Export Matrix Color to CSV

2024-02-05 15:05 UTC gpt-4 Open in ChatGPT ↗

To adapt your script to run from the Script Manager in Cinema 4D and identify the Matrix object by name (‘Export’), you will need to modify your current script slightly. Here’s an approach you can take:

Use the c4d.documents.GetActiveDocument() function to get the active document.
Use the GetFirstObject() method to start iterating through the objects in the scene or use SearchObject('Export') to find the object by name directly.
Check each object’s name to find the one named ‘Export’.
Once the correct Matrix object is found, access its color data.
Write this color data to a CSV file.

Here’s a basic outline of how the modified script might look:

import c4d
import csv

def write_matrix_colors_to_csv(matrix_object, file_path):
    # Assuming 'matrix_object' is the Matrix object you want to export color data from
    # and 'file_path' is the path to the CSV file you want to write to.

    with open(file_path, 'w', newline='') as csvfile:
        csvwriter = csv.writer(csvfile)

        # Write header row, if needed
        csvwriter.writerow(['Color R', 'Color G', 'Color B'])

        # Assuming each element in the matrix has a color attribute
        for element in matrix_object:
            color = element[c4d.ID_COLOR]  # Adjust the attribute to match how color is stored in your Matrix object
            csvwriter.writerow([color.x, color.y, color.z])

def main():
    doc = c4d.documents.GetActiveDocument()  # Get the active Cinema 4D document
    export_obj = doc.SearchObject('Export')  # Find the object named 'Export'

    if export_obj is None:
        print("No object named 'Export' found.")
        return

    # Specify the path where you want to save the CSV file
    file_path = "/path/to/your/file.csv"  # Change this to your actual file path

    # Call the function to write the matrix color data to the CSV file
    write_matrix_colors_to_csv(export_obj, file_path)

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

Make sure to adjust the script according to your specific requirements, such as how the color data is accessed in your Matrix object and the path where you want to save the CSV file. Additionally, ensure the script is run in an environment where the necessary libraries and Cinema 4D modules are available.

Here’s the previous script, please ammend as above:

import c4d

def write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data): with open(filePath, “a”) as file: file.write(frame_data + “\n”)

def main(): # Get the object to which the Python tag is attached matrix_object = op.GetObject()

# Check if the object is correctly referenced
if not matrix_object:
    print("Object not found")
    return

# Get the grid resolution vector
grid_resolution = matrix_object[c4d.MG_GRID_RESOLUTION]
if grid_resolution is None:
    print("Grid resolution data not found")
    return

# Extract the X and Z values and convert them to integers
x_count = int(grid_resolution.x)
z_count = int(grid_resolution.z)

# Determine the total number of frames in the timeline
startFrame = doc.GetLoopMinTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
endFrame = doc.GetLoopMaxTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
totalFrames = endFrame - startFrame + 1

# Accessing MoGraph Data
md = c4d.modules.mograph.GeGetMoData(matrix_object)
if md is None:
    print("MoGraph data not found")
    return

# Get the array of colors of the clones for the current frame
colors = md.GetArray(c4d.MODATA_COLOR)
if colors is None:
    print("Color data not found")
    return

# Convert color values to 0-255 range
frame_data = ",".join(f"{int(color.x*255)}, {int(color.y*255)}, {int(color.z*255)}" for color in colors)

# Get the current frame number
currentFrame = doc.GetTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())

# File path for saving data including grid resolution and total frames
filePath = f"H:/My Drive/02_Projects/41_SPTF_FCBNY Spotify/01_Production\C4D/240205_WriteValuesToExcel/Written/matrix_colors_timeline_{x_count}x{z_count}_{totalFrames}_frames.txt"

# Write the current frame's color data to the file
write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data)

# Print a message for confirmation with the frame number
print(f"Color data for frame {currentFrame} written to file")

Execute the main function

if name==‘main’: main()

To amend your previous script so it runs from the Script Manager and identifies the Matrix object by the name ‘Export’, you can follow these steps:

Use c4d.documents.GetActiveDocument() to get the active document and then search for the Matrix object by name using doc.SearchObject('Export').
Update the file writing function to append or create a new file as needed.
Adjust the rest of the script to work with this object instead of the one attached to the Python tag.

