Object Hierarchy | Related C++ Class: CustomOperator
CustomOperator
v4.0
The CustomOperator object represents a custom operator defined by the user. This operator
may have been created in any of the following ways:
- in the Scripted Operator Editor
- as a Self-Installed Custom Operator
- on the fly by running a script (a "runtime" custom operator)
Self-Installed Custom Operators are defined within a Plugin and are the
recommended way to create Custom Operators. Runtime operators are still supported but
they have a different callback convention and embed the entire implementation of the operator
into the scene file. See AddScriptedOp and
XSIFactory.CreateScriptedOp for more details about runtime operators.
Prior to v5.1, Custom Operators were often created based on a Preset and SPDL file. This
technique is still supported as a legacy feature but Self-Installed Custom Operators are now
the recommended alternative.
The easiest way to build a Self-Installed Custom Operator from scripting is by using the
AddCustomOp command, (or similar Parameter.AddCustomOp
and ProjectItem.AddCustomOp methods).
It is also possible to build a custom operator using the methods of this object. For most
operators there is only a single output object, (represented by a single
OutputPort) and there may be inputs (represented by
InputPorts). If the operator is a deform-style operator it must have both
an output and an input to the same object. The output ports should be added before the input
ports (or by using CustomOperator.AddIOPort). Most operators only need a
single PortGroup, which is created automatically. A typical operator can be
defined entirely with these methods:
- XSIFactory.CreateObject
- CustomOperator.AddInputPort
- CustomOperator.AddOutputPort
- XSIFactory.CreateParamDef
- CustomOperator.AddParameter
- Operator.Connect
More advanced operators, in particular ones that dynamically connect to objects after the operator
has been created, also use the concept of PortGroup to organize the ports into
groups as they are defined. These operators rely on CustomOperator.AddPortGroup,
Operator.ConnectToGroup, and CustomOperator.AddInputPortByClassID.
Certain objects are explicitly blocked from being connected to custom operators, these include:
X3DObject and Kinematics. Instead of connecting to these
objects the operator should connect to the specific data underneath those objects, for example
a Primitive, Property or KinematicState.
The actual algorithm of a Self-Installed Custom Operator is implemented in the
Update callback. Unlike runtime operators it takes
a single argument which is an OperatorContext object. Other callbacks include
the Define,
DefineLayout,
Init,
Term and the
PPG Logic callbacks (PPGEvent for C# and
OnClicked,
OnInit, and
OnTab).
For more information, see
the Custom Operators topic.
