Layerservice

Layerservice

Commands are executed and queried directly through the command syntax description previously in this guide, but this doesn’t provide any detailed information about meshes and their related elements.

The layerservice ScriptQuery can be used to obtain this detailed mesh information.

Many item-level operations in layerservice have been superseded by those in Sceneservice. Be sure to check Sceneservice to see if it is more appropriate to your task than layerservice. In general, when you want to deal with items and their channels or when you want scene-level information, you'll mostly be making use of sceneservice. When you want to deal with modeling operations or need to obtain information about the specific vertices, polygons and edges of a mesh, you'd use layerservice.

Due to its design, layerservice is only meant to work on mesh items. Attempting to pass other kinds of items to any of the attributes will fail.

Special Selectors

This interface hosts a series of global lists of layers, models, materials, parts, textures, clips and vertex maps. There are also local lists specific to the layer selection for accessing vertices, edges and polygons.

The root-level attributes ending in an ‘s’ all return valid selectors for the more specific property attributes, similar to how the return values from the Commandservice commands and Categories attributes are the selectors for the more specific property attributes. However, the layerservice ‘s’ attributes require the use of selectors returned by the various attributes ending in _groups to filter the query to specific groups of elements.

The ‘s’ attributes are layers, kids, materials, parts, textures, clips, vmaps, verts, polys, edges and models.

The _groups attributes are layer_groups, kid_groups, material_groups, part_groups, texture_groups, clip_groups, vmap_groups, vert_groups, poly_groups and edge_groups.

Using Selectors

In the case of layers, the _groups attribute returns the keywords main, fg, bg and all. Getting a list of foreground layers is done in the following example.

query layerservice layers ? fg

Each of the values returned by this query can be passed into the a more specific property attribute, such as layer.subdivLevel. In the following example we assume that the query returned "0", and we provided that as the selector to layer.subdivLevel:

query layerservice layers.subdivLevel ? 0

Alternatively, all of the different ‘s’ attributes support the list walking keywords returned by the layers_element attributes first, last, next and prev, which are fairly self-explanatory. This example returns the first vertex map:

query layerservice vmaps ? first

The result of this query can then be passed to the property attributes. The next vertex map can then be obtained with:

query layerservice vmaps ? next

And so on.

Layer-Specific Selections

In the case of vertices, edges and polygons, a layer selection is required before any of their attributes can be used. This can be done by using any of the layer attributes that takes a selection.

The layer.index attribute, for example, actually gets the index of a specific layer, but it also changes the selection in the service.

In this example we switch the layer selection to the primary layer, discarding the returned value:

query layerservice layer.index ? main

After that, the various vertex, polygon and edge attributes can be used to get information specifically related to that layer, such as this query to get the number of selected vertices in the layer:

 query layerservice vert.N ? selected

The above example also demonstrates the different grouping keywords used by the local lists. A complete list of keywords can be obtained by querying vert_groups, edge_groups and poly_groups, and includes selected, unselected, and all.

"Selecting" Layers, Vertex Maps, etc.

As mentioned above, it is important to note that all attributes work only on the current layer chosen for querying. This is especially true of the vert.???, poly.??? and edge.??? element attributes.

This is termed as selection, but is not the same as how you select elements with the mouse through the interface; rather this is to provide layerservice with a context to query another attribute. This kind of selection is performed by simply querying one of the attributes of the element you want to select.

For example, to "select" a layer, simply query any layer.??? attribute, such as layer.index.

 query layerservice layer.index ? main

After this, the various vert.???, poly.???, etc. attributes can be used. The return value from the query above can be ignored; our only purpose is to tell layerservice which layer we plan to query the properties of.

Once "selected", it remains until a new call to one of the layer.??? attributes.

Similarly, attributes such as vert.vmapValue and poly.vmapValue require a vertex map selection, as mentioned in the attribute’s description

Selecting Points, Polygons and Edges

The select.element command can be used to select vertices, polygons and edges (this is selecting like how you would select a polygon in a model viewport, not the query selecting described in the previous section).

Once selected, elements can be manipulated using other commands. In all cases, the selectors returned by the verts, polys and edges attributes can be used to select those individual elements. verts and polys bother return element indices, while edges returns a vertex pair separated by commas and wrapped in parentheses, such as "(21, 18)".

layers

The layer attributes provide information about the individual layers that make up a mesh.

layer

Get a list of layer attributes. No selection needed.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice layer ?

Result: [list the layer.??? attribute names]

layer_groups

Get a list of layer group keywords, used to querying subsets of layers:

• All: All layers.
• Fg: Foreground layers; currently active.
• Foregruond: Synonym for "fg"
• Bg: Background layers; currently inactive, for reference.
• Background: Synonym for "bg"
• Main: Main; new geometry creation will go here.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice layer_groups ?

Result: all
fg
bg primary main

layer_elements

Get a list of keywords for walking lists:

• First: Go to the head of the list.
• Last: Go to the tail element in the list.
• Prev: Go to the prev element in the list.
• Next: Go to the next element in the list.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice layer_elements ?

