[Paraview] Accessing GetAnimationScene() from the ProgrammableSource

Bill Sherman shermanw at indiana.edu
Thu Apr 25 11:16:54 EDT 2013 

On 04/25/2013 10:57 AM, Utkarsh Ayachit wrote:
> Don't do this in ProgrammableFIlter, do it in the "Python" animation script.

Okay, but I don't know how to get geometry generated in a Python animation
script to be placed into the pipeline.  I've only figured out how
to do that in the ProgrammableFilter.

	Bill

>
> On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 10:55 AM, Bill Sherman<shermanw at indiana.edu>  wrote:
>> Hey Utkarsh,
>>
>>
>>> Following may help:
>>>
>>> - Create a mapper for your polydata.
>>> - Set that mapper to a vtkFollower.
>>> - Pass camera to vtkFollower (view.GetActiveCamera())
>>> - Add vtkFolllower to view (view.GetRenderer2D().AddActor(follower)
>>>
>>> You'll have to figure out what Python modules to import to get the
>>> vtkFollower/vtkPolyDataMapper, if needed. If all goes well, that may
>>> work.
>>
>> Right, first thing I'm having difficulty figuring how is how to get
>> the view from within the Programmable Filter.  I'm sure it's because
>> it's a serverside object, right, but I found what I thought would
>> help -- I can get the Proxy for the view and the camera -- but I can't
>> figure out how to actually get the view object, or remotely access
>> the view via the Proxy.
>>
>> E.g.:
>>          view = servermanager.vtkSMViewProxy()
>>          print dir(view)
>>
>>          camera = servermanager.vtkSMCameraProxy()
>>          print dir(camera)
>>
>> I can't find any methods from those method listings that tie me to
>> actually using the camera or the view.
>>
>> It seems like if I can get over this hump I could be in good shape.
>>
>>          Thanks,
>>          Bill
>>
>>
>>> Utkarsh
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 12:16 AM, William Sherman<shermanw at indiana.edu>
>>> wrote:
>>>> On 4/24/13 11:09 PM, Utkarsh Ayachit wrote:
>>>>> I'm am little confused, what is that you exactly want to see? I can
>>>>> figure out how to show that.
>>>>
>>>> Nothing visually complicated.  In my animation sequence I have data
>>>> time repeat over and over again as I represent it using different
>>>> methods.  I currently show that time value using the "AnnotateTime"
>>>> source, but I feel that that number gets lost in the shuffle, so I
>>>> want to have something that looks like a progress bar that is tied
>>>> to data-time and grows as we progress in the simulation.  And when
>>>> the simulation time resets to 0, the bar goes back to the beginning.
>>>>
>>>> Like I said, very simple, yet very difficult.
>>>>
>>>> I did more exploration with creating a string that I might use
>>>> instead of a polygonal object, but then I was foiled when I
>>>> realized that even though I can put a string into a Table output,
>>>> the "Manage Links" tool doesn't have an option to link data output
>>>> to a source/filter parameter.  Only parameter to parameter!
>>>>
>>>> So I'm back to the polygonal object.
>>>>
>>>>> Utkarsh
>>>>
>>>>           Thanks,
>>>>
>>>>           Bill
>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 5:54 PM, Bill Sherman<shermanw at indiana.edu>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> Hello again Utkarsh, ParaView list people,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> You cannot access animation scene from ProgrammableSource. Anything
>>>>>>> from simple.py/servermanager.py cannot be accessed in
>>>>>>> ProgrammableSource/Filter. You can add Python scripts as an animation
>>>>>>> track, however. In the animation view, choose "Python" in the first
>>>>>>> combo-box next to the "+" button.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks again for this, this is a great tool to know about -- I was
>>>>>> doing animations stuff all day yesterday and didn't notice it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I have a couple of updates:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> First, with the Animation Python script, I'm not sure how the
>>>>>> geometry I generate can be placed into the scene.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Second, I managed to figure out a way to use a Programmable Filter
>>>>>> fed by an "AnnotateTime" source to make a geometry that is based on
>>>>>> time!  So that's the good news -- example Python script below.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The bad news is that I didn't quite think this through.  What I want
>>>>>> is basically a time/progress bar at the top, and I can do that now,
>>>>>> but what I forgot is that the camera moves in the animation, and I
>>>>>> don't want my progress bar to move!  I should have thought of that
>>>>>> from the outset!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've been doing some research and experimenting with vanilla VTK, and
>>>>>> it doesn't seem to be the case that I can have a 2D geometric object
>>>>>> that is immune to the camera's movements.  (And if anyone knows
>>>>>> anything
>>>>>> different than that, I'd love to hear about it.)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So, I decided to just try something simple for now, but of course
>>>>>> nothing
