Installing Your Preset-Based Custom Operator
in XSI
Legacy custom operators are almost “self-installing”.
At startup, XSI scans the standard plug-in locations (such as the User
location, workgroups, and custom locations specified by XSI_PLUGINS)
for SPDL-based operators and automatically registers them.
We recommend that you do not use “xsi -i" to
install SPDLs anymore; instead, let XSI automatically find and register
operators. During development, put the operator SPDL and code in a local
workgroup: XSI will install and register the operator when you connect
to the workgroup.
You can manage SPDLs through the Plug-in Manager,
including access to spdlcheck, the ability to generate presets, and
drag-and-drop support for relocation.
About Installing Operators
When you save or install a custom operator in XSI,
you are basically registering the SPDL file. In the case of a file-based
scripted or compiled operator, the library file where the operator is
implemented is referenced inside the SPDL file, so the implementation
file itself doesn’t need to be explicitly registered. In the case
of an embedded scripted operator, the implementation is embedded inside
the SPDL, so once you’ve registered the SPDL you’re finished.
SPDL files hold a reference to the
filename alone (in other words, without a path or extension). This makes
it very flexible, since you can use one SPDL file to control multiple
implementation files. For example, you can include both a Linux and
Windows version of the same library in a distribution package.
Note that in order for XSI to find the script or library
file referenced in the SPDL’s Filename entry, the file must use
that exact filename base and must reside in the same directory as its
SPDL file.
When you manually install the SPDL, XSI performs these
activities:
• Copies the SPDL file to the \Application\spdl
directory under your user location
• Creates a preset for it in the \DSPresets\Operators
folder under your user location
• For compiled operators, XSI also copies
the library file to the \Application\bin folder
under your user location using the subfolder that matches the platform:
- For Linux, the folder is called linux-x86
- For Windows, the folder is called nt-x86
If you update the SPDL file you need
to regenerate the Preset file. This is done automatically when you uninstall
and then reinstall a SPDL file (by using the command line xsi
-u and xsi -i or by using the Plugins
(SPDL) dialog.
Other Ways to Register
The recommend way to install and register operators
is to put the operator in one of the standard plug-in locations:
• The User location (for example, C:\users\kima\Softimage\XSI_5.0)
• A workgroup
• A custom location specified by the XSI_PLUGINS
environment variable
However, XSI still supports several other ways to
install and register SPDLs.
Registering with the Scripted Operator Editor
If you are using the Scripted Operator Editor to create
a custom scripted operator, you can use the editor to save a preset
of your operator, which creates and registers the SPDL file automatically
in XSI:
1. In the Scripted Operator Editor, choose File >
Save.
2. Specify a file name and location in the browser.
XSI creates and registers a SPDL file with the same name in the <user_location>\spdl
directory.
Registering through the XSI Command Line
If you are not using the Scripted Operator Editor
to create your custom operator, you can register the SPDL file using
the XSI Command Prompt:
1. Open the XSI Command Prompt (you can use the shortcut
link in the Softimage Products startup folder).
2. From the prompt, run the following command:
xsibatch -i <op_name>.spdl
If you need to reinstall the SPDL,
you can run the following at the command prompt:
This sequence uninstalls and reinstalls the SPDL file.
If a custom operator is installed
on a workgroup (for example, using xsi -i <spdl>
-dest workgroup, then all users of that workgroup will sutomatically
have access to that operator the next time they restart XSI.
Registering through the Plug-ins (SPDL) Dialog
in XSI
You can register a single SPDL file in XSI by using
the Plug-ins (SPDL) dialog, which allows you to select a SPDL file from
any location. For example, if you used MSDev to author your custom operator,
you can install the SPDL file directly from your project directory (such
as C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\MyProjects\your_project):
1. To open the dialog, choose File > Add-On >
Plugins (SPDL) in XSI.
2. Click the Install button to open the Install
SPDL window.
3. Click the browse button beside the SPDL File
Path box to select a SPDL file from the browser or type the location
of the SPDL file manually.
4. Click the Install button. The execution log
displays the results of the installation.
5. Click Done in the Install SPDL window to return
to the Plugins (SPDL) window.
6. Click Done in the Plugins (SPDL) window to
finish. Your SPDL and implementation files are copied to the Application/spdl
folder under your user location.
