mocha® v5.2.

0 Python
Scripting Guide

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................ 2
Installation ................................................................................................................. 2
Running mocha Python ............................................................................................. 3
Python Script Editor .................................................................................................. 3
The Editor Window ............................................................................................ 3
The Output Window ........................................................................................... 3
The Main mocha Python Structure ........................................................................... 4
Top level mocha methods ................................................................................. 4
The mocha.project Module ................................................................................ 4
The mocha.exporters Module ............................................................................ 5
The mocha.tools Module .................................................................................... 6
The mocha.mediaio Module ............................................................................... 6
The mocha.ui Module ........................................................................................ 7
Qt Script Requirements ............................................................................................. 7
QCoreApplication ............................................................................................... 7
Creating a New Project ............................................................................................. 7
Modifying project properties ............................................................................... 8
Creating a Stereo Project .................................................................................. 9
Layers and Groups ................................................................................................. 10
Shape Contours ............................................................................................... 12
Obtaining the Current Clip ............................................................................... 15
Rendering ................................................................................................................ 16
Rendering Removes, Inserts and Stabilization ................................................ 16
Rendering Matte Shapes ................................................................................. 18
Watching Renders ............................................................................................ 19
The Parameter API ................................................................................................. 20
Controlling and Catching UI actions ....................................................................... 21
Using init.py and Initialization Functions ................................................................. 22
The init.py path ................................................................................................ 22
Using init.py ..................................................................................................... 23
Creating Interfaces .................................................................................................. 24

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Creating Tools ......................................................................................................... 25

Defining the Tool .............................................................................................. 25
Example Tool: Spot Cleaner ............................................................................ 27
Custom Exporters .................................................................................................... 28
Creating a Custom Tracking Data Export ........................................................ 28
Customising Existing Exporters ....................................................................... 31
Adjusting mocha Preferences using mocha.Settings .............................................. 32
Rendering on the Command Line ........................................................................... 34
Example mocharender.py usage ..................................................................... 36
Exporting data on the Command Line .................................................................... 37
Example mochaexport.py usage ...................................................................... 39
Updating the GUI .................................................................................................... 40
Further Reference ................................................................................................... 40

Introduction
Welcome to the mocha Pro v5.2.0 Python scripting guide.

This User Guide will take you through some of the python functions for mocha Pro
v5.2.0. Additionally you can check the mocha Python reference available online.

The guide assumes you already have a basic understanding of Python coding. For
guides on how to learn Python, please refer to https://python.org.

Installation
Python for mocha installs with the Linux and OS X packages by default. On Windows,
Python installs as a separate bundle in the mocha Pro installer. When installing, you
need to make sure to select all features - not just the top level feature.

The mocha Python command tools are available per system in the
following default locations:

• OS X: /Applications/mocha Pro.app/Contents/MacOS/python

• Windows: C:\Program Files\mocha Pro V5\python\python.exe

• Linux: /opt/isl/mochaV5/python/bin/python

The mocha package uses Python version 2.7.6. For version use and compatibility
please read the standard Python 2.7.6 documentation: https://docs.python.org/2/

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You can also install the mocha module directly to your own Python installation.

1. Navigate to the mocha Python installation, for example: C:\Program Files\mocha

Pro V5\python\
2. Run setup.py install in the directory with your own version of Python, for example:
C:\Python27\python.exe setup.py install

Now when you run your version of Python you should be able to import the mocha
module.

Importing the mocha module into a separate Python installation

from mocha.project import *

Running mocha Python

To run a mocha script with the mocha Python version, call it directly with the script,
like so:

• OS X: /Applications/mocha Pro.app/Contents/MacOS/python myMochaScript.py

• Windows: C:\Program Files\mocha Pro V5\python\python.exe myMochaScript.py
• Linux: /opt/isl/mochaV5/python/bin/python myMochaScript.py

Python Script Editor

We now have an inbuilt Python script editor to code and run scripts directly in the mocha
program. If it is not already open, you can load the Python Script Editor via the View
menu.

The script editor is intentionally barebones and is not meant to replace a fully featured
IDE, but will color your syntax for easier readability.

The Editor Window

The main edit window lets you type or load scripts into mocha and then run them. You
can also save a current script.

