IvTune Extender

IvTune Extender IvTuneExtender is an API that allows you to create plug-ins that extend IvTune's capabilities.

Some example IvTune plug-ins, that demonstrate what is possible to develop with the API, are provided in the source/IvTune subdirectory of the Open Inventor SDK (after installing the Demos package).

• IvtTutorial A simple plug-in that demonstrates the creation of an IvTune extension.
• IvtToolsExamples A plug-ins who provides IvTune's extensions dedicated to Open Inventor Core.
• IvtToolsLDMExamples A plug-ins who provides IvTune's extensions dedicated to Open Inventor LDM extensions.

IvtDefaultsExamples is a built in plug-in that provides the standard IvTune extensions (node overview, field editor, etc).

See IvTuneExtender API part in the reference manual for a complete description of classes and methods provided to develop IvTune plug-ins.

IvTune Extender keywords

• plugin : An IvTune plug-in is a DLL (Windows) or a shared library (UNIX or Linux), that contains a set of IvTune extensions.
• extension : An extension is a service provider for IvTune.
  When a plug-in is loaded, all of the plug-in's extensions are loaded, but they are not activated (usable) yet.
• profile : A profile is a set of extensions (potentially from several plug-ins).
  A profile can be activated or deactivated causing all the contained extensions to activated or deactivated. You might want to use one set of extensions for geometric data and a different set for volume data or mesh data.
  There can only be one profile active at a time.

Configuration file

A configuration file defines which plug-ins IvTune will load, one or more profiles with their associated extensions, and specifies the profile that will be activated first when IvTune starts.

When IvTune starts, the search procedure for the configuration file is (in order):

• The file defined by the environment variable OIV_IVTUNE_SHORTCUT.
  See SoPreferences for details.
• "$OIVHOME/data/IvTune/IvtConfiguration.xml"
• "./IvtConfiguration.xml"
• Finally if no file is found, IvTune uses an embedded minimal configuration.

The file "$OIVHOME/data/IvTune/IvtConfiguration.xml" is provided as an example.

An xml schema "OIVHOME/data/IvTune/IvtConfiguration.xsd" is also provided and can be used to validate the correctness of an IvTune configuration file.

The configuration file is structured as follows:

• configuration : The configuration.
  • plugins : The list of plug-ins to load.
    • loadPlugin : Defines a plugin to load.
      ( file : The name of the plugin file without the extension, for example "IvtDefault"
      [path] : Optional, the path to find the plugin)
  • profiles : The list of profiles.
    ( default : The name of the profile activated when IvTune begins)
    • profile : Defines a profile containing a list of extensions to activate.
      ( name : The name of the profile)
      • activeExtension : Adds to the profile an extension to activate when the profile is activated.
        ( plugin : The name of the plugin that contains the extension;
        extension : The name of the extension as defined in the plugin.)
        • preference : Defines the value of a preference parameter for the extension in the context of the profile.
          An extension can have different preference values depending on the profile.
          ( parameter : The name of the preference parameter.
          value : The value associated with the parameter)
        • controlledExtension : Adds to the parent extension a controlled extension.
          The parent extension controls the activation of the extension.
          ( plugin : The name of the plugin that contains the extension;
          extension : The name of the extension as defined in the plugin.)
          • preference : Same as activeExtension/preference.
      • includeProfile : Includes another profile in the profile.
        ( name : The name of the profile to include)

The following is an example configuration file:

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://www.vsg3d.com" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.vsg3d.com IvtConfiguration.xsd">
  <!-- List of the plug-ins to load. -->
  <plugins>
    <!-- A path can be specified by adding the attribute path, i.e. path="the_path_to_the_plug-in". -->
    <loadPlugin  file="IvtDefaults"/>
	<loadPlugin file="IvtTools"/>  
	<loadPlugin file="IvtToolsLDM"/>  
    <!-- uncomment to load IvtTutorial plugin
    <loadPlugin file="IvtTutorial"/>
	-->
  </plugins>
  <!-- List of the different profiles with the specification of a default one (i.e. the profile activated when ivtune begins). -->
  <profiles default="Defaults">
  
    <!-- Details of the profile -->
    <profile name="Defaults">
      <activeExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="Field Editor">
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFColor"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MField"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFFloat"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFInt32"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFMatrix"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFPlane"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFRotation"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFShort"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFString"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFUInt32"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFUShort"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFVec2f"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFVec2i32"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFVec2s"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFVec3f"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="MFVec4f"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFBitMask"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFBool"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFBox3s"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFColor"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFEnum"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFFloat"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFImage"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFInt32"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SField"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFMatrix"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFName"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFPlane"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFRotation"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFShort"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFString"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFUInt32"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFUShort"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFVec2f"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFVec2i32"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFVec2s"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFVec3f"/>
        <controlledExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="SFVec4f"/>
	    <controlledExtension plugin="IvtToolsLDM" extension="SFLDMResourceParameters"/>
      </activeExtension>
      <activeExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="Profile Selector"/>
	  <activeExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="Console"/>
    </profile>
  
    <profile name="Extended">
      <activeExtension plugin="IvtDefaults" extension="Node Editor">
		 <controlledExtension plugin="IvtToolsLDM" extension="Alpha Curve Editor"/>
		 <controlledExtension plugin="IvtTools" extension="Directional Light Editor"/>
		 <controlledExtension plugin="IvtTools" extension="Shader Editor"/>   
	  </activeExtension>
      <activeExtension plugin="IvtTools" extension="Processing Menu"/>
      <activeExtension plugin="IvtTools" extension="Traversal Menu"/>
      <activeExtension plugin="IvtTools" extension="Viewing Toolbar"/>
      <includeProfile name="Defaults"/>
    </profile>

    <!-- uncomment to activate a profile with extensions provide by IvtTutorial
    <profile name="Tutorials">
      <activeExtension plugin="IvtTutorial" extension="My First Extension">
        <preference value="Hello World!" parameter="Message"/>
      </activeExtension>
      <activeExtension plugin="IvtTutorial" extension="My Second Extension"/>
      <includeProfile name="Defaults"/>
    </profile>
	-->
	
  </profiles>
</configuration>