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metadata manipulation | Substance 3D Automation ToolKit

Last updated on Oct 13, 2023

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metadata manipulation

Since 2019.2, Substance Designer allow users to add metadata to substance files.

It’s possible to add metadata for packages, graph and input / output nodes. For each of them a common interface is shared to manipulate metadata.

It’s possible to create two type of metadata:

String:

# create a new doc 
sbs_doc = sbsgenerator.createSBSDocument(context.Context(), "foo.sbs") 
 
# add two new string metadata to the package (doc) 
sbs_doc.createMetaDataStr("foo", "bar") 
sbs_doc.createMetaDataStr("fooz", "baz")

Resources:

# create a new doc 
sbs_doc = sbsgenerator.createSBSDocument(context.Context(), "foo.sbs") 
# link a resource 
res = sbs_doc.createLinkedResource(aResourceTypeEnum=sbsenum.ResourceTypeEnum.BITMAP, aResourcePath="resource.png") 
 
# add a new url metadata 
sbs_doc.createMetaDataUrl("baz", res)

Note, an url metadata value must be a resource object (SBSResource) or a pkg url of type “pkg:///…”. Each metadata has a unique key name, it’s not possible to create several metadata with the same key name and trying to do that will raise an exception (SBSMetaDataTreeNameConflict)

To get or set a value of already existing metadata:

# get a string metadata 
meta_srt = sbs_doc.getMetaData("foo") 
# get a value 
meta_str.getValue() 
# >>> bar 
# set a value 
meta_str.setValue("foofoo") 
# get an url metadata 
meta_url = sbs_doc.getMetaData("fooz") 
# get a value 
meta_url.getValue() 
# >>> pkg:///resource.png 
# set a value 
meta_url.setValue(a_resource)

To remove metadata:

# delete a metadata, key and value 
sbs_doc.deleteMetaData("foo") 
# >>> True

To get a dict of all metadata:

# get a dict 
sbs_doc.getAllMetadata() 
# >>> {"foo": "foofoo", "fooz": "pkg:///resource.png"}

Same for graph and input / output nodes:

# get a dict 
graph = sbs_doc.getSBSGraphList()[0]() 
md_graph = graph.getAllMetaData() 
 
input_param = graph.mParamInputs[0] 
md_input = input_param.getAllMetaData() 
 
output_graph = graph.mGraphOutputs[0] 
md_output = output_graph.getAllMetaData()

Metadata from a sbsar ¶

Metadata are published within the sbsar and their related resource files. Since sbsar is a publish format it’s not yet possible to edit the metadata. If you want to do that, edit the sbs file and re-cook it.

Sbsar package, sbsar graph and sbsar input / output nodes share the same metadata common interface. sbsarmetadata module inherited by metadata module Except some specific methods like extractSbsarMetaDataResource and extractSbsarMetaDataPack.

Like in SBSDocument users can get all metadata:

sbsar = sbsarchive.SBSArchive(context.Context(), "foo.sbsar") 
# as a dict 
sbsar.getAllMetaData() 
# >>> {"foo": "foofoo", "fooz": "resources/1/resource.png"} 
 
# as a json file 
sbsar.extractSbsarMetaDataJson("metadata.json") 
# >>> metadata.json

Note the change of the url, it is converted as a sbsar resource path.

As metadata resource files are present in the sbsar it’s also possible to get them:

sbsar = sbsarchive.SBSArchive(context.Context(), "foo.sbsar") 
meta = sbsar.getAllMetaData() 
# by a url metadata value 
sbsar.extractSbsarMetaDataResource("a_destination/directory", meta["fooz"]) 
# >>> a_destination/directory/resource.png 
 
# or all in one 
extract_files = sbsar.extractSbsarMetaDataPack("a_destination/directory") 
# >>> ['a_destination/directory/resource.png']

Same for sbsar graph and sbsar input / output nodes:

# get a dict 
graph = sbsar.getSBSGraphList()[0]() 
md_graph = graph.getAllMetaData() 
 
input_param = graph.getInputs()[0] 
md_input = input_param.getAllMetaData() 
 
output_graph = graph.getGraphOutputs()[0] 
md_output = output_graph.getAllMetaData()

Resource of type OTHER ¶

With the arrival of metadata a new type of resource has been added, OTHER. This makes it possible to link any type of resource regardless of if Substance Designer supports it or not but it can’t be used in any graphs. Resource metadata of type OTHER will be exported with the sbsar.

Here is an example of creating metadata of the type OTHER:

sbs_doc = sbsgenerator.createSBSDocument(context.Context(), "foo.sbs") 
# link an OTHER resource 
res = sbs_doc.createLinkedResource("my_resource.blend", sbsenum.ResourceTypeEnum.OTHER)

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