General IO: Persistent Export settings on Collections #115690

New Issue

Jesse Yurkovich · 2023-12-01T22:59:13+01:00

Jesse Yurkovich commented

2023-12-01 22:59:13 +01:00

UI and UX

Inside the existing "Collection" properties space, a new section related to IO will be added
This new section will contain a List of file format configurations
- Implies that there's an "Add" button like Modifiers to add a new configuration
- Each configuration will be contained inside its own layout Panel
- Each configuration roughly corresponds to the following data
  - The FileHandler identifier to indicate which format is being configured (USD, glTF, OBJ, etc.)
  - The File Path for output (should support Blender's relative path syntax and operations)
  - A Panel containing the IO format's export properties
There are three locations for actually invoking the IO operations
- As an Export button on each individual configuration's Panel header
- As an Export All button inside the Collection properties section itself to perform IO against all Exporters in the Collection
- As a File -> Export All Collections menu item that will export all configured collections in the scene

Implementation Details and Goals

Unified drawing of the operator Properties
- The same drawing code needs to be useable inside the File-Select dialog, the Popup during drag-drop operations, and inside this new Collection properties panel
Access and Structure of properties
- Storage for the format's properties will be inside our own IDProperty collection. The Definition of properties remains on the Operator.
- Properties need to be bound to an owner for the Undo system to properly take affect
The FileHandler handle type should gain a property for the Export operator identifier

Remaining design and implementation tasks

Required for using C++ exporters

Exporters need to properly surface errors to the user: Proposal Import/Export IO: Handle errors in a more consistent manner

Required for using Python exporters

Undo does not work with properties from Python operators (FBX, glTF)
Exporters need modified to use layout panels

Required for initial commit to main

Presets do not work. They depend on accessing the active_operator context property, which is problematic with the current operator lifetime
Implement depsgraph "build from collection" infrastructure
- Does this need exposed to Python? The Python IO addons sometimes just iterate all_objects on a Collection. Is that good enough?
The filepath property should be sanitized after each user modification to e.g. enforce a valid name + extension or similar
- Should it default to //<collection name>.<extension> so that filepath always starts off valid?
- Status: Defaulting to //<collection name>.<extension> in primary PR now

Required before release

UI badge or indicator icon in the Outliner for Collections

Future design work

Allow the user to store "common" settings for the formats instead of setting them on each collection
- For consistency and convenience
- Maybe use settings on the "parent" collection?
- Makes use of the ability to determine if an IDProperty has been set or not (See KeyMapItems: they only override settings that are explicitly set)
How does IO work with Collection instancing and linking collections from external files?
- Investigate "Layer collections"

Additional perspective and background

## UI and UX - Inside the existing "Collection" properties space, a new section related to IO will be added - This new section will contain a List of file format configurations - Implies that there's an "Add" button like Modifiers to add a new configuration - Each configuration will be contained inside its own layout Panel - Each configuration roughly corresponds to the following data - The FileHandler identifier to indicate which format is being configured (USD, glTF, OBJ, etc.) - The File Path for output (should support Blender's relative path syntax and operations) - A Panel containing the IO format's export properties - There are three locations for actually invoking the IO operations - As an `Export` button on each individual configuration's Panel header - As an `Export All` button inside the Collection properties section itself to perform IO against all Exporters in the Collection - As a `File` -> `Export All Collections` menu item that will export all configured collections in the scene ### Implementation Details and Goals - Unified drawing of the operator Properties - The same drawing code needs to be useable inside the File-Select dialog, the Popup during drag-drop operations, and inside this new Collection properties panel - Access and Structure of properties - Storage for the format's properties will be inside our own IDProperty collection. The Definition of properties remains on the Operator. - Properties need to be bound to an owner for the Undo system to properly take affect - The FileHandler handle type should gain a property for the Export operator identifier ## Remaining design and implementation tasks Required for using C++ exporters - [x] Exporters need to properly surface errors to the user: Proposal [Import/Export IO: Handle errors in a more consistent manner](https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender/issues/117881) Required for using Python exporters - [x] Undo does not work with properties from Python operators (FBX, glTF) - [x] Exporters need modified to use layout panels Required for initial commit to main - [x] Presets do not work. They depend on accessing the `active_operator` context property, which is problematic with the current operator lifetime - [x] Implement depsgraph "build from collection" infrastructure - [ ] Does this need exposed to Python? The Python IO addons sometimes just iterate all_objects on a Collection. Is that good enough? - [x] The `filepath` property should be sanitized after each user modification to e.g. enforce a valid name + extension or similar - [x] Should it default to `//<collection name>.<extension>` so that `filepath` always starts off valid? - Status: Defaulting to `//<collection name>.<extension>` in primary PR now Required before release - [x] UI badge or indicator icon in the Outliner for Collections ### Future design work - Allow the user to store "common" settings for the formats instead of setting them on each collection - For consistency and convenience - Maybe use settings on the "parent" collection? - Makes use of the ability to determine if an IDProperty has been set or not (See KeyMapItems: they only override settings that are explicitly set) - How does IO work with Collection instancing and linking collections from external files? - Investigate "Layer collections" ### Additional perspective and background * [Unified object and geometry I/O handling (68935)](https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender/issues/68935) / [FileHandler PR](https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender/pulls/112466) * [Collections for Import/Export (68933)](https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender/issues/68933) * [Add Existing Import/Export Functionality to Collection Properties (100367)](https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender/issues/100367)

Jesse Yurkovich added the

Module

Pipeline, Assets & IO

Type

Design

labels 2023-12-01 22:59:14 +01:00

Bastien Montagne added this to the USD project 2023-12-08 16:45:24 +01:00

Brecht Van Lommel referenced this issue

2023-12-30 10:43:00 +01:00

Collection IO: Enable file exporters to be specified on Collections #116646

Brecht Van Lommel referenced this issue

2023-12-30 10:59:50 +01:00