distance-polydata.xml

<ServerManagerConfiguration>
  <ProxyGroup name="filters">
    <!-- ================================================================== -->
    <SourceProxy name="DistancePolyDataFilter" class="vtkDistancePolyDataFilter" label="DistancePolyDataFilter">
      <Documentation
         long_help="Computes the signed distance from one vtkPolyData to another."
         short_help="vtkDistancePolyDataFilter.">
      </Documentation>

      <InputProperty
         name="SourcePolyData"
         port_index="0"
         command="SetInputConnection">
        <ProxyGroupDomain name="groups">
          <Group name="sources"/>
          <Group name="filters"/>
        </ProxyGroupDomain>
        <DataTypeDomain name="input_type">
          <DataType value="vtkPolyData"/>
        </DataTypeDomain>
        <Documentation>
          Set the source data set.
        </Documentation>
      </InputProperty>

      <InputProperty
         name="TargetPolyData"
         port_index="1"
         command="SetInputConnection">
        <ProxyGroupDomain name="groups">
          <Group name="sources"/>
          <Group name="filters"/>
        </ProxyGroupDomain>
        <DataTypeDomain name="input_type">
          <DataType value="vtkPolyData"/>
        </DataTypeDomain>
        <Documentation>
          Set the target data set.
        </Documentation>
      </InputProperty>

      <Hints>
        <!-- see below for what options to put here -->
      </Hints>

    </SourceProxy>
    <!-- End DistancePolyDataFilter -->
  </ProxyGroup>
  <!-- End Filters Group -->
</ServerManagerConfiguration>

meshdiff.py

from __future__ import print_function
from paraview.simple import *
import sys

if(len(sys.argv) < 3):
    print('Usage: ', sys.argv[0], 'src.obj', 'dst.obj')
    sys.exit(1)

LoadPlugin("./distance-polydata.xml", False, globals())

readers = []
for i in range(2):
    r = WavefrontOBJReader(FileName=sys.argv[i + 1])
    readers.append(r)

distanceFilter = DistancePolyDataFilter(SourcePolyData=readers[0],
                                        TargetPolyData=readers[1])


views = []
for i in range(2):
    v = CreateRenderView()
    v.ViewSize = [512, 512]
    w = v.GetRenderWindow()
    w.SetPosition(i * 512, 0)

    Show(OutputPort(distanceFilter, i + 1), v)
    views.append(v)

# camera is no set correctly by default
AddCameraLink(views[0], views[1], 'v1v2')
ResetCamera(views[0])
views[0].CenterOfRotation = GetActiveCamera().GetFocalPoint()

RenderAllViews()
Interact()