[Bf-python] new python development path

[Joe Eagar]

Willian Padovani Germano wrote:
> Toni Alatalo wrote:
>> so is the object model modification to be done in which side?
>
> Each coder seems to prefer a different approach.
>
> Some like the current way:
>
> ob = Object.Get('obname')
> me = Mesh.Get('mename') # or me = ob.data
>
> The problem with OBDATA.Get() functions is that they give direct 
> access to obdata w/o setting a clear link to some object. Ton even 
> asked us to access via object, you remember.
>
> Not letting direct access to obdata (aka removing Camera.Get('cam'), 
> Mesh.Get, NMesh.GetRaw, etc.) seems to be a good way to follow Ton's 
> request and also save us from problems we've found here and there. 
> It's not a whole step toward oop, but may be close enough and means 
> minimal changes for users to adapt to.
>
> To access obdata, we can simply use ob.data fields:
>
> ob = Object.Get('obname')
> me = ob.data
>
> To access unlinked obdata, we can have something like 
> OBDATA.GetUnlinked(), which returns a list of obdata *names*. With 
> these names we can link to an ob and only then be able to edit this 
> obdata, like in Blender itself.
>
>> we dont use python much anymore, just keep Render, Mesh, Object, 
>> Actions etc. intact and the addition of an NLA api, basically just 
>> the Strip type, would be nice :)
>> i have drafted tests, in py, for the new object model that we 
>> discussed in that one meeting. simple stuff like:
>>
>> sourcearm = Blender.armatures['armature']
>
> for this we'd need our own special dict type that only accesses data 
> on demand, right? Consider a scene with hundreds of objects, it'd be a 
> little expensive to create and keep Blender.armatures, .meshes, etc. 
> dicts.
There'd be no need to maintain an actual dictionary.  Just imagine it's 
a function; when the get item function is called in armature, it loops 
through the armature linked-list and find the armature with the correct 
name.

This way it'd be more like a thin wrapper around Blender's ID struct 
then anything else.

joeedh