Print Custom User data to text doc

apetownart

I am trying to write a python script that dumps all the custom user data of a given object per frame in the timeline and outputs that data to text file. right now if any data is in a "Group" it refuses to work, the script cant see the custom user data. Python not being my main coding library I'm not sure what I'm missing. its not actually failing so there are no breakpoints to check from my understanding. any help would be really cool.

import c4d
from c4d import documents
import os

def fetch_user_data_recursive(obj, id_base=c4d.DescID(), frame_number=None):
    """Recursive function to fetch all types of user data from an object, including those in groups."""
    userdata_container = obj.GetUserDataContainer()
    collected_data = []

    for id, bc in userdata_container:
        # Construct the current ID based on the parent ID and the current ID
        current_id = c4d.DescID(id_base[0], id[0]) if id_base else id


    return collected_data

def main():
    # Get the active document and object
    doc = documents.GetActiveDocument()
    obj = doc.GetActiveObject()

    # Ensure that an object is selected
    if not obj:
        print("Nothing selected!")
        return

    # Get the active render data and fetch the frame range
    render_data = doc.GetActiveRenderData()
    start_frame = render_data[c4d.RDATA_FRAMEFROM].GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
    end_frame = render_data[c4d.RDATA_FRAMETO].GetFrame(doc.GetFps())

    # Prepare a list to collect the user data strings
    output_data = []

    # Iterate over every frame and fetch user data
    for frame in range(start_frame, end_frame + 1):
        doc.SetTime(c4d.BaseTime(frame, doc.GetFps()))
        doc.ExecutePasses(None, True, True, True, c4d.BUILDFLAGS_NONE)
        output_data.extend(fetch_user_data_recursive(obj, frame_number=frame))

    # Check if there's any user data collected
    if not output_data:
        print("Object has no user data.")
        return

    # Print data to the console
    for data in output_data:
        print(data)

    # Save the user data to a .txt file on the desktop
    desktop_path = os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop")
    file_path = os.path.join(desktop_path, "c4d_userdata_output.txt")

    with open(file_path, 'w') as f:
        f.write("\n".join(output_data))

    print(f"User data saved to: {file_path}")

    c4d.EventAdd()

# Execute main function
if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Screenshot 2023-11-14 135921.png

ferdinand

Hello @apetownart,

Welcome to the Plugin Café forum and the Cinema 4D development community, it is great to have you with us!

Getting Started

Before creating your next postings, we would recommend making yourself accustomed with our Forum and Support Guidelines, as they line out details about the Maxon SDK Group support procedures. Of special importance are:

Support Procedures: Scope of Support: Lines out the things we will do and what we will not do.
Support Procedures: Confidential Data: Most questions should be accompanied by code but code cannot always be shared publicly. This section explains how to share code confidentially with Maxon.
Forum Structure and Features: Lines out how the forum works.
Structure of a Question: Lines out how to ask a good technical question. It is not mandatory to follow this exactly, but you should follow the idea of keeping things short and mentioning your primary question in a clear manner.

About your First Question

You are only looking at the first DescLevel of an ID when iterating over the user data container. That level will always be of ID ID_USERDATA (alias for 700) and of type DTYPE_SUBCONTAINER. Only the second level in that ID than holds the ID and data type of that parameter. You can read more about the concept of parameter identifiers here.

Your script therefore is missing a bit of the point, I am also not sure where the recursive bit comes into play here. You won't need any recursion to iterate over the description of a node, Cinema 4D will 'flatten' things for you on its own, you do not have to get things inside a group manually.

The rest of your script looks okay, you should however know that executing the passes (BaseDocument::ExecutePasses) is quite an expensive thing to do. Unless you explicitly expect your animated parameters to also be driven by expressions, e.g., Xpresso, in addition to the animation, evaluating the tracks, curves, and keys of a node will be much cheaper.

I have provided a brief example at the end of my answer.

Cheers,
Ferdinand

Input:

Output:

