is there a way to debug apex component script? much like i can easily check out the output of a vop node...the apex node script is still lacking documentation. we need to know what a nodes need , where to wire them. for example on skel:add joint theres geo input where can i fetch this? altho the port color is the same as a character type, im not sure where to connect them. how do i get my skeleton to update after i add joint using them?

best regards
Patar

I replied in the other thread [www.sidefx.com] so hopefully some of this stuff is making more sense. The Max Rose APEX tutorials [www.youtube.com] might be easier to follow in the mean time if you've been just looking at the masterclass.

I think some of the confusion is that the color for those "character" ports are all the same because they're GEOMETRY. But in APEX, geometry can mean many things: the packed character geometry, the character skin geometry, the skeleton geometry, the rig graph geometry etc.

In terms of debugging the autorig component scripts:
- An Unpack Folder SOP is useful as you already know to extract out the modified parts of the character
- The APEX Autorig Component's second output gives you component that is actually being applied (to check out the built-in components)
- You can enter the viewport state for the APEX Autorig Component to test out how the character is behaving so far. Note that it won't save any animation that you do right now though but it's enough check out how the rig is working.
- I think the Max Rose tutorials has built a mini HDA to help debugging some of this stuff as well but my memory if foggy here, I might confusing with the APEX masterclass.

edward
- I think the Max Rose tutorials has built a mini HDA to help debugging some of this stuff as well but my memory if foggy here, I might confusing with the APEX masterclass.

seen both i didnt see any debuging tools

speaking about Max Rose tutorial on the "abstract control", he promoted the x parameter by connecting it to parms so that it can be accessed by scene animate right... how do i do this via apex component (using the second input)

best regards
Patar

if u are saying the mini hda is the hda that separate the big graph into smaller chunk to see what its doing thats not what i meant by debuging. what i meant by debuging is like in vop we can evaluate each output of every node.as it is now if i give the wrong input into an apex it just wont work anymore. no output msg or anything like that.

patar
speaking about Max Rose tutorial on the "abstract control", he promoted the x parameter by connecting it to parms so that it can be accessed by scene animate right... how do i do this via apex component (using the second input)

There are the graph:: callbacks for this like graph::PromoteInput. For some examples, you can always check out the existing autorig component graphs to see how they're done.