Here’s your amended script:

import c4d

def write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data):
    with open(filePath, "a") as file:
        file.write(frame_data + "\n")

def main():
    # Get the active Cinema 4D document
    doc = c4d.documents.GetActiveDocument()

    # Find the Matrix object by name 'Export'
    matrix_object = doc.SearchObject('Export')

    # Check if the Matrix object is correctly referenced
    if not matrix_object:
        print("Matrix object named 'Export' not found")
        return

    # Get the grid resolution vector
    grid_resolution = matrix_object[c4d.MG_GRID_RESOLUTION]
    if grid_resolution is None:
        print("Grid resolution data not found")
        return

    # Extract the X and Z values and convert them to integers
    x_count = int(grid_resolution.x)
    z_count = int(grid_resolution.z)

    # Determine the total number of frames in the timeline
    startFrame = doc.GetLoopMinTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
    endFrame = doc.GetLoopMaxTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
    totalFrames = endFrame - startFrame + 1

    # Accessing MoGraph Data
    md = c4d.modules.mograph.GeGetMoData(matrix_object)
    if md is None:
        print("MoGraph data not found")
        return

    # Get the array of colors of the clones for the current frame
    colors = md.GetArray(c4d.MODATA_COLOR)
    if colors is None:
        print("Color data not found")
        return

    # Convert color values to 0-255 range
    frame_data = ",".join(f"{int(color.x*255)}, {int(color.y*255)}, {int(color.z*255)}" for color in colors)

    # Get the current frame number
    currentFrame = doc.GetTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())

    # Specify your file path for saving data including grid resolution and total frames
    filePath = f"H:/My Drive/02_Projects/41_SPTF_FCBNY Spotify/01_Production/C4D/240205_WriteValuesToExcel/Written/matrix_colors_timeline_{x_count}x{z_count}_{totalFrames}_frames.txt"

    # Write the current frame's color data to the file
    write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data)

    # Print a message for confirmation with the frame number
    print(f"Color data for frame {currentFrame} written to file")

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

Ensure you replace H:/My Drive/02_Projects/41_SPTF_FCBNY Spotify/01_Production/C4D/240205_WriteValuesToExcel/Written/ with your actual file path where you want to save the CSV file.

Additionally, this script assumes that the color data is stored in the standard MoGraph color data array and that the colors are in RGB format. Adjust the script as needed if your setup is different.

To amend the format of the CSV file so that the RGB values for all the grid points for a single frame are written on one line, you can modify the write_frame_data function. Instead of writing each RGB value set immediately to the file, you can concatenate them into a single string representing the entire frame and then write this string.

Here’s how you can adjust your script:

import c4d

def write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data):
    with open(filePath, "a") as file:
        # Join all RGB values into a single line
        line = ",".join(frame_data)
        file.write(line + "\n")

def main():
    # Get the active Cinema 4D document
    doc = c4d.documents.GetActiveDocument()

    # Find the Matrix object by name 'Export'
    matrix_object = doc.SearchObject('Export')

    # Check if the Matrix object is correctly referenced
    if not matrix_object:
        print("Matrix object named 'Export' not found")
        return

    # Accessing MoGraph Data
    md = c4d.modules.mograph.GeGetMoData(matrix_object)
    if md is None:
        print("MoGraph data not found")
        return

    # Get the array of colors of the clones for the current frame
    colors = md.GetArray(c4d.MODATA_COLOR)
    if colors is None:
        print("Color data not found")
        return

    # Convert color values to 0-255 range and format them for CSV
    frame_data = [f"{int(color.x*255)}, {int(color.y*255)}, {int(color.z*255)}" for color in colors]

    # Get the current frame number
    currentFrame = doc.GetTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())

    # Specify your file path for saving data
    filePath = f"H:/My Drive/02_Projects/41_SPTF_FCBNY Spotify/01_Production/C4D/240205_WriteValuesToExcel/Written/matrix_colors_frame_{currentFrame}.csv"

    # Write the current frame's color data to the file
    write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data)

    # Print a message for confirmation with the frame number
    print(f"Color data for frame {currentFrame} written to file")

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

In this version of the script, frame_data is a list of strings, where each string contains the RGB values of a grid point in the format “R, G, B”. These strings are then joined into a single line with commas separating each RGB set, which is then written to the file.

Please ensure the file path and the method of accessing color data from the Matrix object are correct for your setup. This script assumes that the MoGraph Color data array contains RGB values and that the data is stored in a format that can be multiplied by 255 to convert to the standard 0-255 range for RGB values.

