Maya: Optional viewport refresh on pointcache extraction

[tokejepsen]

Brief description

Optional viewport refresh on pointcache extraction.

Description

Sometimes you need the viewport to refresh for example when dealing with the bullet plugin.

Additional info

The rest will be ignored in changelog and should contain any additional
technical information.

Documentation (add "type: documentation" label)

feature_documentation

Testing notes:

1. Create pointcache.
2. Enabled refresh.
3. See the viewport update as extraction is done.

[LiborBatek]

Everything seems ok. Pointcache being published and viewport updates as it goes when
Refresh option on pointcache family turned on

[BigRoy]

What if we'd refactor suspended_refresh so that it takes an argument, and when False it also ensures/forces the viewport isn't suspended. That way it does still what you'd want even if the user had his viewport manually suspended - safer, and cleaner code?

@contextlib.contextmanager
def suspended_refresh(suspend=True):
    """Suspend viewport refreshes"""
    original_state= cmds.refresh(query=True, suspend=True)
    try:
        cmds.refresh(suspend=suspend)
        yield
    finally:
        cmds.refresh(suspend=original_state)

Otherwise a user that prior to publishing had his viewport disabled would've not gotten the same result.

@tokejepsen thoughts?

[tokejepsen]

What if we'd refactor suspended_refresh so that it takes an argument, and when False it also ensures/forces the viewport isn't suspended. That way it does still what you'd want even if the user had his viewport manually suspended - safer, and cleaner code?

@contextlib.contextmanager
def suspended_refresh(suspend=True):
    """Suspend viewport refreshes"""
    original_state= cmds.refresh(query=True, suspend=True)
    try:
        cmds.refresh(suspend=suspend)
        yield
    finally:
        cmds.refresh(suspend=original_state)

Otherwise a user that prior to publishing had his viewport disabled would've not gotten the same result.

@tokejepsen thoughts?

Good point. Will have a look.

[tokejepsen]

@BigRoy looks we merged too fast here, cause cmds.refresh is not queryable.

[BigRoy]

cause cmds.refresh is not queryable.

Looks like you're correct.

Option 1

As such that'd make cmds.refresh(suspend=True) context manager only able to do this if we'd really need it that way:

@contextlib.contextmanager
def suspended_refresh(suspend=True):
    """Suspend viewport refreshes"""
    try:
        cmds.refresh(suspend=suspend)
        yield
    finally:
        cmds.refresh(suspend=False)

Option 2

Other option for disabling the viewport as an optimization could be cmds.ogs(pause=True)` which is queryable and essentially boils down to almost the same thing? (Just pauses viewports).

Option 3

There's also the very old school:

from maya import cmds
from maya import mel

main_pane = mel.eval("$gMainPaine=$gMainPane;")
cmds.paneLayout(main_pane, edit=True, manage=False)

To make Maya's main window unmanaged and disable and refreshes of it that way - however, torn off panels I believe would remain managed.

--

I'd recommend either Option 1 or 2.