Name: A, ID: ((700, 5, 0), (2, 19, 0)), Type: 19, Value: 0.0
Name: B, ID: ((700, 5, 0), (4, 19, 0)), Type: 19, Value: 0.0
Name: C, ID: ((700, 5, 0), (6, 19, 0)), Type: 19, Value: 0.0
Name: D, ID: ((700, 5, 0), (7, 19, 0)), Type: 19, Value: 0.0
Name: E, ID: ((700, 5, 0), (8, 19, 0)), Type: 19, Value: 0.0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: Icon File / ID, ID: (1041668, 7, 110050), Type: 7, Value: , User-Data: False
Name: Icon Color, ID: (1041670, 15, 110050), Type: 15, Value: 0, User-Data: False
Name: Color, ID: (1041671, 3, 110050), Type: 3, Value: Vector(1, 0.9, 0.4), User-Data: False
Stepping over type which is inaccessible in Python.
Name: Name, ID: (900, 130, 110050), Type: 130, Value: Null, User-Data: False
Name: Layer, ID: (898, 133, 110050), Type: 133, Value: None, User-Data: False
Stepping over type which is inaccessible in Python.
Name: Viewport Visibility, ID: (901, 15, 5155), Type: 15, Value: 2, User-Data: False
Name: Renderer Visibility, ID: (902, 15, 5155), Type: 15, Value: 2, User-Data: False
Name: Enabled, ID: (906, 400006001, 5155), Type: 400006001, Value: 1, User-Data: False
Name: Display Color, ID: (907, 15, 5155), Type: 15, Value: 0, User-Data: False
Name: Color, ID: (908, 3, 5155), Type: 3, Value: Vector(1, 1, 1), User-Data: False
Name: X-Ray, ID: (909, 400006001, 5155), Type: 400006001, Value: 0, User-Data: False
Name: Position, ID: (903, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(0, 0, 0), User-Data: False
Name: Rotation, ID: (904, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(0, 0, 0), User-Data: False
Name: Scale, ID: (905, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(1, 1, 1), User-Data: False
Name: Rotation Order, ID: (928, 15, 5155), Type: 15, Value: 6, User-Data: False
Name: Quaternion Rotation, ID: (929, 400006001, 5155), Type: 400006001, Value: 0, User-Data: False
Name: Frozen Position, ID: (917, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(0, 0, 0), User-Data: False
Name: Frozen Rotation, ID: (918, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(0, 0, 0), User-Data: False
Name: Frozen Scale, ID: (919, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(1, 1, 1), User-Data: False
Name: Deform Position, ID: (931, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: None, User-Data: False
Name: Deform Rotation, ID: (932, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: None, User-Data: False
Name: Deform Scale, ID: (933, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: None, User-Data: False
Name: Global Position, ID: (910, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(0, 0, 0), User-Data: False
Name: Global Rotation, ID: (911, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(0, 0, 0), User-Data: False
Name: Transformed Position, ID: (925, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(0, 0, 0), User-Data: False
Name: Transformed Scale, ID: (927, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(1, 1, 1), User-Data: False
Name: Transformed Rotation, ID: (926, 23, 5155), Type: 23, Value: Vector(0, 0, 0), User-Data: False
Name: Shape, ID: (1000, 15, 5140), Type: 15, Value: 0, User-Data: False
Name: Radius, ID: (1001, 19, 5140), Type: 19, Value: 10.0, User-Data: False
Name: Aspect Ratio, ID: (1002, 19, 5140), Type: 19, Value: 1.0, User-Data: False
Name: Orientation, ID: (1003, 15, 5140), Type: 15, Value: 0, User-Data: False
Name: A, ID: ((700, 5, 0), (2, 19, 0)), Type: 19, Value: 0.0, User-Data: True
Name: B, ID: ((700, 5, 0), (4, 19, 0)), Type: 19, Value: 0.0, User-Data: True
Name: C, ID: ((700, 5, 0), (6, 19, 0)), Type: 19, Value: 0.0, User-Data: True
Name: D, ID: ((700, 5, 0), (7, 19, 0)), Type: 19, Value: 0.0, User-Data: True
Name: E, ID: ((700, 5, 0), (8, 19, 0)), Type: 19, Value: 0.0, User-Data: True

Code:

import c4d

doc: c4d.documents.BaseDocument  # The active document.
op: c4d.BaseObject  # The active object, can be `None`.

# A few data types we want to ignore when we look for parameters which can be (directly) accessed,
# i.e., for which we can get 'a value'.
IGNORE_DIRECT_ACCESS_TYPES: tuple[int] = (c4d.DTYPE_BUTTON,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_CHILDREN,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_DYNAMIC,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_GROUP,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_SEPARATOR,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_STATICTEXT,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_SUBCONTAINER)


def main() -> None:
    """
    """
    if not op:
        raise RuntimeError("Please select an object.")

    pid: c4d.DescID  # The parameter ID of a user data parameter.
    bc: c4d.BaseContainer  # The description container for the parameter.

    # Iterate over the user data container.
    for pid, bc in op.GetUserDataContainer():
        # User data DescID will always take the form (ID_USERDATA, N), i.e., the first DescLevel
        # will be the user data container address.
        if pid.GetDepth() < 2 or pid[0].id != c4d.ID_USERDATA:
            raise RuntimeError("This should never happen.")