Result: first last prev next

layer_lists

Get a list of layer group keywords, used to querying subsets of layers:

• Kids: A list of child layers parented to this one.
• Part: A list of parts used in these layers.
• Material: A list of materials used in these layers.
• Texture: A list of textures used in these layers.
• Clip: A list of clips (images) used in these layers.
• VMap: A list of vertex maps used in these layers.
• Poly: A list of polygons in these layers.
• Vert: A list of vertices in these layers.
• Edge: A list of edges in these layers.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice layer_lists ?

Result: kids
part
material
texture
clip
vmap
poly
vert
edge
model
uv

layers

Get a list of layer possible selections to pass into the more specific "layer.???" attributes.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice layers ? fg

Result: [list of foreground layers]

layer.N

Get the number of layers.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice layer.N ? fg

Result: 1

layer.name

Get the layer’s name.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice layer.name ? 1

Result: Mesh

layer.index

Get the absolute index of the layer. Indicies start a 1.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice layer.index ? mesh020

Result: 0

layer.subdivLevel

Get the subdivision level of the layer.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice layer.subdivLevel ? mesh020

Result: 2

layer.curveAngle

Get the curve angle setting of a layer.

Datatype: angle

Example:

query layerservice layer.curveAngle ? mesh020

Result: 6.0

layer.parent

Get the parent index of the layer.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice layer.parent ? mesh020

Result: -1

layer.childCount

Get the number of layers parented to this one. The selector must be a layer_elements keyword or a specific selection from a layers query.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice layer.childCount ? mesh020

Result: 0

layer.children

Get the item IDs of the children of this layer. Returns an empty list if there are no children.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice layer.children ? mesh020

Result:

layer.pivot

Get the pivot point of the layers. Three numbers are returned, representing the X, Y and Z axes.

Datatype: distance

Example:

query layerservice layer.pivot ? mesh020

Result: 0.0 0.0 0.0

layer.bounds

Get the bounding box enclosing the layers. Six numbers are returned; which should be two pairs of X, Y and Z coordinates marking the opposite corners of the volume.

Datatype: distance

Example:

query layerservice layer.bounds ? mesh020

Result: -0.5 -0.5 -0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5

layer.visible

Get the layer visibility, returning fg, bg, main or none.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice layer.visible ? mesh020

Result: fg

layer.model

Get the filename of the model the layer belongs to. This includes the full path to the file.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice layer.model ? mesh020

Result: c:\Path\Filename.lwo

layer.id

Get the item reference ID of the layer.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice layer.id ? mesh020

Result: mesh_375A8C59897A

• layer_groups
• layer_lists
• layer_elements
• layer
• layer.N
• layer.name
• layer.index
• layer.subdivLevel
• layer.splPatchLevel
• layer.curveAngle
• layer.parent
• layer.childCount
• layer.children
• layer.pivot
• layer.bounds
• layer.visible
• layer.model
• layer.id
• layer.wpos
• layer.wbounds

kids

• kid
• kid_groups
• kid.N
• kid.name
• kid.index
• kid.layer
• kid.parent

parts

• part
• part_groups
• part.N
• part.name
• part.index
• part.layer

models

The model series of attributes provide information about the models, which are defined as a collection of layers stored in a file.

The model attribute itself will return the list of available model.??? attributes.

The model.??? attributes query specific properties of an individual model. For each, the selector must be a specific selection from a models query, or an index between 0 and model.N, or one of the models_groups selectors.

model

Get a list of model attributes. No selection is needed.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice model ?

Result: [list of model.??? attribute names]

model.N

Get the number of models in memory.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice model.n ?

Result: 2

model.name

Get the filename of the model, or an empty list if it has not yet been saved. This is the filename only, without the path to the file.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice model.name ? 0

Result: Filename.lxo

model.index

Index of a model in the global model list. Note that the indices start from 1.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice model.index ? 0

Result: 1

model.layer

Return the index of the current layer of the model. Layer indices start from 1.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice model.layer ? first

Result: 1

model.curName

Get the name of the current model. If the file has not yet been saved, this may be "untitled" or "untitled*".

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice model.curName ?

Result: Filename.lxo

model.curIndex

Return the currently selected model’s index. Indices start from 1.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice model.curIndex ?

Result: 1

model.file

Get the filename of the model, or an empty list if it has not yet been saved. This includes the full path to the file as well as the filename.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice model.file ? 0

Result: C:\path\Filename.lwo

materials

The material attribute is use to get the list of available material.??? attributes. used to provide group filters for the other attributes.

The materials attribute returns a list of possible, specific selectors for the various material.??? attributes, while material.N returns the number of materials in that grouping. Both attributes require a keyword from the material_group attribute as a selector.

material

Get a list of material attributes. No selection is needed.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice material ?

Result: [list the material.??? attribute names]

material_groups

Description: Get a list of group keywords for use as the selection for the other attributes. No selection is needed.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice material_groups ?

Result: all

materials depricated?

Get a list of selectors for the material.??? attributes. These are in the form of absolute indices into the global materials list. Material indices start from 0.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice materials ?

