[Closed] attach object/group to all group instances

First of all filter fn need to be changed

fn filtGroup o = isGroupMember o or isGroupHead o

I was thinking that it might be better and faster to:
– collect all group instance transform.
– attach selection to picked root group
– delete another instances
– copy root group to previous groups positions

But there is a small problem
what if group members of deleted instances have different materials then root group members?

why do you have to care of it? your code makes an instance of selection, attaches it to destination group… that’s it.

as i said the transform issue is a simple part of this task. most complicated one is to identify which node (and its hierarchy) can be attached to a group

No doupt. This is very cool. That’s why I must ask you. You are the math genius:bowdown:
Thanks again.
Hey Mike wake up and try2script this

that’s great! I woke up at 9:00 am today!

It’s working when adding a single object, but it doesn’t when adding a group of object to group instances!

>> MAXScript Rollout Handler Exception:
– Runtime error: attachNodesToGroup() failed due to invalid input <<

line – attachNodesToGroup o groups[i]

If I disable this line: attachNodesToGroup o groups[i]

then I get elements of added groups spread throughout all the scene but not on the tables!
Still confusing!

   					maxOps.cloneNodes selObjs cloneType:#instance newNodes:&objs
   					for o in objs do
   					(
   						if o.parent != undefined do o.parent = undefined
   						tm = o.transform * (inverse rootGroup.transform)
   						o.transform = tm*groups[i].transform
   						--attachNodesToGroup o groups[i]
   					)
   
   

obs here are the groups that where cloned! But I don’t know how to apply next to every object inside every group! Just try to apply this script to the max scene I’ve uploaded on previous page!

I’ve just found

					print objs
					for o in objs do
					(
						--next line is need to be removed vhen you try cloning with expandHierarchy:on
					--	if o.parent != undefined do o.parent = undefined
						if not isGroupHead o then
						(	
							tm = o.transform * (inverse rootGroup.transform)
							o.transform = tm*groups[i].transform
						)	
						--attachNodesToGroup o groups[i]
					)

But now I have just to –attachNodesToGroup o groups[i]

I prepare new test scene and of course working script.
Select all items on the table and use script by selecting table below.
For the items I used 3 groups and 3 linked objects to make this example mor interesting.

try(destroyDialog ::bgaRoll)catch()
rollout bgaRoll "• • •"
(
	fn filtGroup o = (isGroupMember o or isGroupHead o)
	fn getRootGroupHead node = if filtGroup node do
	(
		while node != undefined and (not isgrouphead node or isgroupmember node) do (node = node.parent)
		node
	)	
	fn RemoveFrom theArray Itmes = if theArray.count > 0 and  Itmes.count > 0 do
	(
		local idxs = sort (for i in Itmes where (idx = findItem theArray i) > 0 collect idx)
		if idxs.count > 0 do for x = idxs.count to 1 by -1 do (deleteItem theArray idxs[x])
		theArray
	)
	fn collectRootGroups arr =
	(
		local rootGArr = #()
		while arr.count != 0 do
		(
			append rootGArr (getRootGroupHead arr[1])
			RemoveFrom arr (join #() rootGArr[rootGArr.count])
		) ; rootGArr
	)
	fn unparentAndClose arr = if arr.count != 0 do
	(
		for i in arr do
		(
			if isGroupHead i and isOpenGroupHead i do setGroupOpen i off
			i.parent = null
		) ; arr
	)
	fn redefineSelection arr =
	(
		local groupArr = for o in arr where filtGroup o collect o
		arr = RemoveFrom arr groupArr
		groupArr = collectRootGroups groupArr
		arr = unparentAndClose (join arr groupArr)
	)
	pickbutton pick "PickGroup" pos:[5,5] width:100 height:20 filter:filtGroup
	on pick picked obj do if obj != undefined and selection.count !=0 do
	(
		
		local selObjs = redefineSelection (getCurrentSelection())
		local rootGroup = getRootGroupHead obj
		InstanceMgr.GetInstances rootGroup &groups
		if groups.count > 1 then 
		(
			with redraw off 
			(
				for i = 1 to groups.count where groups[i] != rootGroup do
				(
					maxOps.cloneNodes selObjs cloneType:#instance newNodes:&objs
					for o in (redefineSelection objs) do
					(
						tm = o.transform * (inverse rootGroup.transform)
						o.transform = tm*groups[i].transform
						attachNodesToGroup o groups[i]
					)
				)
				attachNodesToGroup selObjs rootGroup
			)
		)
	)

)
createDialog bgaRoll 110 30 10 110 style:#(#style_titlebar, #style_sysmenu, #style_toolwindow)

Wake up Mike!
And please define you profile, at least add your name

try the sample scene from try2script.
you script doesn’t work right for it. you are doing a lot of unnecessary things (most are about opened groups)… the only function that you need for cloned selection is the function that returns only highest by hierarchy nodes. after that you have to clone only them with their children if the ‘root’ node is not a group member.
so you need three simple functions:

 fn getRoot node nodes: = ...
 fn getRootNodes nodes: = ...
 mapped fn attachNodeToAllGroupInstances node group includeChildren:#all = ...
 

and this will be a line to call:

 attachNodeToAllGroupInstances (getRootNodes nodes:(selection as array)) <group> includeChildren:#all
 

and make it undoable