assimp/port/PyAssimp

	PyAssimp Readme

	---------------





-- a simple Python wrapper for Assimp using ctypes to access

the library. Tested for Python 2.6. Known not to work with

Python 2.4.





Note that pyassimp is by no means considered mature. It works,

but it is far away from wrapping Assimp perfectly.





USAGE

=====



To get started with pyAssimp, examine the sample.py script, which

illustrates the basic usage. All Assimp data structures are

wrapped using ctypes. All the data+length fields in Assimp's

data structures (such as 'aiMesh::mNumVertices','aiMesh::mVertices')

are replaced by simple python lists, so you can call len() on

them to get their respective size and access members using

[].



For example, to load a file named 'hello.3ds' and print the first

vertex of the first mesh, you would do (proper error handling

substituted by assertions ...):



> from pyassimp import pyassimp, errors

> 

> try:

> 	scene = pyassimp.load('hello.3ds')

> except AssimpError, msg:

>     print(msg)

>     return



> assert len(scene.meshes)

> mesh = scene.meshes[0]



> assert len(mesh.vertices)

> print(mesh.vertices[0])



> # don't forget this one, or you will leak!

> pyassimp.release(scene)





INSTALL

=======



PyAssimp requires a assimp dynamic library (DLL on windows,

so on linux :-) in order to work. The default search directories 

are:



- the current directory

- on linux additionally: /usr/local/lib



To build that library, refer to the Assimp master INSTALL

instructions. To look in more places, edit ./pyassimp/helper.py.

There's an 'additional_dirs' list waiting for your entries.