Cineversity

Hi
I’m trying to export my mograph PSR data to an excel sheet or text file.
First is there any way to do that? Second, is there anyway to do that without baking the mograph?

Thank you.

Hi Shadowgin,

The use of the term excell sheet leads me to the assumption that the following is not what you are after.
What you might need is a Python script that sorts these things in the way you want it. I have no idea of the existence of such.

But to get the animation formated in text, the industry standard versions are below.

That would be File> Export> Cinema C4D.XML (*.xml)
Which is the common text based “language” for many text based pipelines, AFAIK.
Perhaps, use the XML file to read it out and format it via Python, sounds simpler to me.
https://github.com/stchris/untangle

To get another readout would be any file that can be coded in text, e.g., FBX, with the text enabled.

All the best

P.S.: a script to print (aka copy) the data into the console is here
http://www.plugincafe.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6335
But yes, it has the need to bake… only P no SR

Hi Dr. Sassi

I think we are just trying to figure out the process at the moment. I’m not fully on the job.
What we are trying to do is to get a text readout off the XYZ data for each animated object.
I thought baking them and then finding an export solution would be the easiest way to go.
Since we don’t know how it will be used on the other end, we are just looking for solutions that we can understand when we look at the text file.
For example, I did a simple cube animated across the screen then baked the keyframes. I then exported a .wrl file and opened it in notepad.
I was able to see what my XYZ values are and the name of my object. Trying to format this little scene is ok, but doing 600 objects by hand isn’t ideal.
Especially with client changes.

Thanks for the additional information, Shadowgin.

If the position information is needed, then the python script on the end of post #1 might help as well.

I googled about this and found scripts from many years ago. Some weren’t working anymore (or based on forums-formatting, lost their working perhaps on age as well)

However, I guess to search people who have written such scripts shouldn’t be a big problem, and there must be someone willing to freelance while adjusting the script. Perhaps check here:
http://www.plugincafe.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=5

I checked also a 3d comp application, if it could convert a file, but so far without luck.

My best wishes

P.S.: One way to store information is given for any polygon object with its point X, Y, Z values. (Note that the values are XYZ, but one could also store other values in it.)

Each object of the Cloner has an ID, every frame is a number, and each point of an object has a number as well. All one needs to form a data set.
To store it as text file:  Every Polygon Object can be exported as Structure Manger> File> Export ASCII Data.

How these numbers for each frame/object combination is sorted is a question of the XPresso file.

Scene file/screen capture
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/xFOtqZeXvxNfgANZMnzgNHE7sfQW6eyPIL8iT0qBvd5

The play button, in “All Frames” mode must have gone one time through the scene with no new change to create all the values.

Have a nice weekend

Hi Dr. Sassi

Thank you for continuing to think about this.
I did end up trying to export an ASCII data, but it was only one frame.
The idea I got was to transfer the clones movements onto a plane with the same amount of points.
Then try and export it via the Structure panel in point mode.
Is there a way to get it to export all the frames? I think you are saying that it does but I don’t understand how to do it.

Hi shadowgin,

The scene contains 10 objects (ID 0-9).
The scene is 30 frames long (0-29).
This results in 300 values for the position (XYZ) of the whole scene: all objects, all frames (0-299), or 900 different values.

The way it is stored is now, all ten object for frame zero (points 0-9), then all ten objects for frame one (points 10-19), etc.

Based on XPresso: what object at which time will store the information to a specific point. IF a different sorting is needed the set up in XPresso needs to be changed.

Cheers.

Hi Dr. Sassi

You are amazing as usual. I’m always impressed with your knowledge of this program.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me.
And thank you for the response. I will share this with the group.

Thank you again and have a great weekend.

You’re very welcome, shadowgin, thanks for taking the time. (I always struggle if I should write Shadowgin or shadowgin)

To create a clearer idea of what is stored in the ASCII file, I thought that it would be nice to create a scene file that can read this out, based on the file above (10 objects, 30 frames). Just to give an example.

So, if you use the file above to create an ASCII file, use the scene file below to read it out.

Scene file
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/jbLVMOYk3NgCAYbLO3YGG65gbLvOyqJvCecFagSWt8S

It has only Position values as a result, so I had to filter out any other “orientations” coming from the plane.

Click on the Plane.load_ASCII to load the ascii file in the structure manager (in point mode).

The Plane.receive file is needed for XPresso internally to have a aper frame information - don’t load the ASCII into this one.

Enjoy.

P.S.: two ascii files for the scene/screen capture
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/Gjx0xhiW7XLRinxIaXnv5bJwhhhQYQI1COHDoKLhIjd