The Output Window

The output window will print all script output as well as any errors that may come up.
Additional errors are also written to the mocha log file.

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The Main mocha Python Structure

The Python API for mocha is broken up into a series of modules.

Top level mocha methods

For the mocha package itself, there are two main functions for locating and running
the mocha application.

These are especially useful for when you are running external scripts.

mocha package methods

# Return the absolute path of the mocha bin directory.

mocha.get_mocha_exec_dir()

#Run mocha application with given command-line arguments

mocha.run_mocha(app='mochapro', footage_path='/tmp/myfootagepath.png', '--
frame-rate 24 --in 0 --out 100')

# override settings for offscreen buffers using mocha.Settings

overridden_settings = mocha.Settings(override=True, read_overridden=True)
overridden_settings.disable_offscreen_buffers = not
overridden_settings.disable_offscreen_buffers

mocha.run_mocha() is essentially the same command as running mocha from the

command line. See the "Command Line" section of the mocha Pro User Guide for more
information on keyword arguments when loading mocha.

mocha.Settings is an extensive way to change preferences with or without directly

writing them to disk. See the "Adjusting mocha Preferences using mocha.Settings"
section for a deeper example.

The mocha.project Module

The core module you will be using to script python commands for mocha will be the
mocha.project module, which is broken into a number of Classes.

The mocha.project class structure

mocha.project
• Global functions: For getting project-level information such as the current
project

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• BezierContour: Provides access to Bezier contours and their control points

• BezierControlPoint: Provides access to Bezier contour control points.

• BezierControlPointData: Provides access to individual parameters for each

Bezier contour control point

• Clip: Provides clip manipulation options.

• ColorParameters: For colorspace adjustments

• Layer: For top-level layer control and information

• LayerGroup: For Layer Group control and information

• Parameter: Parameter access for data objects in the project

• ParameterSet: Access to a set of Parameters for a data object

• ProgressWatcher: Progress indication class for different complex operations

which might take a long time (e.g. rendering, exporting, etc.)

• Project: Main project class. Provides methods and properties for general project
management of layers, groups, rendering and output directories

• RenderOperation: Base class for rendering operations

• RenderInsertOperation: Class for all Insert render operations

• RenderRemoveOperation: Class for all Remove render operations

• RenderStabilizeOperation: Class for all Stabilize render operations

• StreamInfo: Class for accessing stream information in a clip

• UndoGroup: Class for setting undoable actions

• View: Defines views for clips

• ViewInfo: Class representing common view information (name, abbreviation,

color).

• XControlPoint: Provides access to X-Spline contour control points.

• XControlPointData: Provides access to individual parameters for each X-Spline

contour control point.

• XSplineContour: Provides access to X-Spline contours and their control points.

The mocha.exporters Module

If you want to modify or create your own exporters, you need to use the
mocha.exporters module.

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The mocha.exporters class structure

mocha.exporters
• AbstractCameraSolveExporter: Abstract camera solve exporter class.
Inherit the class to create your own exporter formats. Inherited by
CameraSolveExporter.
• AbstractShapeDataExporter: Abstract class for the Shape Data exporter.
Inherit the class to create your own custom formats. Inherited by
ShapeDataExporter.
• AbstractTrackingDataExporter: Abstract tracking data exporter class.
Inherit the class to create your own exporter formats. Inherited by
TrackingDataExporter.
• CameraSolveExporter: Camera data exporter class. Wraps a predefined/
custom mocha exporter inside.
• ShapeDataExporter: Class for defining the shape data to export
• ShapeExportData: Shape data exporter class. Wraps a predefined/custom
mocha exporter inside.
• TrackingDataExporter: Tracking data exporter class. Wraps a predefined/
custom mocha exporter inside.

The mocha.tools Module

If you want to create your own tools in the interface, you can use the mocha.tools
module.

The mocha.tools class structure

mocha.tools
• Global functions: Functions for registering and setting tool instances.
• AbstractTool: Abstract tool class that provides overridable methods to
determine custom tools. Every overridable method must be implemented.
• InputEvent: Event handling for mouse interaction and contour data.

The mocha.mediaio Module

If you want to create your own custom formats for reading and writing, you can use the
mocha.mediaio module.

