sQuery (short for SceneQuery) is a Python library that provides an easy interface for making scene queries and modifications in 3D Animation Applications. It is inspired by the popular Javascript Web Development Library jQuery. Currently Houdini version is in development, Maya support is planned.

• Provide intuitive and easy-to-use commands to make scene queries and modifications in 3d Applications.
• Help artists with minimal programming knowledge to perform rather complex operations.
• Help programmers to perform repetitive tasks easier.
• Create a platform that can provide a unified interface for similar operations across different applications.

• Warning:This is a work in progress and current API might break. Use only for testing purposes. Currently only Houdini version has useful functionality implemented. Maya version is implemented but functionality is lacking.

• Launch the Houdini Shell, from the root folder of the sQuery library, import sQuery/sQuery.py

from sQuery import sQuery

• initialize an sQuery object. It would be initialized for the "obj" context by default.

sq = sQuery.sQuery()

• if you wanted to initialize for a different context, like shop. you could do:

sq = sQuery.sQuery("shop")
# or you can pass a houdini object
sq = sQuery.sQuery(hou.node("/shop"))

• Using sQuery, you will be using selector commands alongside with selection methods to perform and refine searches. (Each call to the sQuery object returns an sQuery object that contains the result of performed operations):

sq.children() # gets all the children nodes in the current context.
sq.children("obj1") # gets all the children nodes in the current context with name obj1 (would be only one, since names are unique)
sq.children("*obj*") # gets all the children nodes with name that matches the given pattern in the brackets.
sq.children("t#geo") # gets all the children nodes with the 'type' geo.
sq.children("t#*light*") # gets all the children nodes with the type that matches the given pattern.
sq.children("[scale]") # gets all the children nodes with the attribute 'scale'.
sq.children("[scale=1]") # gets all the children nodes with the attribute scale equal to 1.
sq.children("[shop_materialpath~=constant]") # gets all the children nodes with the attribute shop_materialpath containing the word constant.
sq.children("[shop_materialpath$=constant]") # gets all the children nodes with the attribute shop_materialpath ends with the word constant.
sq.children("[shop_materialpath^=constant]") # gets all the children nodes with the attribute shop_materialpath starts with the word constant.
sq.children("[shop_materialpath!=constant]") # gets all the children nodes with the attribute shop_materialpath doesn't contain the word constant

# you can also do multiple selections by leaving a space in between selectors

sq.children("t#geo t#*light*") 
#get all children that are of type geo or those with type matching to *light*

• Here is an example to a more complex operation you can perform using various methods of the API.

sq.children("*geo*").remove("*HOUSE*).filter("t#instanc*").children("t#alembic").replaceAttrValue("file_path", "v002", "v003")
.setUserData("is_altered", "true").addToBundle("alembics_inside_instances").next("t#switch").createNodeAfter("delete", {"group":"*_arms_"}).toggle("affectnumber").setSelected(True)
"""
selects all the children in obj context with name that matches to the *geo* pattern, from that selection removes those that have the word *HOUSE* in it, from that selection filters those whose type matches to the *instanc* pattern, 
chooses the alembic type children of the result, replaces the v002 attribute on the alembic nodes file_path parameter with v003, creates a user data on them called "is_altered" with the value "true" and adds those alembics to the bundle "alembics_inside_instances" and selects the next node if it is of type switch and creates a delete node after them with the 'group' parameter set to '*_arms_*', toggles the affect number parameter on this delete nodes (meaning if it is on, makes it off or vice versa) and then selects this 'delete' node that was created.
"""

The full API is not yet documented but here are some of the commands that are currently available.

These are some of the selectors that you can use inside selection methods.

• "foo" : selects by name where it is "foo"
• "*foo*" : selects by name where it matches to the pattern *foo*
• "t#foo" : selects by type name where it is "foo"
• "t#*foo*" : selects by type name where it matches to the pattern "*foo*"
• "[foo]" : selects by attribute name where attribute "foo" exists
• "[foo=bar]" : selects by attribute name where attribute "foo" is equal to "bar"
• "[foo!=bar]" : selects by attribute name where attribute "foo" is not equal to "bar"
• "[foo~=bar]" : selects by attribute name where attribute "foo" has the word "bar" in it
• "[foo^=bar]" : selects by attribute name where attribute "foo" starts with the word "bar"
• "[foo$=bar]" : selects by attribute name where attribute "foo" ends with the word "bar"

These are the methods that you can use to perform various operations optionally using the selectors above as arguments

• addBack
• remove
• children
• find
• filter
• prev
• next
• parent
• siblings
• hasChildren
• hasSubChildren

• selection
• bundle

• setAttr
• replaceAttrValue
• toggle

• allowEditingOfContents
• cook
• coolapseIntoSubnet
• destroy
• destroyUserData
• matchCurrentDefinition
• move
• setColor
• setDisplayFlag
• setLayout
• setName
• setPosition
• setRenderFlag
• setSelected
• setUserData

• addToBundle
• removeFromBundle
• createNodeInside
• createNodeAfter
• createNodeBefore

• get
• each

• seems like [attr!=value] is not working as expected
• Setting expressions using setAttr is problematic
• setAttr is not tested on locked, keyframed, etc... attributes.

• Uses eyevex takes library by Dan Schneider (http://dansportfolio.com/)