>>>>>> is simple.  I was thinking that I'd just create a text representation
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> time -- ie a bunch of ohs in a string ("oooooo..."), but now I don't
>>>>>> know if I can produce a Text object other than from a source -- ie. can
>>>>>> I programatically create a text object that will be immune to camera
>>>>>> moves (ie. using a vtkActor2D underneath the hood).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thoughts? ...  Hang on, I just discovered that links can do more than
>>>>>> link cameras!  So any thoughts on how I might take advantage of a link
>>>>>> to create a text string in a programmable filter and pipe that into a
>>>>>> Text object?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> As always when working with ParaView, even after I feel like I've
>>>>>> learned
>>>>>> a lot, the amount of knowledge of what I don't know about it seems
>>>>>> to have expanded even more!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For example: the programmable filter has three places for scripts:
>>>>>>            - Script
>>>>>>            - RequestInformation Script
>>>>>>            - RequestUpdateExtent Script
>>>>>> Each have popups, but the message is self referential -- I have to
>>>>>> know what the RequestInformation pass or the RequestUpdateExtent
>>>>>> pipeline
>>>>>> pass means to know how these work.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Okay, as promised, thanks to some code from Utkarsh, and a lot of
>>>>>> trial an error, I present a programmable filter script that modifies
>>>>>> the shape of this triangle based on animation time:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -----------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>> time = self.GetInput().GetValue(0,0).ToFloat();
>>>>>> #print time;
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> # Create a poly-data instance
>>>>>> #pd = vtk.vtkPolyData()
>>>>>>
>>>>>> # Instead link to the poly-data created for the output
>>>>>> pd = self.GetPolyDataOutput();
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> # Set up the containter to save the
>>>>>> # point locations (geometry)
>>>>>> points = vtk.vtkPoints()
>>>>>> pd.SetPoints(points)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> # Add the point coordinates
>>>>>> points.SetNumberOfPoints(3)
>>>>>> points.SetPoint(0, 0, 0, 0)
>>>>>> points.SetPoint(1, 2, time, 0)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> points.SetPoint(2, 3, 0, 0)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> # We are adding a single triangle with
>>>>>> # 3 points. Create a id-list to refer to
>>>>>> # the point ids that form the triangle.
>>>>>> ids = vtk.vtkIdList()
>>>>>> ids.SetNumberOfIds(3)
>>>>>> ids.SetId(0, 0)
>>>>>> ids.SetId(1, 1)
>>>>>> ids.SetId(2, 2)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> # Since this polydata has only 1 cell,
>>>>>> # allocate it.
>>>>>> pd.Allocate(1, 1)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> # Insert the cell giving its type and
>>>>>> # the point ids that form the cell.
>>>>>> pd.InsertNextCell(vtk.VTK_POLYGON, ids)
>>>>>> -----------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So, in order to get time, the Programmable Filter must have as its
>>>>>> input an "AnnotateTime" module that just outputs a numeric value for
>>>>>> time.  And then the output type for the filter must be set to
>>>>>> "vtkPolyData".
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Utkarsh
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            more to learn, more to learn ... thanks!
>>>>>>            Bill
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 10:02 AM, Bill Sherman<shermanw at indiana.edu>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I have a question about how to access internal ParaView data from the
>>>>>>>> Programmable Source source.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Specifically, I want to have a source that changes based on the
>>>>>>>> animation
>>>>>>>> time, and so I would like to know how to get the current data-time
>>>>>>>> from within the python code of a Programmable Source.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So, using the Python_Scripting wiki entry on paraview.org, I have
>>>>>>>> found that from the Python Shell I can get information about the
>>>>>>>> current time of the animation using the GetAnimationScene() method,
>>>>>>>> so I'm hoping that there is a quick trick to accessing this data
>>>>>>>> from the ProgrammableSource python code.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Eg.
>>>>>>>>             >>>     scene=GetAnimationScene()
>>>>>>>>             >>>     print scene.AnimationTime
>>>>>>>>             30.0466
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I think from there I can do some interesting stuff.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>             Thanks in advance,
>>>>>>>>             Bill
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>> Bill Sherman
>>>>>>>> Sr. Technology Advisor
>>>>>>>> Advanced Visualization Lab
>>>>>>>> Pervasive Technology Inst
>>>>>>>> Indiana University
>>>>>>>> shermanw at indiana.edu
>>>>>>
>>>>>>

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