How To Read Optionvar

[vlad-d]

Hi,

How I can read some optionVar value using API?

Thanks, VD.

[joojaa]

What exactly is the purpose of this. I suggest you make this as a node, and the nodes gui again read in the option var on creation

[vlad-d]

I need to have the ramp control on 'Tool Options' panel like 'Soft Modification Tool' has. So I created it as gradientControlNoAttr.

This context will work with a particular deformer node. It is easier to add the MRampAttribute to deformer - but I do not need ramp in 'Attribute Editor' but in 'Tool Options'.

So I need to read the optionVar where ramp control points are stored - then tokenize it and use for further computations.

Actually I have an idea to have hidden MRampAttribute of deformer but set its entries having the data I read from optionVar. And then use MRampAttribute:: getValueAtPosition to get interpolated values.

So I stacked with reading the optionVar of gradientControlNoAttr control.

Maybe there is a better solution?

[daniel-faust]

I don't know if there's a better solution. The point is that you can read an optionVar with a MGlobal::excecuteCommand call. I don't recall if you can do this directly, at least I wrapped the querying of the optionVar in a global mel procedure which returns the value of the optionVar:

CODE
// read
  double dResult = -1.0;
  MGlobal::executeCommand(MString("getDefaultMaxDistance;"), dResult);
  if (dResult != -1.0) {
    DPreferences::m_dDefaultMaxRadius = dResult;
  }
  else {
    DPreferences::m_dDefaultMaxRadius = 50.0;
  }

// write
    MGlobal::executeCommand(MString("setDefaultMaxDistance(") + DPreferences::m_dDefaultMaxRadius +")");

mel:

CODE
global proc float getDefaultMaxDistance() {
  if (optionVar -ex "defaultMaxDistance")
    return optionVar -q "defaultMaxDistance";
  else {
    optionVar -fv "defaultMaxDistance" 50.0;
    return -1.0;
  }
}

global proc setDefaultMaxDistance(float $distance) {
  optionVar -fv "defaultMaxDistance" $distance;
}

[vlad-d]

Thanks - that is what I need I think

[joojaa]

Well actually, you shouldnt read it from option vars (and certainly not trough tokenizing). But rather the tool options, a tool is sort of a invisible node, or actually to make a consitent tool you must have a corresponding node to match the tool or esle you may find its hard to do anything in maya.

[vlad-d]

thanks Joojaa - it sounds quite reasonable.

In other hand how I can make dummy node attributes appearing in 'Tool Options' but not in 'Attribute Editor' panel?

I already got the approach with optionVar working . I grab this var and set up the ramp attribute of deformer just before calculating the vertex weights - when mouse is pressed - so it seems it is quite ok for my needs.

[joojaa]

QUOTE(Vlad Dubovo @ 03/02/07, 11:10 PM) [snapback]261323[/snapback]
. I grab this var and set up the ramp attribute of deformer just before calculating the vertex weights - when mouse is pressed - so it seems it is quite ok for my needs.

Yes but it works unlike maya does which will throw users off. Now suddenly you cant build history with your manipluator making it only half as usefull as all other maya nodes. So instead of making slight changes to it later the user has to undo once you release the tool.

You see every maya moddelling tool backs up as a animation tool. Now if you were to make a node out of this. Youd be able to

Insert if after animation as a tweak on top of everything, but with possibility to change full logic (so the user could animate the ramp moving)

You can still use maya and mel to collapse it into a tweak

If the user wishes no history then he just switches history off.