[Closed] Custom Attributes : Controller not updating

You basically want to control the object with the custom attribute indirectly – something you can do but maxhelp advises against it. This is the staple of dynamic systems because a lot of the time you need a external variable to check against and update if need be – the way i handle this is with a struct variable. But you’d have to bake the keys of the object your controlling into actual keys – else the rendering will be screwed up.

i.e when an object is controlled in-directly with a script controller your syncing issues with playback, rendering, anim preview etc.

If you want something in the def, either use a callback or use an script_controller on another object indirectly. Be warned though as you might get rendering/playback oddities.
If its a slider or a spinner why not just instance the controller between the two? or use wireparams?

Well all I want is to call a function defined in a CA from a script controller preferably in the same CA… to keep it tidy… I can add a script controller to a position controller but it’s sooo messy I think… and I definetly not what I want although it works…

I figured that if a script controller gets a animated track or node assigned it would pick up on the updates… but that’s not true it seems… the track holding the script controller needs to be in the validate loop as well it seems… hope you get my drift…

So basicly I have everything working but now I want that a scripted controller in a CA gets updated the same as it would be on a position track.

Otherwise I would have to do some checking if a controller is already in place etc… and cleanup… now I can easily just remove the attribute holder and all is clean again…

-Johan

you need to add a maxObject as a variable that will be a trigger to update the controller…
ie you want to use have it so whenever you scale sphere01 the controller updates

you can add sphere01 as a node or you could add the scale controller as a target (not an object as it wont cause updates)

it will then update when you affect the added maxobject

mark

I tried that but it doesn’t evaluate on rendertime…

Here’s a code example of what I try to do

 
 (
 	-- Use box in this example
 	o = box()
 	o.position =[random -20 20, random -20 20, 0]
 	p = plane()
 	with animate on
 	(
 		at time 0 p.pos = [0,0,0]
 		at time 100 p.pos = [0,0, random 40 60]
 	)
 	
 	-- Define the customAttribute structure
 	local lDef =  attributes lAttributes
 	(
 		parameters lControls
 		(
 			refNode type:#maxObject
 			Updater type:#float
 		)
 		
 		fn changeHeight =
 		-- Do something
 		(
 			obj = this.refNode.node
 			with animate off	--don't want no animation keys!
 				obj.height = currenttime as integer / TicksPerFrame
 		)
 	)
 
 		-- The players
 	local em = (emptyModifier())
 	local fs = (float_script())
 	
 	-- Add everything together
 	addModifier o em
 	custAttributes.add em lDef
 
 	-- Custom Attribute assign
 	o.attribute_holder.refNode = nodeTransformMonitor node:o forwardTransformChangeMsgs:false
 
 	-- Script Controllers assign
 	/*-- Doesn't work at all...
 	o.attribute_holder.Updater.controller = fs
 	*/
 	-- doesn't work on rendertime....
 	o.position.z_position.controller = fs
 	
 	-- Float script settings
 	fs.addObject "dummy" p
 	fs.addNode "ref" o
 	fs.script = "ref.attribute_holder.changeHeight();
0;"
 	
 --	CODE THAT FAILS
 /*
 "
 local refsArray = refs.dependents this
 local ref = for i in refsArray where superClassof i == AttributeDef collect i
 if ref.count >= 1 then
 (
 	ref[1].changeHeight()
 )
 0
 "
 */
 
 
 )
 

As you can see it works in the viewport… but when rendering a sequence it doesn’t show or stays a height=0.
Now if you uncomment the
o.attribute_holder.Updater.controller = fs (line 44)and comment out the line below, you get the situation that I’m after… I want the script controller to be contained in the CA (everything in one place).

I only added the animated plane to act as an event for the script controller, but that doesn’t do anything…really…

But right now nothing works… can it be done… why isn’t the scriptcontroller updating on rendertime etc?

Thanks, if anyone has a clue…

-Johan

as far as I see, marktsang, your solution does not seem to work, except if you use UI for the custom attribute, and only if the modify panel/or dialog containing the rollout is active.

In any case, I think that the only controller that sends the needed messages is the transform contorller and subcontrollers, any other parameters in the scene like CAs, are mute, unless you make them talk

The only simple solution I can think, would be to create a script controller inside the scale controller, or similar controller, that sends messages to other script controllers, hence those update:

forceupdate1.value = forceupdate1.value
forceupdate2.value = forceupdate2.value

where forceupdate is a variable containing the script controller inside the CA
I suppose you can create a central node, that updates several different CAs in the scene

or something like that

Is it me or is that really not the way you want to use this sort of stuff… I wonder if this is by design… cause I don’t get it. I only want a controller (inside a CA) that evaluates every frame… I shouldn’t be building a network of controllers to pass a message around or should I…

Does anyone else have similar experiences?

-Johan

it does look like the script controller within a custom attribute block simply doesn’t get evaluated when the time changes (be it viewport or render).

The basic minimum should be…

test_ca = 
	attributes test_ca version:1 attribID:#(0xdeadbeef, 0xbaadf00d) (
		parameters prams  (
			test type:#float animatable:true
		)
	)
custAttributes.add $ test_ca -- $ here is some object
$.test.controller = float_script()
$.test.controller.script = "displayTempPrompt ((random 1.0 100.0) as string) 500;1.0"

…but alas, it’s not. Adding a variable to the controller that points to the node, using that variable in the script, using the ‘F’ (frame) variable in the script, etc… no go.

I call ‘bug’ unless it is indeed by design (can’t imagine why, though)

I’m guessing this is a bug as I have tried everything to get it to update and it will not. I even tried dependsOn and still that did not force an update.