Automate Arnold “Ass Export” options in python for Maya

[crazygamer]

Regarding batch exporting Arnold .ass files using python. I have already written a tool which batch exports selected objects in Maya to separate .ass files using predefined options. This works great.

Now what I want is to give the user checkboxes in the UI to select the options of arnold export (the same which are there in Maya ass export options - lights, cameras, shapes, shaders etc)

Something like this:

The thing is: the current command takes a string for options.

pmc.exportSelected(export_file, f=1, typ="ASS Export",
    options="-mask 8;-lightLinks 0;-compressed;-boundingBox;-shadowLinks 0")

And the "mask" int changes based on options selected. Can anyone help me.

note: pmc is pymel

[Andres Weber]

Forgive me if I'm misunderstanding what exactly you're looking to solve but it just seems like a string format?

let's assume "buttons" is a dictionary with keys relating to the option name with the value of the given buttons in relation to the state that you mentioned in your GUI that you'd have to write a case switcher for probably.
options_string = "; ".join(["-{LBL} {VAL}".format(LBL=label, VAL=buttons[label]) for label in buttons.keys()])
pmc.exportSelected(export_file, f=1, type='ASS Export", options=options_string)

[crazygamer]

Yes you are right. Its a string format.
I did try with creating a string with required variables. (Thanks for the dict format you gave though)

The problem is only the int in the "mask 0" changes with different options. So if all options are on it is "mask 255". or if shapes is the only one on, then its "mask 8" etc.
Only logical way I can think of is check out each option individually and figure out the digits for that export combination.

[Andres Weber]

I didn't test this at ALL but after reading the documentation and checking out the API very briefly I think you could access the int values via something like this:
arnold.ai_node_entry.AI_NODE_LIGHT

The docs say this:

AiASSWrite("lightsncams.ass", AI_NODE_LIGHT + AI_NODE_CAMERA, false);

So assumedly you can do a similar thing with the value for the mask:
'-mask %s' % (arnold.ai_node_entry.AI_NODE_LIGHT+arnold.ai_node_entry.AI_NODE_CAMERA)

[Andres Weber]

Oh and sorry, here's the doc info on masks and why I chose to follow ai_node_entry to query the int values. You'd do some sort of look-up dict that was pre-set to check which button is going to give you which ai_node_entry value and you're better off querying as the ai_node_entry since if arnold randomly decides to change it you have better futureproofed code.  Either that or just make sure to name the buttons after which node which you could query a little more dynamically like this but it's a little hackey:

(let's assume your buttons have names like 'AI_NODE_ALL' and the label could be "all objects" or something and I'm assuming that the mask value is just adding all the object mask ints together...)
mask_val = sum([arnold.ai_node_entry.__dict__[button.name()] for button in buttons])

mask: specifies which Arnold node types are included in the .ass export. See the AtNodeEntry page of the Arnold API for the available node types.