class MUniformParameter

Jump to documentation

public members:

typedef enum	{///kTypeUnknown,///kTypeBool,///kTypeInt,///kTypeFloat,///kType1DTexture,///kType2DTexture,///kType3DTexture,///kTypeCubeTexture,///kTypeEnvTexture,///kTypeString,//NOTE-wheneditingthis,besuretoupdatetheinternalequivalent}DataType
	kSemanticUnknown
	kSemanticObjectDir
	kSemanticWorldDir
	kSemanticViewDir
	kSemanticProjectionDir
	kSemanticObjectPos
	kSemanticWorldPos
	kSemanticViewPos
	kSemanticProjectionPos
	kSemanticColor
	kSemanticNormal
	kSemanticBump
	kSemanticEnvironment
	kSemanticWorldMatrix
	kSemanticWorldInverseMatrix
	kSemanticWorldInverseTransposeMatrix
	kSemanticViewMatrix
	kSemanticViewInverseMatrix
	kSemanticViewInverseTransposeMatrix
	kSemanticProjectionMatrix
	kSemanticProjectionInverseMatrix
	kSemanticProjectionInverseTransposeMatrix
	kSemanticWorldViewMatrix
	kSemanticWorldViewInverseMatrix
	kSemanticWorldViewInverseTransposeMatrix
	kSemanticWorldViewProjectionMatrix
	kSemanticWorldViewProjectionInverseMatrix
	kSemanticWorldViewProjectionInverseTransposeMatrix
	kSemanticColorTexture
	kSemanticNormalTexture
	kSemanticBumpTexture
	kSemanticNormalizationTexture
	kSemanticTime
	MUniformParameter ()
	MUniformParameter ( const MString & name , DataType type , DataSemantic semantic , unsigned int numRows = 1, unsigned int numColumns = 1, void* userData = NULL)
	~MUniformParameter ()
const MUniformParameter &	operator= ( const MUniformParameter & other)
const MString &	name () const
MUniformParameter::DataType	type () const
MUniformParameter::DataSemantic	semantic () const
unsigned int	numRows () const
unsigned int	numColumns () const
unsigned int	numElements () const
void*	userData () const
bool	isATexture () const
bool	hasChanged ( const MGeometryList & iterator) const
const float*	getAsFloatArray ( const MGeometryList & iterator) const
void	setAsFloatArray ( const float* value, unsigned int maxElements) const
float	getAsFloat ( const MGeometryList & iterator) const
void	setAsFloat ( float value) const
MString	getAsString ( const MGeometryList & iterator) const
void	setAsString ( const MString & value) const
bool	getAsBool ( const MGeometryList & iterator) const
void	setAsBool ( bool value) const
int	getAsInt ( const MGeometryList & iterator) const
void	setAsInt ( int value) const
MPlug	getSource () const
void	setDirty ()

Documentation

Description

The MUniformParameter class provides a high-level interface to hardware shader uniform parameters. By defining your shader's uniform parameters through this class, you allow Maya to handle the attributes, editing, serialisation, and caching for you in a standard way that ensure you'll be able to leverage future performance and functionlity improvements.

At setup time (either initial load or when the effect/technique is changed), your shader simply creates the list of parameters it requires, specifying the name, type, semantic of the parameters. At render time, you can then use the parameters to directly access the appropriate buffers for that surface data.

If you include a custom Attribute Editor template for your shader node, you can include these surface parameters by calling the AEhwUniformTemplateParameters script function. The following sample code provides a basic template you can modify - however your AE template can use as much or as little of this as you like:

global int $yourUniformNameTemplateInitialised = 0;

global proc AEyourUniformNameTemplate ( string $node )
{
	global int $yourUniformNameTemplateInitialised;
	if( $yourUniformNameTemplateInitialised == 0)
	{
		source "AEhwUniformTemplate.mel";
		$yourUniformNameTemplateInitialised = 1;
	}

	AEhwUniformTemplateHeader( $node);
	
	// Insert custom attributes between the swatch and the parameters here

	AEhwUniformTemplateParameters( $node);

	// Insert custom attributes after the parameters here 

	AEhwUniformTemplateFooter( $node);
}

Functions

MUniformParameter:: MUniformParameter ()

Description

Create an uninitialised (i.e. NULL) uniform parameter.

MUniformParameter:: MUniformParameter ( const MString & name , DataType type , DataSemantic semantic , unsigned int numRows , unsigned int numColumns , void* userData )

Description

Create a new uniform parameter.