To iterate through all the currently open frames in Cinema 4D and add each frame’s data as a new line in the CSV file, you can use a loop that changes the document’s time and then updates the scene to get the data for each frame. Here’s how you can modify your script to achieve this:

import c4d

def write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data):
    with open(filePath, "a") as file:
        # Join all RGB values into a single line
        line = ",".join(frame_data)
        file.write(line + "\n")

def main():
    # Get the active Cinema 4D document
    doc = c4d.documents.GetActiveDocument()

    # Find the Matrix object by name 'Export'
    matrix_object = doc.SearchObject('Export')

    # Check if the Matrix object is correctly referenced
    if not matrix_object:
        print("Matrix object named 'Export' not found")
        return

    # Determine the range of frames to iterate over
    startFrame = doc.GetLoopMinTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
    endFrame = doc.GetLoopMaxTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())

    # Specify your file path for saving data
    filePath = f"H:/My Drive/02_Projects/41_SPTF_FCBNY Spotify/01_Production/C4D/240205_WriteValuesToExcel/Written/matrix_colors_timeline.csv"

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

        # Update the document to reflect the change in time
        c4d.DrawViews(c4d.DA_ONLY_ACTIVE_VIEW|c4d.DA_NO_THREAD|c4d.DA_NO_REDUCTION|c4d.DA_STATICBREAK)
        c4d.GeSyncMessage(c4d.EVMSG_TIMECHANGED)
        doc.ExecutePasses(None, True, True, True, c4d.BUILDFLAGS_0)

        # Accessing MoGraph Data
        md = c4d.modules.mograph.GeGetMoData(matrix_object)
        if md is None:
            print("MoGraph data not found for frame", frame)
            continue

        # Get the array of colors of the clones for the current frame
        colors = md.GetArray(c4d.MODATA_COLOR)
        if colors is None:
            print("Color data not found for frame", frame)
            continue

        # Convert color values to 0-255 range and format them for CSV
        frame_data = [f"{int(color.x*255)}, {int(color.y*255)}, {int(color.z*255)}" for color in colors]

        # Write the current frame's color data to the file
        write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data)

    # Print a message for confirmation
    print(f"Color data for frames {startFrame} to {endFrame} written to file")

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

This script sets the document’s time for each frame within the specified range (from startFrame to endFrame), updates the document to reflect the change, and then fetches and writes the color data for the current frame to the CSV file. Each frame’s data is added as a new line in the file.

Make sure the file path is correctly set to where you want to save the CSV file. Also, be aware that this script can take some time to execute, especially for a large number of frames or complex scenes, as it updates the document and recalculates the scene for each frame.

The error you’re encountering, AttributeError: module 'c4d' has no attribute 'DA_NO_REDUCTION', suggests that the constant DA_NO_REDUCTION is not recognized within your version of Cinema 4D’s Python environment. This can happen due to differences in API across different versions of Cinema 4D.

You can remove or replace the c4d.DA_NO_REDUCTION flag in the c4d.DrawViews() function call to resolve this issue. If you’re not specifically requiring a flag to control view drawing reduction, you can safely omit it. The essential part of the c4d.DrawViews() call in your context is to update the view to reflect changes in the document, particularly after changing the time.

Here’s the modified section of the script with c4d.DA_NO_REDUCTION removed:

        # Update the document to reflect the change in time
        c4d.DrawViews(c4d.DA_ONLY_ACTIVE_VIEW | c4d.DA_NO_THREAD | c4d.DA_STATICBREAK)
        c4d.GeSyncMessage(c4d.EVMSG_TIMECHANGED)
        doc.ExecutePasses(None, True, True, True, c4d.BUILDFLAGS_0)

This modification should help avoid the AttributeError you encountered. If other flags are causing issues or are not necessary for your script’s functionality, you can adjust them similarly.

Please try running the script again after making this change. If you encounter further issues, it might be helpful to consult the Cinema 4D Python SDK documentation for your specific version of Cinema 4D to confirm the available constants and functions.

Here’s the amended version of the previous script with the c4d.DA_NO_REDUCTION flag removed from the c4d.DrawViews() function call to avoid the AttributeError:

import c4d

def write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data):
    with open(filePath, "a") as file:
        # Join all RGB values into a single line
        line = ",".join(frame_data)
        file.write(line + "\n")

def main():
    # Get the active Cinema 4D document
    doc = c4d.documents.GetActiveDocument()

    # Find the Matrix object by name 'Export'
    matrix_object = doc.SearchObject('Export')

    # Check if the Matrix object is correctly referenced
    if not matrix_object:
        print("Matrix object named 'Export' not found")
        return

    # Determine the range of frames to iterate over
    startFrame = doc.GetLoopMinTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
    endFrame = doc.GetLoopMaxTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())

    # Specify your file path for saving data
    filePath = f"H:/My Drive/02_Projects/41_SPTF_FCBNY Spotify/01_Production/C4D/240205_WriteValuesToExcel/Written/matrix_colors_timeline.csv"

