-06-12 16:43:25 UTC

@tonton, sorry I misunderstood you then when you said “flush undo… flush undo would be enough”. I tried instead of flushUndo “delete -ch -all”, but it didn’t work for me (maya2010). Actually as I remember from previous posts flushUndo is a necessary step, else maya still needs the plugin in memory for the undo. Could you please elaborate exactly what you did, if you used a deformer node (can you try offsetNode.cpp from devkit?), and which maya version did you use it on?

@procanic, no problem at all. But before I am wasting up to an hour, usually I check around if something already exists or if there are better ideas such as the one @tonton is trying to suggest.

tontonsuspect · 2012-06-13 00:08:09 UTC

sorry for the late reply, delete -ch means delete construction history: basically removes “nodes” involved in the creation and modification of an object: this doesnt clear your physical ram memory( and it makes sense once all the piece start to fit together):

I use maya 2011 on a 32bit machine and did a test with python dependecy node then with a custom C++ deformer: my node are simple: no accessory setup, callback etc: I delete the culprit node flushUndo and then unload the plugin

zoharl · 2012-06-13 02:24:18 UTC

Tonton, let me elaborate more and emphasize what I said before:

I execute two batches in the pre-link and post-build events in VS:

pre-link2.bat $(TargetName):

commandPort.exe if ( `pluginInfo -q -l %1`) { delete `ls -typ %1`; }
  commandPort.exe flushUndo
  rem commandPort delete -ch -all
  commandPort.exe unloadPlugin %1
  echo commandPort.exe unloadPlugin %1

post-build2.bat $(OutDir)$(TargetName)$(TargetExt) $(TargetName)

echo copy %1 "\prj\plug-ins\"
  copy %1 "\prj\plug-ins\"
  commandPort.exe loadPlugin %2
  commandPort.exe { $maxNum = `optionVar -q "RecentFilesMaxSize"`; $list = `optionVar -q "RecentFilesList"`; file -o -f $list[$maxNum-1]; }

I emphasize again, these are working fine, the plugin is unloaded successfully, updated successfully, and loaded again successfully. And the flushUndo() is crucial.
There is one limitation tough that I pointed out. If you notice, the last line reloads the last scene, since I broke the current. If I have a large scene, this step would take time. So my problem again is not to unload and update the plugin, my problem is to restore the scene to the previous state it has been. Namely I want the script to create deformer nodes and reconnect them to objects in the scene automatically.

So again, I don’t have a problem to update the plugin, I have a problem to restore the scene to its previous state efficiently. I’m still not sure if you want to use the flushUndo or not. At this stage I appreciate if you show me the piece of script that you had in mind for accomplishing the task (and preferably test it on the offsetNode.cpp from the devkit).

tontonsuspect · 2012-06-13 04:51:53 UTC

I would rather not delete history: in your case you say that you have huge data to operate on:

I usually have a self button in maya : plugin are unload,the build directory is scanned then the plugin files copied into maya directory, a new scene opened then the deformer is applied on object with no more than 10000 vertice…

I would rather invoke a script with your commandPort post build : ( in my eye there is no such thing as automatic: someone must sweat before to write things )

In your plugin: is your attribute disconnect behavior set on kNothing?.
for each node you list its attribute:

attributeList = cmds.listAttr('yourNodeInstanceInMaya1')

a deformer is a dependencyNode: so it inherits attribute from its parent class:like
message,nodeState,binMembership etc…( see the node domumentation of dependNode)
your can remove this from your attribute list than you simply store a MPluglist in order to restore your scene later.

destinationList = cmds.connectionInfo(attributeList[k],destinationFromSource=True)
 sourceList = cmds.connectionInfo(attributeList[k],sourceFromDestination=True)

then you can disconnect attributes and hoping nodes will not be deleted if nothing is connected to it
Once your plugin is updated your reconnect stuff…

procanic · 2012-06-13 05:05:58 UTC

ok, i’ll give it another try … hope this works for you!
it’s two mel files (+the two bat files and a test scene).

preLink.mel

stores all nodes of a given type with all their connections in a temporary file
kicks all connections to and from these nodes
deletes the nodes
flushes cache
unloads plugin

postBuild.mel

copies new pluin file
loads plugin
recreates nodes from tmp file
recreates connections from tmp file

you will have to change the contents of some string variables in the preLink.mel (path, plugin file and name). i’m not sure if the bat files are correct this way. you will at least have to change the path of the mel files in there.

couldn’t test with commandPort.exe, but i tested the mel files with a simple nearestPointOnMesh setup (scene included) and it seemed to work …

hope this is kinda what you need! cheers!

zoharl · 2012-06-13 05:24:22 UTC

Tonton, that actually an interesting idea!