        # The second DescLevel describes the actual data type which is stored at #N. A desc level
        # is composed of (ID, DATATYPE, CREATOR) information.
        eid: int = pid[1].id  # e.g., 2
        dtype: int = pid[1].dtype  # e.g. DTYPE_LONG

        # Step over some data types like groups, buttons, and separators which do not hold 'a value'.
        if dtype in IGNORE_DIRECT_ACCESS_TYPES:
            continue
        
        # Parameter access can fail in Python because not all data types are wrapped in Python.
        try:
            value: any = op[pid]
        except:
            print ("Stepping over type which is inaccessible in Python.")
            continue

        # Print the value.
        print(f"Name: {bc[c4d.DESC_NAME]}, ID: {pid}, Type: {dtype}, Value: {value}")

    print ("\n" + "-" * 80 + "\n")

    # We could also do this on a more abstract level using C4DAtom.GetDescription, as it will return
    # the full parameter container, and not only the user data part.
    for bc, pid, _ in op.GetDescription(c4d.DESCFLAGS_DESC_NONE):

        # Other than when iterating over the user data sub container alone, we will encounter here
        # things which are not user data and we therefore have then to look into their first level
        # for their data type.
        isUserData: bool = pid[0].id == c4d.ID_USERDATA
        dtype: int = pid[1].dtype if (isUserData and pid.GetDepth() > 1) else pid[0].dtype

        if dtype in IGNORE_DIRECT_ACCESS_TYPES:
            continue

        try:
            value: any = op[pid]
        except:
            print ("Stepping over type which is inaccessible in Python.")
            continue

        print(f"Name: {bc[c4d.DESC_NAME]}, ID: {pid}, Type: {dtype}, Value: {value}, "
              f"User-Data: {isUserData}")


if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

apetownart

thank you so much this is super helpful, and I will for sure dig into the docs on the website further. I appreciated you taking the time to explain the logic tome it makes it much more clear.

apetownart

you sir are my hero, with your explanation I was able to get the relevant data i needed per frame and was able to spit out a file that tracked those changes. thank you again @ferdinand

apetownart

For anyone that wants it this si the completed script i used for my needs. so that i could pass the look dev information changes per frame onto the rest of my team.::

import c4d
import sys
import os

# Your predefined constants and variables
doc: c4d.documents.BaseDocument  # The active document.
op: c4d.BaseObject  # The active object, can be `None`.
IGNORE_DIRECT_ACCESS_TYPES: tuple[int] = (c4d.DTYPE_BUTTON,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_CHILDREN,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_DYNAMIC,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_GROUP,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_SEPARATOR,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_STATICTEXT,
                                          c4d.DTYPE_SUBCONTAINER)

def main() -> None:
    """
    Main function to iterate over each frame and print object data.
    """
    if not op:
        raise RuntimeError("Please select an object.")

    # Get the start and end frames of the document's active timeline
    start_frame = doc.GetLoopMinTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
    end_frame = doc.GetLoopMaxTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())

    # Iterate through each frame in the range
    for frame in range(start_frame, end_frame + 1):
        # Set the document's time to the current frame
        doc.SetTime(c4d.BaseTime(frame, doc.GetFps()))

        # Update the scene to reflect changes at the current frame
        c4d.DrawViews(c4d.DRAWFLAGS_FORCEFULLREDRAW)
        c4d.EventAdd()

        # Print frame information
        print(f"Frame: {frame}")
        
        # Iterate over the user data container
        for pid, bc in op.GetUserDataContainer():
            if pid.GetDepth() < 2 or pid[0].id != c4d.ID_USERDATA:
                raise RuntimeError("This should never happen.")

            eid: int = pid[1].id
            dtype: int = pid[1].dtype

            if dtype in IGNORE_DIRECT_ACCESS_TYPES:
                continue

            try:
                value: any = op[pid]
            except:
                print ("Stepping over type which is inaccessible in Python.")
                continue

            # Print the value for each user data parameter
            print(f"Name: {bc[c4d.DESC_NAME]}, Value: {value}")

        print("-" * 80)
    
if __name__ == '__main__':
    # Change the standard output to a file on the desktop
    desktop_path = os.path.join(os.path.expanduser('~'), 'Desktop')
    output_file_path = os.path.join(desktop_path, 'c4d_output.txt')

    with open(output_file_path, 'w') as file:
        sys.stdout = file
        main()
        sys.stdout = sys.__stdout__

ferdinand

Hey @apetownart,

Thank you for sharing your solution, much appreciated! I have fenced in your code with a code block so that it is a bit more readable and has a copy button. Find out how to do that yourself in our Forum Markup documenation.

Cheers,
Ferdinand