This is a test mGear Shifter POST script that shows how to access the stepDict and all of its information. It's a WIP meant to also act as documentation.

stepDict_documentation.py

import mgear.shifter.custom_step as cstp

'''
This is a test mGear Shifter POST script that shows how to access the stepDict and all of its information.
It's a WIP meant to also act as documentation.
I'll continue to update it, as I discover more. And hopefully include some of this information in the official mGear docs.

Chris Lesage - [email protected]
Justin Pedersen - [email protected]
Jascha Wohlkinger - [email protected]
Big thanks to Jascha Wohlkinger and Justin Pedersen at Triggerfish for helping get this started!
'''

class CustomShifterStep(cstp.customShifterMainStep):
    def __init__(self):
        self.name = "test_stepDict"


    def run(self, stepDict):
        stepDict["mgearRun"].__dict__ # This is a way you can inspect properties of a class.

        stepDict["mgearRun"].components["arm_L0"] # how to get at an individual component.
        
        # Loop through all the components in the scene!
        for key, component in stepDict["mgearRun"].components.items():
            # gain access to component settings
            print(key) # This is the component key in stepDict["mgearRun"].components eg. "arm_L0"

            print(component) # This is the Component object that has all the following attributes:
            print('options', component.options) # gets all the top level guide options
            print('settings', component.settings) # the individual component settings, like maxstretch, upvrefarray, etc.
            print(component.settings["comp_type"]) # <--- Gets the name of the component type. eg. 'arm_ms_2jnt_01'

            print('name', component.name) # The given name. eg "arm" in arm_L0
            print('side', component.side) # eg. "L" in arm_L0
            print('index', component.index) # eg. "0" in arm_L0
            print('model', component.model) # the top rig group, "model" because XSI
            print('connections', component.connections) # TODO: information and memory address of connections
            print('setupWS', component.setupWS) # TODO: returns the "setup" group, but no idea what that is for.
            print('size', component.size) # TODO: Not sure what this refers to
            print('color_fk', component.color_fk) # The color index from the guide settings. I guess you can override this?
            print('color_ik', component.color_ik) # The color index from the guide settings. I guess you can override this?
            print('negate', component.negate) # TODO: returns True or False
            print('n_sign', component.n_sign) # returns '' if negate is False and '-' if True
            print('n_factor', component.n_factor) # returns 1 if negate is False and -1 if True

            print('groups', component.groups) # returns a dictionary of items of the component
            # If no joints exist, there will be no deformers key.
            # So instead of calling the dictionary key component.groups["deformers"] use .get() to avoid KeyError.
            # If it is empty, it will return None
            print(component.groups.get("deformers")) # access to joints in the component
            print(component.groups.get("componentsRoots")) # The _root of the component
            print(component.groups.get("controllers")) # All the controllers in the component

            print('subGroups', component.subGroups) #TODO: No idea. Always empty in my tests.
            print('controlers', component.controlers) # This always seems to return an empty list. Use component.groups.get("controllers") instead, I guess.
            print('relatives', component.relatives) #TODO. eg. {'elbow': nt.Transform(u'arm_L0_div5_loc'), 'wrist': nt.Transform(u'arm_L0_div10_loc')}
            print('jointRelatives', component.jointRelatives) # The joint index as a dictionary. eg. {'elbow': 5, 'wrist': 10, 'root': 0, 'eff': -1}
            print('controlRelatives', component.controlRelatives) # A key dictionary of controllers. eg. {'elbow': nt.Transform(u'arm_L0_fk1_ctl'), 'wrist': nt.Transform(u'arm_L0_fk2_ctl)}
            print('aliasRelatives', component.aliasRelatives) #TODO: arm is {'eff': 'hand'} or control_01 is {'root': 'ctl'}
            print('jnt_pos', component.jnt_pos) # TODO A list of lists [[transform, 0], [transform, 1], [transform, 2], [transform, 'end']]
            print('jointList', component.jointList) # returns the same as component.groups.get("deformers"). A list of all joints in the component. [] if no joints.
            print('transform2Lock', component.transform2Lock) #TODO: I guess a list of nodes that will get locked
            print('stepMethods', component.stepMethods) #TODO: Unsure yet.
            

        # Example snippet: Get all components that are named "arm".
        allArms = [
                (key, component) for key, component
                in stepDict["mgearRun"].components.items()
                if component.name == 'arm'
                ]
        for key, component in allArms:
            print(key)
            print(component.settings)

        return