How to detect and activate a running session of Softimage?

[Szabolcs Matefy]

Hey folks,

 

I am working on the GoZ for Softimage, I have finished ALMOST everything (real connection, automated process, textures, displacement, normal maps are transferred), but I can’t do one final step:

 

HOW TO ACTIVATE A RUNNING SOFTIMAGE SESSION?! (preferably from a batch file, but if anyone of you guys would help me coding this small piece, it’d be a big help to me J)

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Szabolcs

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[Juhani Karlsson]

Someone help him!!! : ) GoZ sounds neato!

2011/12/15 Szabolcs Matefy <szab...@crytek.com>

[Stephen Blair]

Use wmic?

wmic process where name="xsi.exe" get ExecutablePath

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Szabolcs Matefy
Sent: December-15-11 8:31 AM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: How to detect and activate a running session of Softimage?

Hey folks,

I am working on the GoZ for Softimage, I have finished ALMOST everything (real connection, automated process, textures, displacement, normal maps are transferred), but I can't do one final step:

HOW TO ACTIVATE A RUNNING SOFTIMAGE SESSION?! (preferably from a batch file, but if anyone of you guys would help me coding this small piece, it'd be a big help to me :))

[Stephan Woermann]

I use this in C++

bool check_run()
{
    PROCESSENTRY32 pe32;
    HANDLE hSnapshot;
    HANDLE hHandle;
    DWORD oPID = 0;
    bool running = false;

    pe32.dwSize = sizeof( PROCESSENTRY32 );
    hSnapshot = CreateToolhelp32Snapshot( TH32CS_SNAPPROCESS, 0 );

    if( Process32First( hSnapshot, &pe32 ) )
    {
        do{
            if( strcmp( pe32.szExeFile, "xsi.exe" ) == 0 )
            {
                running = true;
                hHandle = OpenProcess( PROCESS_ALL_ACCESS, FALSE, pe32.th32ProcessID );
                oPID = pe32.th32ProcessID;
                break;
            }
        }while( Process32Next( hSnapshot, &pe32 ) );
    }else{
        running = false;
    }

    CloseHandle(hSnapshot);
    return running;
}

[Szabolcs Matefy]

Wow,

 

And this will invoke any running session of Softimage? Could compile it to me? I do not have compiler…L

 

 

 

Szabolcs

[Stephan Woermann]

This only detects a running session, break and returned true, when the first one is found.
hHandle gives you the process handle back. With this you can maybe min/maximize the Softimage-window or bring it to front.

It´s also not a working solution for your problem, but it can give you a hint how you can solve it...

face

[Luc-Eric Rousseau]

Doesnt that code leak hHandle?

[Stephan Woermann]

It was only a simple proposal.
This should be better...

bool check_run( HANDLE &hHandle, DWORD &oPID )
{
    PROCESSENTRY32 pe32;
    HANDLE hSnapshot;

   
    bool running = false;

    pe32.dwSize = sizeof( PROCESSENTRY32 );
    hSnapshot = CreateToolhelp32Snapshot( TH32CS_SNAPPROCESS, 0 );

    if( Process32First( hSnapshot, &pe32 ) )
    {
        do{
            if( strcmp( pe32.szExeFile, "xsi.exe" ) == 0 )
            {
                running = true;
                hHandle = OpenProcess( PROCESS_ALL_ACCESS, FALSE, pe32.th32ProcessID );
                oPID = pe32.th32ProcessID;
                break;
            }
        }while( Process32Next( hSnapshot, &pe32 ) );
    }else{
        running = false;
    }

    CloseHandle( hSnapshot );
    return running;
}

int main()
{
    HANDLE handle;
    DWORD PID = 0;

    if( check_run( handle, PID ) )
    {
        // fill in your code here //
    }

    CloseHandle( handle );
    return( true );
}

[Alokgandhi]

IMHO, you don't even need "Handle handle". As you are already calling,

CloseHandle( hSnapshot );

There should be no handle leak.

In your code, you are not using the handle to do anything. If it is just to check whether xsi is running processes, 

strcmp( pe32.szExeFile, "xsi.exe" ) == 0 

is enough. 

You do not need,

 hHandle = OpenProcess( PROCESS_ALL_ACCESS, FALSE, pe32.th32ProcessID );

oPID = pe32.th32ProcessID;

However, if you want maximize xsi, then you do need,

oPID = pe32.th32ProcessID;

Then use,

EnumWnd() with a callback EnumWndProc() to enumerate all windows. In this callback, get the PID using GetWindowsThreadProcessID(), compare this with the oPID and get the Hwnd from this, and pass it to ShowWindow()  to maximise. 

Not a very solid workaround, but might work. Also, it should be noted that a process handle that you can get from OpenProcess() is entirely different from a main window handle, which you need to maximize the main window. To make matter complicated, there is no way in windows to get the main window handle from process id, directly.

The names of the above functions that I use might not be exact as I am not on a windows machine right now, but you can find them on msdn.

Sent from my iPad

[Raffaele Fragapane]

I have to ask, what do you mean with "activate"?
Just detecting a running process isn't too much work, but taking control of it and running something inside of it isn't as simple as that just having its handle usually.