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

        # Update the document to reflect the change in time
        c4d.DrawViews(c4d.DA_ONLY_ACTIVE_VIEW | c4d.DA_NO_THREAD | c4d.DA_STATICBREAK)
        c4d.GeSyncMessage(c4d.EVMSG_TIMECHANGED)
        doc.ExecutePasses(None, True, True, True, c4d.BUILDFLAGS_0)

        # Accessing MoGraph Data
        md = c4d.modules.mograph.GeGetMoData(matrix_object)
        if md is None:
            print("MoGraph data not found for frame", frame)
            continue

        # Get the array of colors of the clones for the current frame
        colors = md.GetArray(c4d.MODATA_COLOR)
        if colors is None:
            print("Color data not found for frame", frame)
            continue

        # Convert color values to 0-255 range and format them for CSV
        frame_data = [f"{int(color.x*255)}, {int(color.y*255)}, {int(color.z*255)}" for color in colors]

        # Write the current frame's color data to the file
        write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data)

    # Print a message for confirmation
    print(f"Color data for frames {startFrame} to {endFrame} written to file")

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

This script should now run without encountering the AttributeError related to c4d.DA_NO_REDUCTION. It iterates through all frames within the specified range, updating the document for each frame to gather and write the color data of the ‘Export’ Matrix object to the specified CSV file, with each frame’s data on a new line.

To handle large CSV files and compress them, you have a few options. One straightforward method is to write the CSV data to a compressed file format directly from your script. Common compressed file formats include ZIP and GZIP. Python’s standard library includes modules for both, zipfile and gzip, respectively.

Using GZIP

The gzip module is an easy way to compress your CSV data. Here’s how you can modify your write_frame_data function to write to a GZIP file:

import gzip

def write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data):
    # The 'filePath' should end with '.gz' to indicate gzip compression
    with gzip.open(filePath, "at") as file:  # 'at' mode for appending text
        # Join all RGB values into a single line
        line = ",".join(frame_data)
        file.write(line + "\n")

Using ZIP

To use ZIP compression with the zipfile module, the approach is slightly different because you can’t append to an existing ZIP file in the same straightforward way as with GZIP. Instead, if you’re writing multiple frames’ data, it’s better to write all the data to a temporary CSV file first and then compress it into a ZIP file at the end. Here’s a rough outline of how you might adjust your script to use ZIP compression:

import zipfile
import os
import tempfile

def write_frame_data(temp_csv_path, frame_data):
    with open(temp_csv_path, "a") as file:
        line = ",".join(frame_data)
        file.write(line + "\n")

def compress_to_zip(temp_csv_path, zip_file_path):
    with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_file_path, 'w', zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as zipf:
        zipf.write(temp_csv_path, arcname=os.path.basename(temp_csv_path))

def main():
    # Your main function logic here

    # Create a temporary CSV file
    temp_fd, temp_csv_path = tempfile.mkstemp(suffix=".csv")
    os.close(temp_fd)

    # After writing all frame data to the temporary CSV
    # Specify your ZIP file path
    zip_file_path = "path/to/your/compressed_file.zip"

    # Compress the temporary CSV into a ZIP file
    compress_to_zip(temp_csv_path, zip_file_path)

    # Clean up the temporary file
    os.remove(temp_csv_path)

    print(f"Data compressed and saved to {zip_file_path}")

# Rest of your script remains the same

Choosing a Method

GZIP: Easier for appending data on the fly. Good choice if you’re writing frame data in a loop and want to keep file size small throughout the process.
ZIP: More complex, but allows for multiple files in one archive. Useful if you’re dealing with multiple CSV files or want to include additional files in the archive.

Remember to adjust the file paths and ensure that the script’s logic for writing data and compressing the file aligns with your specific workflow.

import c4d

def write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data): with open(filePath, “a”) as file: # Join all RGB values into a single line line = ”,“.join(frame_data) file.write(line + “\n”)

def main(): # Get the active Cinema 4D document doc = c4d.documents.GetActiveDocument()

# Find the Matrix object by name 'Export'
matrix_object = doc.SearchObject('Export')

# Check if the Matrix object is correctly referenced
if not matrix_object:
    print("Matrix object named 'Export' not found")
    return

# Determine the range of frames to iterate over
startFrame = doc.GetLoopMinTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
endFrame = doc.GetLoopMaxTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())

# Specify your file path for saving data
filePath = f"H:/My Drive/02_Projects/41_SPTF_FCBNY Spotify/01_Production/C4D/240205_WriteValuesToExcel/Written/matrix_colors_timeline.csv"

