Attributes Spreadsheet
it would be great to have a spreadsheet editor regrouping every single attributes for every data-blocks in blender.
- data-blocks >>> rows
- attributes >>> columns
when you're working on huge scene sometimes you want to edit or visualize data at once like :
- i've got 100 lights in my scene i want to reduce their intensity by half.
- I want to set the visibility off of multiple data-blocks ( object, lights,...).
- the diffuse of all my shaders are too strong i want to set them to .5 instead of 1 .
- I want to set the rotation x of every objects to 12°.
- (edit) I want to see all the particles id or particles velocity.
- (edit) I want to see all the vertex id of an object.
- (edit) I want to visualize the rgba values of all the pixel of a texture map to see if their is NaN (not a number).
- ...
the spreadsheet would be empty until you select a data-block ( or the other way around : every data block visible until you select a data block). the attributes would be dependent of the data-block selected ( if you select two spheres you don't want light attributes but if you select two spheres and a light you can have the light attributes columns next to the shared attributes and the cells of the spheres greyed out int the lights columns).
I hope it's clear enough !
(edit) if at one time we have a nodal system it will be great to see the datas before and after one node (like vertex coordinates before and after a deform modifier) there is a lot of application where a spreadsheet is useful.
15 Comments
This is a really useful requirement. Only people who worked on huge production can understand the pain an appreciate the usefulness of an attribute spreadsheet. I would like to see this implemented in blender, not as an addon or a quick hack but a core editor altogether. As Jason mentioned need a mockup to put in some perspective to the idea. I will also try to add in my views! Thanks for bringing it up!
There was a Property Chart aďdon bundled with blender. Can't see it on a list. blender.stackexchange.com/questions/1177/ m.youtube.com/watch
Too bad it was pretty much it ! I think having it on it's on editor panel would be easier rather than the "N" tab. i like the fact that you could specify attributes but if you want every attributes you needed to write them all down... so it can be more like a filter feature.
@martin.bailly19: if I remember it right, addon was a quick hack for one of the first movie project. That's why it's under N panel. Yes, UI of this aďdon doesn't fit to that place.
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I support this 1000% Spreadsheets are one of the most useful feature for any good professional use of a 3d software. When dealing with scene complexity, at tool like this becomes your best friend.
Houdini is sporting such a feature – the geometry spreadsheet - which they commonly use to work with attributes. Here is a picture: houdinitricks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/attribs-02.png
I really like this idea. How do you control what it shows? For instance, if I have a light and an empty selected, what does it show? If you have 3 different types of objects? This thing could have too many columns to be useful unless some sort of filtering is available.
I'll try to make a mockup but as explained, if you have different object types the first columns would be the "shared attributes" like transform or viewport display and the next would be specific attributes for exemple: first the geo attributes second the light attributes third the bones attributes etc ... when you use a spreadsheet you don't want the software to hide parameters/columns from you, you want every parameters, but as you say it would be great to have filters and/or a research bar. i think the addon @mond refered to can be a start, but it would be great to filter by :keyable attributes, nonkeyable attributes, transform attributes, viewport attributes, render attributes, the list can be long...
@martin.bailly19: Now I see, addon is still bundled, but doesn't seems to me its fully functional at the moment ... anyway would be great to have one more advanced :)
What would it look like? Would it be in an existing editor (like a view of the Outliner), or be one unto itself? Mock-ups welcome.
yes it would be a new editor, I'll try to mock up something tonight !
This would be amazing to have. I find it to be invaluble in Maya.
hello guys ! i've finally found the time to mockup something quick ! i've edited the post with the picture
Would the feature be improved by implementing the proposal as a query editor and reporting select-queries by means of a result table? On top of that, one might imagine hooking the selected data into a nice plotter to generate simple curves, graphs, histograms, or whatnot? Alternatively, an update query selects but also changes the data before listing. I know it is easy to go too far with such tool / add-in :) There is existing functionality in 2.8 already that covers part of this proposal: the outliner already allows for simple querying; maybe a result-table could be generated from that view by means of a new key-combo or button?