利用者:Ianwill/tmp

Blender Assistant

I'm considering adding functionality similar to Enso in Blender.

This was inspired by the integrated search box in Blender, Enso, a suggestion by artist Lucio Cavalcanti to add scene data search to the integrated search and talking to devs kaito and dfelinto.

It would be a string box popup (similar to the integrated search one) that users can open and use to type commands that perform actions in Blender. The syntax should be as close to very simplified human language as possible (leave serious programming to Python scripting).

General Guidelines

Should be simple: following Python's way, it's better to have ONE well-defined, preferably simple way to do each thing than many ways.
Should be natural: for programmers we already have Python. This should be as close to human language as possible.
Should be expressive: SHORT, simple and natural.

Possible commands and syntax

Note: any command issued to the assistant is called here an "action".

General Patterns: example

command: undo
command objects: select meshes
command objects filter: select meshes from layer 3
command-part1 objects command-part2: select cameras as MyCameras

Possible filters:

qualifiers:: all: all meshes, only: only lamps
restricting:: from: from layer 2, linked to: linked to material Mat.001, where: meshes where name = something.00*

Tentative Syntax

Reserved keywords

selection # the current selection
as, from, to
create, add, remove
layer, group
linked to, with, where
origin
date
is
=, &, |, +, -

Selecting

Cases:

list or define selected objects in Blender (add to, remove from, clear)
list or define our own selections.

For our own selections, which are just helpers for actions and are not automatically exported to Blender (but can be explicitely), we can use Python sets and enjoy all their features easily.

select all cameras as set MyCameras

better, let's omit the word "set":

select all cameras as MyCameras
from MyCameras remove Camera.003
select all from MyCameras
select all lamps from MySceneObjects

So:

select <something> # adds to Blender selection
select <something> as set SetName # adds to our own set called SetName, not Blender
select set SetName # selects in Blender
select <something> from set SetName # selects in Blender
select <something> from set SetName as set SetName2 # new set SetName2

It may be interesting to support booleans on set operations:

set S3 is intersection of set S1 and set S2
S3 = S1 & S2 # using Python set syntax for intersections
set S3 is S1 - S2 # difference
S3 = S1 | S2 # union

Create, Add and Remove

Create, add and remove can become general actions that work in many situations.

create mesh TestMesh1
create group GroupA from MySelection
create group CurSel from selection

Random ideas

Just to get a feel for it, let's list examples of actions users might want to type. Actual implementation should focus on the simple ones first, naturally.

(been editing this to try to get a minimal language out of it)

Selection

select all lamps
select all cameras as MyCameras
select meshes only
select Cube.002
select all except lamps
select all - lamps
select meshes with modifiers
select all objects linked to material Gold.001
add all meshes linked to texture Bricks to MySelection
deselect all
deselect all metaballs
deselect all lamps from MySelection3
remove all lamps from MySelection3 # only remove from selection MySelection3
delete all lamps in MySelection3 # delete from Blender
deselect Camera.001 from MyCameras

Note: about behavior, 'select' may overwrite the previous selection and then we have to use 'add ... to selection' to keep the previous selection or 'select' adds by default and we use words like 'only' to get rid of the previous selection: 'select all meshes only'.

On/Off

disable all modifiers
disable all display modifiers
disable all render subsurf modifiers
disable ray tracing
enable sss

Creation / deletion

delete all area lights
delete all meshes in layer 3
add Suzanne at 10,200,0
add red sphere on top of Cube.001
add text "Hello, World!" at Plane.002 + 0,0,10
add text date mm-dd-yy
duplicate Circle.001 as NewCircle in layer 9

Settings:

rename Cube.002 to Airplane

Commands:

center Cube.001 at origin
remove doubles threashold=0.01 from selected meshes
set Cube.001 smooth

Groups and layers
move all lights to layer 3
add Cube.001, Cube.002 to group Cubes

Transformations:

move Cube to 0,0,0
move all meshes with modifiers to layer 3
resize Circle to 1, 3
resize Circle to 100%, 300%
rotate Cube 30 degrees around x

Transform combo:

move Cube.001 to Cube.002 + 0,0,100
rotate Cube.001 90 degrees around Cube.002

repeat
repeat action 10
revert

General "File Menu" actions:

save newfile.blend
load oldfile.blend
export all meshes with textures to collada as myfile.dae

Text operations

replace "blender" by "Blender" in Mytext.txt
uppercase all in Mytext.txt at line 1

A list action that creates a list inside the popup itself, like with the integrated search box:

list previous 10 actions
list all objects named car-parts*
list selected
list all from MySelection
list all selection groups
list meshes that use material Red

Make macros from actions:

macro actions 7-10 as mymacro
run mymacro

undo
redo

Note: action undo / redo or Blender undo / redo? If Blender commands have been done between actions, these are different things. Maybe keep undo / redo for Blender and repeat / revert / ??? for actions or also accept 'undo action', 'redo action'.

Help:

help wiki
help manual
help eshop
help python

Other possibilities:

Evolve to a simple language:

while n < 100: add Cube at n, 0, 0; n += 10

Maybe something inspired by the old Logo programming language.

General Notes

This is all very early, I'm just brainstorming. Planning to start small (some examples here may be better left for Python scripting, let's see).

Obviously this intersects with Python scripting in Blender. We need to think carefully about where to define a clear line between what this assistant can do and what should be left to pure Python scripts.

The commands only need to be typed up to where they are clearly recognized, so 'select' can be written simply as 'sel'.

Considering having multiple ways to access data returned by actions. In the outliner, the returned lists would appear in the outliner itself. In other editors, like the 3D View, they would appear in the command box itself. In the Text editor commands could act in the text itself ("replace "blender" by "Blender", find "some word").

Since this should be for all users, following how the integrated search shows possible ways to complete a command is ideal. Something general, indicating next steps clearly. For example: with a blank text box, it shows the list of possible / common actions to type. With a command typed, it shows possible ways to follow it.