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

    # Update the document to reflect the change in time
    c4d.DrawViews(c4d.DA_ONLY_ACTIVE_VIEW | c4d.DA_NO_THREAD | c4d.DA_STATICBREAK)
    c4d.GeSyncMessage(c4d.EVMSG_TIMECHANGED)
    doc.ExecutePasses(None, True, True, True, c4d.BUILDFLAGS_0)

    # Accessing MoGraph Data
    md = c4d.modules.mograph.GeGetMoData(matrix_object)
    if md is None:
        print("MoGraph data not found for frame", frame)
        continue

    # Get the array of colors of the clones for the current frame
    colors = md.GetArray(c4d.MODATA_COLOR)
    if colors is None:
        print("Color data not found for frame", frame)
        continue

    # Convert color values to 0-255 range and format them for CSV
    frame_data = [f"{int(color.x*255)}, {int(color.y*255)}, {int(color.z*255)}" for color in colors]

    # Write the current frame's color data to the file
    write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data)

# Print a message for confirmation
print(f"Color data for frames {startFrame} to {endFrame} written to file")

Execute the main function

if name==‘main’: main()

Can we ammend this script so that the resulting file is named using the number of frames and the grid sizes

eg. ‘matrix_colours_number of frames_matrix x grid size_matrix y grid size’

To amend your script so that the resulting file is named using the number of frames and the grid sizes, you can extract the grid size from the Matrix object and the number of frames from the frame range you’re iterating over. Then, incorporate these values into the file path.

Here’s how you can modify your script:

import c4d

def write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data):
    with open(filePath, "a") as file:
        # Join all RGB values into a single line
        line = ",".join(frame_data)
        file.write(line + "\n")

def main():
    # Get the active Cinema 4D document
    doc = c4d.documents.GetActiveDocument()

    # Find the Matrix object by name 'Export'
    matrix_object = doc.SearchObject('Export')

    # Check if the Matrix object is correctly referenced
    if not matrix_object:
        print("Matrix object named 'Export' not found")
        return

    # Get the grid resolution vector
    grid_resolution = matrix_object[c4d.MG_GRID_RESOLUTION]
    if grid_resolution is None:
        print("Grid resolution data not found")
        return

    # Extract the X and Y values (assuming Y is the second dimension in your grid)
    x_grid_size = int(grid_resolution.x)
    y_grid_size = int(grid_resolution.y)  # Or z if your grid is in the XZ plane

    # Determine the range of frames to iterate over
    startFrame = doc.GetLoopMinTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
    endFrame = doc.GetLoopMaxTime().GetFrame(doc.GetFps())
    numberOfFrames = endFrame - startFrame + 1

    # Amend the file path with the number of frames and grid sizes
    filePath = f"H:/My Drive/02_Projects/41_SPTF_FCBNY Spotify/01_Production/C4D/240205_WriteValuesToExcel/Written/matrix_colors_{numberOfFrames}frames_{x_grid_size}x{y_grid_size}grid.csv"

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

        # Update the document to reflect the change in time
        c4d.DrawViews(c4d.DA_ONLY_ACTIVE_VIEW | c4d.DA_NO_THREAD | c4d.DA_STATICBREAK)
        c4d.GeSyncMessage(c4d.EVMSG_TIMECHANGED)
        doc.ExecutePasses(None, True, True, True, c4d.BUILDFLAGS_0)

        # Accessing MoGraph Data
        md = c4d.modules.mograph.GeGetMoData(matrix_object)
        if md is None:
            print("MoGraph data not found for frame", frame)
            continue

        # Get the array of colors of the clones for the current frame
        colors = md.GetArray(c4d.MODATA_COLOR)
        if colors is None:
            print("Color data not found for frame", frame)
            continue

        # Convert color values to 0-255 range and format them for CSV
        frame_data = [f"{int(color.x*255)}, {int(color.y*255)}, {int(color.z*255)}" for color in colors]

        # Write the current frame's color data to the file
        write_frame_data(filePath, frame_data)

    # Print a message for confirmation
    print(f"Color data for frames {startFrame} to {endFrame} written to file")

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

In this modified script, the filePath variable now includes the number of frames (numberOfFrames) and the grid sizes (x_grid_size and y_grid_size). This will create a CSV file named in the format you specified, e.g., matrix_colors_100frames_10x10grid.csv, assuming 100 frames and a 10x10 grid size. Adjust the grid size extraction if your grid is in a different plane or if you need to include a different dimension.