Result: 0

material.N

Get the number of materials.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice material.n ? all

Result: 1

material.name

Name of a material in the material list. The selection must be one of the keywords returned by layer_element, or a previous layer_element selection must exist.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice material.name ? first

Result: Default

material.index

Index of a material in the material list.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice material.index ? first

Result: 0

material.layer

Returns the index of the current layer, usually that of a mesh item.

Datatype: integer

Example:

query layerservice material.index ?

Result: 0

material.opacity

Get the material’s opacity.

Datatype: percent Example:

query layerservice material.opacity ? 0

Result: 1.0

material.color

Get the material’s color. Returns three floats representing the red, green and blue components of the color.

Datatype: float

Example:

query layerservice material.color ? 0

Result: 0.8 0.8 0.8

material.luminous

Get the material’s luminosity.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.luminous ? 0

Result: 0.0

material.diffuse

Get the material’s diffusion.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.diffuse ? 0

Result: 1.0

material.specular

Get the material’s specular.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.specular ? 0

Result: 0.0

material.gloss

Get the material’s glossiness.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.gloss ? 0

Result: 0.3

material.reflect

Get the material’s reflection amount.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.reflect ? 0

Result: 0.0

material.transp

Get the material’s transparency.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.transp ? 0

Result: 0.0

material.transl

Get the material’s translucency.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.transl ? 0

Result: 0.0

material.refIndex

Get the material’s refraction index.

Datatype: float

Example:

query layerservice material.diffuse ? 0

Result: 1.0

material.bump

Get the material’s bump amount.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.bump ? 0

Result: 1.0

material.colHigh

Get the material’s color highlights value.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.colHigh ? 0

Result: 0.0

material.colFilt

Get the material’s color filter value.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.colrilt ? 0

Result: 0.0

material.difSharp

Get the material’s diffuse sharpness amount.

Datatype: percent

Example:

query layerservice material.difsharp ? 0

Result: 0.0

material.id

Get the item reference ID of the material.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice material.id ? 0

Result: textureLayer_01253459C65C

material.textures

Get a list of item reference IDs for the textures associated with the material.

Datatype: string

Example:

query layerservice material.textures ? first

Result:

textureLayer_8F767159B978
textureLayer_82B83B59C65B
textureLayer_01253459C65C
texturelayer_14059A598979

textures

• texture
• texture_groups
• texture.N
• texture.name
• texture.index
• texture.layer
• texture.id
• texture.type
• texture.channel
• texture.opacity
• texture.enable
• texture.invert
• texture.blendMode
• texture.position
• texture.rotation
• texture.scale
• texture.projType
• texture.projAxis
• texture.coordSys
• texture.fallType
• texture.falloff
• texture.uvName
• texture.uvMap
• texture.clip
• texture.clipFile
• texture.locator

clips

• clip
• clip_groups
• clip.N
• clip.name
• clip.index
• clip.layer
• clip.file
• clip.id
• clip.info

vmaps

• vmap
• vmap_groups
• vmap.N
• vmap.name
• vmap.index
• vmap.layer
• vmap.type
• vmap.dim
• vmap.selected
• vmap.tag

verts

• vert
• vert_groups
• vert.N
• vert.name
• vert.index
• vert.layer
• vert.pos
• vert.normal
• vert.numPolys
• vert.polyList
• vert.numVerts
• vert.vertList
• vert.vmapValue
• vert.selected
• vert.hidden
• vert.selSets
• vert.symmetric
• vert.wpos
• vert.workpos
• vert.defpos
• vert.wdefpos

polys

• poly
• poly_groups
• poly.N
• poly.name
• poly.index
• poly.layer
• poly.numVerts
• poly.vertList
• poly.normal
• poly.type
• poly.vmapValue
• poly.discos
• poly.material
• poly.part
• poly.selected
• poly.hidden
• poly.pos
• poly.tags
• poly.tagTypes
• poly.selSets
• poly.symmetric
• poly.wpos
• poly.wnormal
• poly.vertNormals
• poly.wvertNormals
• poly.workpos
• poly.worknormal

edges

• edge
• edge_groups
• edge.N
• edge.name
• edge.index
• edge.layer
• edge.vertList
• edge.numPolys
• edge.polyList
• edge.length
• edge.creaseWeight
• edge.vector
• edge.pos
• edge.selected
• edge.hidden
• edge.selSets
• edge.symmetric
• edge.wpos
• edge.wvector
• edge.workpos
• edge.workvector

uvs

• uv
• uv_groups
• uv.N
• uv.name
• uv.index
• uv.layer
• uv.vert
• uv.poly
• uv.vmap
• uv.disco
• uv.pos
• uv.selected
• uv.hidden

polsets

• polset
• polset_groups
• polset.N
• polset.name
• polset.index
• polset.layer

vrtsets

• vrtset
• vrtset_groups
• vrtset.N
• vrtset.name
• vrtset.index
• vrtset.layer

itmsets

• itmset
• itmset_groups
• itmset.N
• itmset.name
• itmset.index
• itmset.layer