Scaling based on Excel data?

Bongo
1

I have an assembly which rotates through two revolutions, and there will be a keyframe for each degree of rotation, so the animation is 720 keyframes, total. I am hoping that I can use Rhinoscript to read Excel data into an array, and update the scale, color, and text using the keyframe number select the relevant data…

I want to display text in a display area, and scale animated vectors on each slide in an animation. The math is extremely lengthy for each calculation, and there are roughly twenty calculation sets that are involved. It does not appear that some functions are supported when using expressions.

Is it possible to call a set of scripts on each keyframe, use the keyframe number as a pointer to select data in an array, and scale and modify objects on each feyframe?

2

You could use the BongoAddKeyframe -command to setup your data per keyframe.

3

Thanks, that does provide a means to a solution.

Is there a command that will indicate the current keyframe number to use as a counter? I have looked through the command list, and am hoping that I am just missing something that will work.

4

Scott

Which functions are missing from expressions that you would need?

  • Andy
5

There’s a Bongo C++ SDK that you can use. You can get the current tick number from there.

6

Thanks, y’all. I know that my description and wording is quite poor. I am new to all this, and learning as I try to complete this project.

I will look into the Bongo C++ SDK, and am guessing that it is on the Downloads page. That will probably help a bit.

Some of the functions in the expressions are Atn, Asin, etc.

The functionality that I also need in the expressions would be to establish dependent and independent variables between expressions. The ultimate need that I will have to create through scripting, or the SDK, is to simply modify an expression with respect to a data point called from an external array, using the current keyframe as one of the pointers for selecting the correct data point.

7

Oookie Dookie… Downloaded Rhino and Bongo C++ SDK, and Visiual 2010. I can got through the process of building a plugin do to what AI want, but with the learning curve it will take a fair amount of time from my project. So, I am hoping that I can find a short cut through a script.

Using BongoBonusToolsForEachFrame, will it be reliable to increment a global variable as a counter to control a loop point to the correct data? I think that this will work. I can write a script to load the data into an array, and then step through it on each frame… Let me know if thir is just a rabbit run, and I will pursue the plugin option.

8

Actually Expressions support Atan and Asin. It seems the list of functions in Help isn’t complete.

I second the motion though to implement the use of Varialbles. At present one has to use a transform attribute of a dummy object to hold interchangeable values.