Arguments

• name the name of the new parameter. For independently configurable inputs, this must be unique across all parameters on the shader. If multiple parameters share the same name, only a single input will be presented to the user, and the value used to populate the set of commonly named parameters.
• type the type of the new parameter. This can either be an atomic type (e.g. float), or a structure containing other parameters. Vectors of atomic types (e.g. float4) are defined by setting the atomic type to kFloat, and specifying the maxElements value of 4.
• semantic specifies the expected usage of the paramter (e.g. we expect this to be a colour, or a tangent, etc). This gives Maya a hint as to how the input should be presented to the user, and possibly even which input data is valid for this parameter. This value is ignored for structures.
• numRows specifies the number of row of the specified type to include (e.g. a vector would have 3 floats)
• numColumns specifies the number of columns of the specified type to include (e.g. a matrix would have 4 rows and 4 columns of floats)
• userData opaque data your plugin can use to store the relationship between this parameter and your shader (e.g. a parameter handle)

MUniformParameter:: ~MUniformParameter ()

Description

Class destructor.

const MUniformParameter & MUniformParameter:: operator= ( const MUniformParameter & src)

Description

Assignment operator

const MString & MUniformParameter:: name () const

Description

Get the name of this parameter

Arguments

• None

Return Value

• The name of this parameter

MUniformParameter::DataType MUniformParameter:: type () const

Description

Get the type of this parameter

Arguments

• None

Return Value

• The type of this parameter

unsigned int MUniformParameter:: numRows () const

Description

Get the number of rows in this parameter

Arguments

• None

Return Value

• The number of rows in this parameter

unsigned int MUniformParameter:: numColumns () const

Description

Get the number of columns in this parameter

Arguments

• None

Return Value

• The number of columns in this parameter

unsigned int MUniformParameter:: numElements () const

Description

Get the number of elements in this parameter (including rows and columns)

Arguments

• None

Return Value

• The number of elements in this parameter

MUniformParameter::DataSemantic MUniformParameter:: semantic () const

Description

Get the semantic of this parameter

Arguments

• None

Return Value

• The semantic of this parameter

void* MUniformParameter:: userData () const

Description

Get the user data for this parameter. User data can be used to store plugin specific information that you want to associate with this parameter. Typically this will be used to store a handle to the effect parameter.

Arguments

• None

Return Value

• The user data for this parameter

bool MUniformParameter:: isATexture () const

Description

Test if this parameter stores a texture.

Arguments

• None

Return Value

• true if this parameter represents a texture, false otherwise.

bool MUniformParameter:: hasChanged ( const MGeometryList & iterator) const

Description

Has the value of this parameter changed since the last time it was accessed? This allow your shader to minimise state changes by only updating modified parameters.

Arguments

• iterator the current shape being rendered.

Return Value

• true if this parameter's value has changed since the last time its value was accessed. false otherwise.

const float* MUniformParameter:: getAsFloatArray ( const MGeometryList & iterator) const

Description

Get the value of this uniform parameter as one or more floating point values. Because some parameters can be shape-dependent, the method requires access to the current geometry item being rendered.

Arguments

• iterator the current shape being rendered.

Return Value

• The current floating point value of this uniform parameter.

void MUniformParameter:: setAsFloatArray ( const float* value, unsigned int maxElements) const

Description

Set the value of this uniform parameter as one or more floating point values. Note that it is not possible to set shape-specific parameters.

Arguments

• value a pointer an array of floats holding the new floating point value(s) for this parameter
• maxElements the maximum number of elements in the value array.

float MUniformParameter:: getAsFloat ( const MGeometryList & ) const

Description

Get the value of this uniform parameter as a float. Because some parameters can be shape-dependent, the method requires access to the current geometry item being rendered.

Arguments

• iterator the current shape being rendered.

Return Value

• The current float value of this uniform parameter.

void MUniformParameter:: setAsFloat ( float value) const

Description

Set the value of this uniform parameter as a float. Note that it is not possible to set shape-dependent parameters.

Arguments

• value the new float value for this parameter.

MString MUniformParameter:: getAsString ( const MGeometryList & ) const

Description

Get the value of this uniform parameter as a string. Because some parameters can be shape-dependent, the method requires access to the current geometry item being rendered.

Arguments

• iterator the current shape being rendered.

Return Value

• The current string value of this uniform parameter.

void MUniformParameter:: setAsString ( const MString & value) const

Description

Set the value of this uniform parameter as a string. Note that it is not possible to set shape-dependent parameters.

Arguments

• value the new string value for this parameter.

bool MUniformParameter:: getAsBool ( const MGeometryList & ) const

Description

Get the value of this uniform parameter as a boolean value. Because some parameters can be shape-dependent, the method requires access to the current geometry item being rendered.

Arguments

• iterator the current shape being rendered.

Return Value

• The current boolean value of this uniform parameter.

void MUniformParameter:: setAsBool ( bool value) const

Description

Set the value of this uniform parameter as a boolean value. Note that it is not possible to set shape-dependent parameters.

Arguments

• value the new value for this parameter.

int MUniformParameter:: getAsInt ( const MGeometryList & ) const

Description

Get the value of this uniform parameter as an integer. Because some parameters can be shape-dependent, the method requires access to the current geometry item being rendered.

Arguments

• iterator the current shape being rendered.

Return Value

• The current integer value of this uniform parameter.

void MUniformParameter:: setAsInt ( int value) const

Description

Set the value of this uniform parameter as an integer value. Note that it is not possible to set shape-dependent parameters.

Arguments

• value the new value for this parameter.

MPlug MUniformParameter:: getSource () const

Description

Get the source plug connected to this parameter. Other than textures, this will typically be a NULL plug.

Arguments

• The source plug driving this parameter.

void MUniformParameter:: setDirty ()

Description

Mark the data for this parameter as dirty. This will force the parameter to report that it has been changed the next time it is accessed. This allows external events (e.g. device lost, texture management, etc) to force a shader to re-set parameters tied to externally managed resources.

This class has no child classes.