This was my second post in this thread: 

"But I wouldn't get TOO excited about seeing traces of it already -- for quite some time Python has been used in iClone (for some dialog boxes and other UI stuff, IIRC)."

(But it doesn't matter, Ani -- I often don't read the threads fully myself).

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Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

I don't see that. I thought you were discussing release numbers. That was not my point (another pun...:unsure: ). I was commenting about the presence of QT.

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Isn't that exactly what I said in the second post in this thread?

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Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

I must be living on another planet... but it's the 1st time I hear about QT... :unsure:
So, I checked a bit about it and I got the following interesting facts (pls, correct me if wrong):
1. QT seems to be a development framework built over C++, available through a commercial license
2. It enables plug-ins to other languages, specifically the QT website mentions about PyQt for Phyton
3. PyQt seems to have a free and a commercial version. No time now to understand the differences... :doze:

Generally, I was just wondering why RL does not simply use VisualStudio (Unity3D for example uses Visual Studio for Windows based systems...), which has an IDE fort Python.
Then RL could just provides (at a reasonable cost :rolleyes:) some API for the connection of the code to iClone.
GUI can be developed by using standard Python libraries.
I might miss something but I am afraid of just a couple of things:
1. customers will have to pay for some 3rd party development environment
2. learning curve to get the hands on the QT system and connection to Pyhton

Perhaps silly considerations... so, i am happy to hear your thinking.

Cheers

  Roberto



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QT has been used for the iClone GUI since version 6, so nothing new. I assume that the connection QT/Python is that you would need some sort of interface for Python scripts. When? Who knows...:unsure:

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Exactly Mike,

We know they are working on it but when you release a version and then have to deal with all the problems discovered post beta you have to redirect programmers to fight fires instead of working on promised advances. So they will use all the little 7.xxx numbers they can to deal with the rush of problem fixes which take manpower away from working on new features.

Well. I was really hoping it would be Python 3.x but I guess that screenshot is a really strong indication that it's 2.7.
Inclusion of Qt5 is a good bonus though. Still looking forward to this and got my fingers crossed for good integration. 

Oh, I know, we're all just speculating here.  And point released (a full "point" release) are handled differently from company to company.  Some put them out all the time, to fix things and sometimes to add minor enhancements.

But I'm going by the history of RL and iClone, and they do NOT put out a full point release without it having some major features.  Perhaps I'm wrong (and I will admit I didn't pay much attention to iClone prior to 6, and not too much even then until PBR came along) but I don't see any real reason why they would need to bump 7.02 up to more than 7.03 or 4 just to release a plugin which needs some hooks inside of it to work.  Again, I use the Faceware plugin as the example.  I was SURE it wouldn't come out until 7.1, and so I was completely fooled, but due to that I'm equally sure 7.1 will not just be "and now we have another plugin you can buy".

My gut tells me that it isn't even Python per se that's coming, but a complete interoperability with other software.  Thus the talks with the particle folks.  Python scripting opens up SO much more than just having US script things, and really believe that is what will be revolutionary in 7.1.  

The other way of looking at it is this: when WOULD they release Python scripting?  7.2?  That seems pretty odd.  7.102?  Even odder.  We know that have Python in alpha and it's unlikely, barring some REAL problems and issues (which, as a developer, I do know can happen) they would wait another six or eights months before releasing it into the wild.

However, I have one major caveat to all this, and it's one I can't discuss (but I suspect you can read between the lines -- it's a thing that can't be discussed here in this forum).  That's the only thing that worries me.

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Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

Kelley - To be clear, I'm not arguing with you.  We are both equally in the dark, trying to guess as we peer into our foggy crystal balls.

I think it's feasible that the Curve Editor required an update to 7.0 in order to work.  If not, why not also make it available to iC6 users (at an even higher price), and let them use it too?  I find it plausible that 7.0 simply doesn't have the underlying hooks to make the curve editor possible.

Like you, I am eager to learn more about the capabilities (and limitations) of Python Scripting in iClone.  I hope I'm wrong, and that it does appear in 7.1, but I'm not optimistic.


P.S.
I'm not sure if we're tripping over our terminology a bit.  To me, 5.0, 6.,0, and 7.0 are "Major Releases" and those are the ones we have to buy.  Anything in between (6.1, 6.2, 6.3... 7.1) are "point releases" in my vocabulary, and usually deliver some new or enhanced functionality (at least with iClone).  Something like 7.03 or 7.11 and 7.12 are also point releases, but usually targeted at a specific, high-priority bug fix.

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I just don't buy it, Dennis -- they don't need a point release to have 7.1 available (because if they needed a point release they would have done so with Faceware).  They could just say "Here's 7.03, and now you can buy the plug-in" and we'd all be just as happy (or not, as the case might be).

No, it HAS to be something major or there's no point (pun intended).

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Mike "ex-genius" Kelley