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The mocha.mediaio class structure

mocha.mediaio
• AbstractImageIOModule: Abstract image IO class that provides overridable
methods to determine custom image input and output operations. Every
overridable method must be implemented. The methods should not call each
other.
• ImageData: Main class for access to image data fields.

The mocha.ui Module

This module is useful for getting values for specific items in the ui or wrapping handlers
around actions. Many of these are convenience methods for quickly locating widgets
instead of navigating through PySide.

Qt Script Requirements
Some aspects of mocha Python code will require the creation of Qt Objects to handle
certain functionality.

QCoreApplication
A QCoreApplication object must always be created before creating a Project object.

If you don’t create the QCoreApplication Object, then the internal parameter
notification system does not work and you may get unexpected results or errors when
dealing with parameter changes.

Assigning a QCoreApplication() object

app = QCoreApplication(sys.argv)

Creating a New Project

You can generate a new project from python with or without an available clip.

To do this, you first need to import the Clip and Project classes from mocha.project:

Importing mocha.project Classes

from mocha.project import Project, Clip

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You must also define a QCoreApplication object to connect to the mocha

MediaIOServer. This allows you to read in QuickTime-associated media.

Assigning a QCoreApplication() object

app = QCoreApplication(sys.argv)

You then create a new Clip object and assign it to a new Project object:

Creating Clip and Project objects

clip = Clip('/path/myfile.exr', 'NewClip') # The Clip name is optional

proj = Project(clip)

At this point the project is now in memory. You can delete the original Clip object as
the project contains a deep copy - the original clip is not part of the project.
To save the project, use the save_as() function and define a mocha project file and
path.

Saving to a new project file

proj.save_as('/path/to/filename.mocha')

At any point if you want to save the project again, you can use:

Saving the existing project file

proj.save()

This will save to the project file you defined with save_as().

Modifying project properties

You can query and set different project properties:

Accessing or modifying project properties

#Print the path of the project file

print proj.project_file

#Set the frame rate of the project

proj.frame_rate = 48

#Add text to the 'Project Notes' panel

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proj.notes = 'New Project'

#Set the project output directory

proj.set_output_dir('/tmp/')

#Get the dictionary of clips inside the project.

clip_list = proj.clips

#Get the list of layers inside the project

layer_list = proj.layers

Creating a Stereo Project

You can define stereo projects by mapping views to that project.

The views property is an array of ViewInfo objects.

You can define 3 parameters in the ViewInfo

• The name of the view

• The abbreviated name of the view. This is used for the view buttons as well as for
some rendering suffixes
• The color of the view, defined as a tuple for values RGB

Each ViewInfo entry corresponds to a View index, so:

import ViewInfo, View

proj.views = [ViewInfo('left', 'L', (0.1, 0.4, 0.9)),

ViewInfo('right', 'R', (0.1, 0.0, 0.7))]

The above code would map views as follows:

• View(0): Left
• View(1): Right

You can also define the default_hero_view property:

proj.default_hero_view = 0

To add new streams to existing clips so you can map them to views, use the
add_stream method.

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The add_stream method requires the following parameters:

• The path to the footage

• The View() you want to map it to
• The start frame
• The end frame
• Whether you want to validate if the file is valid footage.

myClip = Clip('/path/myfile_L.mov', 'NewClip')

myClip.add_stream('/path/myfile_R.mov', View(1), 7, 154, True)

You can assign a clip stream to a different project view:

myClip.assign_project_view(View(0), View(1))

And you can also delete streams:

myClip.delete_stream(View(1))

Layers and Groups

The mocha module can find and modify layers and groups in a project file, or create
new ones. To work with Layers and point data, you will need some additional imports:

Importing layer and point classes

from mocha.project import Project, Clip, Layer, LayerGroup,

XSplineContour, XControlPoint, XControlPointData, BezierContour,
BezierControlPoint, BezierControlPointData

You can then begin to check layer content in projects

Listing layers

#Create a Project obj with an existing mocha file

proj = Project('myFile.mocha')

#Get the list of layers inside the project

layer_list = proj.layers

#Print the name of the layer

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print layer_list[0].name

You can also search for particular layers or groups:

Searching for Layers or Groups

group = proj.find_groups('Group 1')

layer = proj.find_layers('Layer 1')

Change their order:

Changing layer order

#Get the currently open Project

proj = get_current_project()

#Get the list of layers inside the project

layer_list = proj.layers

#Reorder a layer in the list to position 2 in the stack

layer_list[0].z_order = 2

Or control their tracking:

Tracking layers

#Get the currently open Project

proj = get_current_project()

#Track any layer in the project that has a process cog turned on
proj.track_layers()

#Track layers in the project for a specific frame range (all parameters
are optional)
proj.track_layers(start_index=5, stop_index=45)

#Track backwards by having a high start index and a low stop index
proj.track_layers(start_index=100, stop_index=1)

To create a new layer, you must assign it to a particular input clip, just as though you
were drawing a layer on a clip inside mocha. You can define 4 main properties when
creating a layer:

• The input clip you are adding the layer to

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• The name of the layer

• The frame number you want to assign the drawing keyframe to (similar to when
you draw on a particular frame inside mocha, this generates the first keyframe for
that layer)
• The view you want to assign it to, starting from zero. At present you can only assign
0 or 1 (for stereo).

You only need to assign the first property (the input clip you want to assign to the layer)

Creating a layer

new_layer = proj.add_layer(proj.clips['My input clip'], name='New Layer',

frame_number=0, view=0)

At this point the layer is empty, so you need to add a shape contour. This is where it
starts to get interesting!

Shape Contours
Adding contours to a layer involves setting up the content to draw the layer. You can
add a contour to a layer, but first it needs point data. Each point in a contour has a
number of important parameters that need to be set.

Bezier Point Data and Contours

To create point data for a Bezier shape you use BezierControlPointData with the
following arguments:

• corner: Boolean to set if the Bezier is a corner or smooth type

• active: Boolean to set if the point is active
• x: The x coordinate of the point (float)
• y: The y coordinate of the point (float)
• edge_width: The distance of the outer edge from the inner edge to determine
feather/falloff (float or None)
• edge_angle_ratio: The angle of the out edge point from the inner edge point (float
or None)
• curve_angle: The tangent angle defining the curve (float or None)
• handle_offset_backward: The back offset point of the tangent (tuple or None)
• handle_offset_forward: The forward offset point of the tangent (tuple or None)

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Creating bezier point data

bezier_point = BezierControlPointData(corner=False,
active=True,
x=600.0, y=500.0,
edge_width=0.0,
edge_angle_ratio=0.0,
curve_angle=0.0,
handle_offset_backward=None,
handle_offset_forward=None)

Of course, one point is not enough for a shape, so you need to set
a tuple of BezierControlPointData objects to define a final contour, using
add_bezier_Contour(). This takes two arguments, the frame you want to start on,
and a tuple of point data.

Example of creating a contour from Bezier point data.

points = [[546, 234], [806, 377], [546, 520], [286, 377]]

b_point_data = []

for x,y in points:

b_point = BezierControlPointData(corner=False,
active=True,
x=float(x),
y=float(y),
edge_width=0.0,
edge_angle_ratio=0.0,
relative_angle=0.0,
curve_angle=0.0,
handle_offset_backward=None,
handle_offset_forward=None)
b_point_data.append(b_point)

b_contour = new_layer.add_bezier_contour(0.0, tuple(b_point_data))

X-Spline Point Data and Contours

To create point data for an X-Spline shape you use XControlPointData() with the
following arguments:

• corner: Boolean to set if the X-Spline is a corner or smooth type

• active: Boolean to set if the point is active
• x: The x coordinate of the point (float or None)

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• y: The y coordinate of the point (float or None)

• edge_width: The distance of the outer edge from the inner edge to determine
feather/falloff (float or None)
• edge_angle_ratio: The angle of the out edge point from the inner edge point (float
or None)
• weight: The length of the handle that forms the curve weight of the X-spline point
(float or None)

Creating x-spline point data

xspline_point = XControlPointData(corner=False,
active=True,
x=600.0,
y=500.0,
edge_width=0.0,
edge_angle_ratio=0.5,
weight=0.25)

Of course, one point is not enough for a shape, so you need to set a tuple of
XControlPointData objects to define a final contour, using add_xpline_Contour().
This takes two arguments, the frame you want to start on, and a tuple of point data.