In Maya you have the server object, in XSI you'll need your own flavour to "talk" to it and get it to do anything. There is an example in the SDK doco/examples for an XSI server that can listen in.

Alternatively, the cheapo work-around is adding a button in XSI that will parse and run the contents of a text file, and writing to that text file from whatever other software (ZB in your case) so it will know what to import and what to do with it, or what to replace in the scene if you want to fake a persistent connection.

[Szabolcs Matefy]

I’m making the GoZ plugin for ZBrush and Softimage (I made the GoSoftimage Lite), and everything is working so far, but I can’t make automatic activation of Softimage window. (I mean that when I export the tool from ZBrush, I can’t switch automatically to the running session of Softimage)

 

Unfortunately I am not C++ coder, just scripter…

 

Cheers

 

 

Szabolcs

 

 

 

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Raffaele Fragapane

Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 4:06 AM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com

[Raffaele Fragapane]

Well, there is a py friendly win32 lib to help.
No direct experience, as I'm on linux both at home and work, but start here:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1007185/how-to-retrieve-the-selected-text-from-the-active-window

[jo benayoun]

Find the hwnd of the softimage window that you are looking for (can be done by EnumWindows or other ways thru the win32 api) then make a call to SetActiveWindow() which will put the window in front. All can be done with py and ctypes.

2011/12/20 Raffaele Fragapane <raffsx...@googlemail.com>

[Alokgandhi]

Hey Szabolcs, 

I have compiled up an .exe for you, just run or call it in your plugin and it will maximize any/all open softimage windows. Unfortunately I cannot attach it to my gmail but tomorrow I will send you the link to download it.

Cheers!!

Sent from my iPad

[jo benayoun]

I dont see how an exe can be more convenient than a dll ... really wierd choice you made Alok ... :D

Anyway, now I'm at home, here is the python code to bring xsi at the front ... nothing more complicated than this little piece of code ... It will bring the first window it finds.

This should work and fit your needs (or needs of someone else, who knows ...) ... Let me know if something wrong happens. I really hope this will help you !

:)

jo

- src -

import ctypes

INT = ctypes.c_int

WIN32 = ctypes.windll.user32

HWND = ctypes.c_void_p

def windowtitle(hwnd):

  getlen = WIN32.GetWindowTextLengthA

  getlen.restype = INT

  getlen.argtypes = (HWND, )

  windtext = WIN32.GetWindowTextA

  windtext.restype = INT

  windtext.argtypes = (HWND, ctypes.c_char_p, INT)

  

  len_ = getlen(hwnd)

  buff = ctypes.create_string_buffer("", len_+1)

  windtext(hwnd, buff, len_ + 2)

  return buff.value

def ew_callback(hwnd, lp):

  if "Autodesk Softimage" in windowtitle(hwnd):

    showwind = WIN32.SwitchToThisWindow

    showwind.restype = INT

    showwind.argtypes = (HWND, INT)

    showwind(hwnd, 1)

  return 1

def raise_xsi():

  proc = ctypes.WINFUNCTYPE(INT, HWND, INT)

  enumwindows = WIN32.EnumWindows

  enumwindows.restype = INT

  enumwindows.argtypes = (proc, INT)

  enumwindows(proc(ew_callback), 0)

  return None

raise_xsi()

-src -

[Alokgandhi]

Well exe was not defenitely a good choice, I agree. But as as I wanted to have have something cleaner which user can use from a batch process as well, without having to use any code, and no issues of any coding knowledge required. But yeah that's not what I would recommend.

Keep up the good work JB,

PS : Btw, my cpp code has the same exact logic as you are using here, getting title from enumwindows comparing with "Autodesk Softimage" and catching handle from there. :)

Cheers.

Sent from my iPad

[Szabolcs Matefy]

Hey folks,

 

Thanks for ALLLLL the answers, and the effort you all invested

 

The reason I need an exe, is because I have to call this from ZBrush, and a from a batch file…

 

Thanks anyway!

 

 

 

Szabolcs

[Alokgandhi]

So I was right in making the exe for you, glad to be of help. Will post the download link tomorrow.

Sent from my iPad

[Szabolcs Matefy]

Thanks, I really appreciate it! And of course it’ll be a bless to Zbrush and Softimager user community as well :D

 

 

Cheers

 

 

Szabolcs

[Stephan Woermann]

All in all i don´t know how an application will help you which maximise all running xsi windows.
GoZ should work in booth directions i think. So it is helpfull to know from which session the data is send to ZBrush.
When you send from xsi to zb, i would submit the handle or pid so that you can only maximise/use this xsi session when you send the data back from zb.
When you send from zb to xsi without a source in xsi, the handle/pid should be null, then i would maximise/use the first xsi session to get the data in.

Stephan

[Alokgandhi]

Szabolcs, you can download the activateSoft.exe here 

http://db.tt/kEooZyQoy

Do let me know if you have any problems

Cheers !!

Sent from my iPad

[Alokgandhi]

Oops added a wrong 'y' at the end of link, here's the right one:

http://db.tt/kEooZyQo

Sent from my iPad

[Alokgandhi]

Hi Szabolcs, just wondering did the activateSoft.exe worked for you ?

Sent from my iPad