ice attribute to text (curves)

[Pancho]

Wonder how to display an integer from a custom attribute of null as a text or text curve. I don't want to use the "show values" function between nodes. What I need is something which looks like a custom control object along side the null. In the end it'll be numbers only.

One thing is that the solution is easy to duplicate as the amount of nulls might be changed quite often.

Cheers
Thomas

[Pancho]

P.S.: I could use a text curve object, parented to the null. But how could I read the custom attribute from the null and use it in the text curve? So far I can only type in text directy.

[Pancho]

Anybody an idea?!?!

[Pancho]

P.S.: I found a tutorial on Ola Madaen's web site on how to use the text curve tool to display the current frame number. As I'm not familiar with scripting: How would the script need to look like if I want the attribute from the parent? E.g. this_parent.objectNumber. But I'm not sure about this stuff surround this kind of request.

[csaez]

I'm not sure if a curve based text is the best solution here, you can do it using SCOPs but with the current tools availables in Softimage I think a DisplayAttribute property or an Annotation object (you can set the string/text directly via ICE) is a better approach.

Cheers!

[Hirazi Blue]

You could also look into the so-called "user keywords", that look way better IMHO than the clunky Annotation object, but have to be accessed through scripting AFAIK.

[Pancho]

I'd say from the looks itself, the curves are quite o.k.

I followed Ola Madsens tut

http://caffeineabuse.blogspot.de/2011/08/frame-number-as-3d-text.html

and using a scripted operator to get the current frame number works like charm.

oCurrFrame = In_UpdateContext.CurrentFrame
Out.Value.Parameters("text").Value =oCurrFrame

Though if I try to alter the code into something like this,

oCurrFrame = In_UpdateContext.this_parent.CustomPSet
Out.Value.Parameters("text").Value =oCurrFrame

I run into a "runtime error during its evaluation and will no longer be evaluated". In this case the text is parented to a null with the custom property.

I don't know anything about scripting, so I don't know how to script this correctly or whether it's actually possible.

Thanks for the tips already!