Nevertheless, our friend here @procanic already gave an implementation of the more conventional algorithm I noted initially, so at this point we make the discussion academic, and I’ll give his solution a try.

zoharl · 2012-06-13 14:37:47 UTC

@procanic, I’ve made a few tweaks and it works great:

http://svn.code.sf.net/p/mymayaplugins/code-0/trunk/maya-scripts/update_plugin/

Thanks

procanic · 2012-06-15 02:32:33 UTC

glad it worked. thanks for sharing back the whole package! - cheers!

BigRoyNL · 2012-11-18 13:22:50 UTC

How would one exactly set up the workflow with the pre-link and post-link bat files? Keep getting errors while setting it up.

Thanks in advance.

zoharl · 2012-11-18 17:48:44 UTC

And the errors are…?

Setup:

Put commandPort.exe, pre-link3.bat, and post-build3.bat in windows path or where the .sln of your project resides.
Add to your maya’s userSetup.mel

commandPort();

Put vs_build_events.mel in your mel script path.
In VS, set under your project property pages>conf prop> build events> pre-link event> command line:

pre-link3.bat <plugin_file_name_without_extension> <node_name_of_deformer>

Since my project name is the same as the .mll and the deformer I simply set:

pre-link3.bat $(TargetName) $(TargetName)

and the build events> post-link event> command line to:

post-build3.bat <plugin_file_name> <node_name_of_deformer> <VS_out_dir_of_mll> <your_plugins_dir> <mel_command_to_create_deformer>

I use:

post-build3.bat $(TargetName)$(TargetExt) $(TargetName) $(OutDir) "\prj\plug-ins\" "deformer -type"

BigRoyNL · 2012-11-19 05:06:41 UTC

Awesome! I got it to work.

My node is working fine, but when I use this while Maya is open the following code returns the MS::kNotImplemented. Even though before recompiling it the node actually works. Happens every time.


 if (dataBlock.inputValue(aInCurve).type() != MFnData::kNurbsCurve) stat = MS::kNotImplemented;
 CHECK_MSTATUS_AND_RETURN_IT(stat);

So before I can actually start using this I’ll have to figure out why it is doing this. Nevertheless learned something awesome new about Visual Studio and the commandPort.

Thanks!

-Roy

zoharl · 2012-11-19 05:31:55 UTC

The mel code should reconnect all the accessories to the deformer, but in your case something didn’t connect right. I’ll need some more information on the deformer type and what/how do you connect to it. Also, you should simply check the connections in the connection editor from the accessories to the deformer, and test inside the plugin if these connections are valid (it’s your plugin, right?).

commandPort is not limited to VS. It’s an external interface to maya, and any app can connect to it.

BigRoyNL · 2012-11-19 05:35:30 UTC

I checked all the connections and they were all fine. Even tried reconnecting it or connecting it to a new node. It’s derived from MPxNode and I changed the deformer -type code to createNode.

I had probably some other thing that was giving me the problems beside just this script.

I’ll let you know once I figure out what it was. Currently developing without this sweet functionality. hehe.

It also reconnected these connections (according to the nodeCon.tmp file):

<nodeName>.message
 hyperLayout1.hyperPosition[0].dependNode
 <nodeName>.message
 hyperLayout2.hyperPosition[2].dependNode

I’m not entirely sure what that’s about?

zoharl · 2012-11-19 05:45:57 UTC

I’m sorry that I can’t assist you better. Since it’s only a small utility that I use at home (and not in mass production), I’m not really sure about its quirks and limitations in other situations besides mine :D.

If this really interests you (I won’t be offended if not ), then I suggest you would start eliminating chunks of code from the plugin, until it would be bare-bones, and then it would be easier to debug the problem.

The temp file shows the connections that the plugin had. I’m not sure what they are in your case (your plugin, right?).

zoharl · 2012-11-19 06:03:22 UTC

Did you try, perhaps, to comment the code in the mel script that restores the connections, and then connect the deformer with your standard script?
This should be the first test, and after you make this work, your should compare the connections the mel script it trying to make with the ones your script makes.

Actually the whole process here is not that complicated. The connections are saved, the deformer is deleted, a new deformer is created, and the connections are remade for the new deformer. You should try to make this process manually and see where it fails.

CGTalk_Moderation · 2012-11-19 06:03:23 UTC

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