Retrieving list of available parameters from password protected MVOs

[Denny Wong]

Hi all,

Further to the previous topic I am still in the LIBRARYGLOBAL wonderland. My own MVO object works perfectly, but now I am looking into getting information from an commercial MVO object we bought.

I have no intention in modifying or even reading into the scripts of the object in question, I am only hoping that my own objects will be able to cooperate with that object by reading its parameters. However without the password I cannot easily get the list of them.

I have tried to use the Schedule => Add Object Parameters to shine some light into it. While this reveals a useful list of parameters, the one I am after is not there. However I know for sure that the parameter is part of this particular MVO because I can change it in its UI. I suspect it is a hidden parameter.

Is there any civilised way of doing this (i.e. …without bruteforcing the parameter name with LIBRARYGLOBAL command)?

I do not believe what I am doing is in violation of any copyright or usage restrictions. Please advise if otherwise.

Many thanks in advance.

Bond Bryan Architects, Westerham, UK

[Barry Kelly]

There may be a way if the MVO object has been left with the ‘Placeable’ option on when saved.
You can place it in the plan and then select it (you won’t see it but you can select it – just place , then UNDO and then REDO to have it selected).
Now save this selection as a new object.
You can now open the script of this new object and in the 2D script you will see a CALL command with all the parameters listed.

I can understand the need to password protect objects but I think it would be a good idea if the parameter list was not included in the protection.
Any password protected objects are almost useless to me as I use different attributes (pens, linestyles, surfaces, etc.) to suit my own template.
I would like to be able to alter the default parameter settings so I can use the object with my template.
My only option is to set up a favourite for each object or ‘save’ them as above and then create a parameter list and adjust the CALL commands so I can set the values I want from a user perspective.

Barry.

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[Denny Wong]

Thanks Barry, that’s quite a neat trick you have there, never thought about this! Now I can just throw a bunch of random objects to the origin, make that an object and write a script to extract all their parameters. Neat!

I am in agreement with your other comments. Honestly I am not fussed about an UI for parameter extraction – if LP_​XMLConverter can produce a parameter-only XML from protected GDL, I’ll be happy already.

Additionally many objects were not designed to be called as Macros; calculations were done in Parameter Script rather than Master Script, so when you CALL them the values do not react to your other parameters. When these are password protected, you have no choice but to duplicate their calculations which is a rather bad practice.

All these just because we have a 9,000 polygon chair that does not offer any 3D Details level, and we have to create an “envelope” object to provide that…

Bond Bryan Architects, Westerham, UK

[Denny Wong]

A follow up to this:

Turns out the solution is very simple. Go to MVO, Export one of your MVO and read the XML……

Bond Bryan Architects, Westerham, UK

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