Example of creating a contour from X-Spline point data

points = [[546, 234], [806, 377], [546, 520], [286, 377]]

x_point_data = []

for x,y in points:

x_point = XControlPointData(corner=False,
active=True,
x=float(x),
y=float(y),
edge_width=0.0,
edge_angle_ratio=0.5,
weight=0.25)
x_point_data.append(x_point)

x_contour = new_layer.add_xspline_contour(0.0, tuple(x_point_data))

Inserting Points
You can also insert points into existing shapes using the insert_point()
function. To do this you just create point data as normal above. You need

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to insert an XControlPointData point into a X-Spline contour, and of course a

BezierControlPointData into a Bezier contour.

The insert_point() function has three arguments:

• time: The keyframe you want to insert the point on

• data: The point data for the inserting point
• index: Where in the point order you want to place the new point

Example of inserting a point into an x-spline contour

layer_contour = proj.layers[0].contours[0]
x_point = XControlPointData(corner=False,
active=True,
x=400.0,
y=300.0,
edge_width=0.0,
edge_angle_ratio=0.5,
weight=0.25)
end_idx = len(layer_contour.control_points)
layer_contour.insert_point(0.0, x_point, end_idx)

Obtaining the Current Clip

One very important part of creating or modifying layers can be knowing the right input
clip to apply it to. We have a couple of convenient functions to help with this:

Examples of obtaining the current clip

from mocha.project import get_current_project

#Get the clip you created the project with
name = get_current_project().default_trackable_clip.name
print 'Default trackable clip name is', name

from mocha.ui import get_displayed_clip

#Get the clip currently showing on canvas
name = get_displayed_clip().name
print 'Currently displayed clip on canvas is', name

You can also set these clips using the appropriate setter:

Example of setting the currently viewed clip

from mocha.project import get_current_project

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from mocha.ui import set_displayed_clip

default_clip = get_current_project().default_trackable_clip

#Set the clip currently showing on canvas to the default clip

set_displayed_clip(default_clip)

Rendering
Rendering Removes, Inserts and Stabilization
In addition to creating shapes, we can also render from each module. In the examples
below we show Remove, but the same operations are available for Insert and Stabilize.

The key render operation classes are:

• RenderInsertOperation
• RenderRemoveOperation
• RenderStabilizeOperation

To handle removes and exports, you need to have the following mocha classes loaded:

Imported classes for Remove renders

from mocha.project import Project, Clip, View, Layer,

RenderRemoveOperation

Rendering removes comes in three parts:

1. Defining a RenderRemoveOperation()
2. Calling the render() function
3. Exporting the remove with the export() function

The render() function has the following arguments:

• render_operation (RenderOperation): An instance of a render operation.

• start_index (int): The starting frame number.
• stop_index (int): The end frame number.
• layers (list of Layer instances.): The list of layers to render.
• views (list of View instances):The list of views to render.

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Exporting a rendered Remove, Insert or Stabilization

The export() function for a render operation object has the following arguments:

• revert_to_clip (Clip): The clip to revert to if a rendered frame does not exist
• directory (str): The output clip directory.
• extension (str): The file extension (.TIF, .DPX,etc.)
• prefix (str): Any prefix you want at the start of the file name
• suffix (str): Any suffix you want at the end of the file name
• index_start (int): The start frame to export
• index_stop (int): The end frame to export
• index_width (int): The index width of your rendered frames
• views (list of View instances): Views to export.

Example of rendering a remove and exporting it

#Assign a project
proj = Project('/path/to/project.mocha')

#Assign a clip
clip = proj.clips['source_clip']

#define the view

view = clip.views[0]

#define the layer you want to use in the project for the remove
layer = proj.find_layers('REMOVE LAYER')[0]

#define the remove operation

rm = RenderRemoveOperation()

#render the remove, which returns a clip object

remove_clip = proj.render(rm, 1, 15, [layer])

#Define arguments to assign to the clip export, including a render output

dir
args = OrderedDict((('revert_to_clip', None),
('directory', render_output_dir),
('ext', '.png'),
('prefix', 'Remove'),
('suffix', ''),
('start', 1),
('stop', 7),

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('index_width', 0)))

#export the clip

remove_clip.export(*args.values())

Rendering and exporting may require write permissions to write to

the Cache directory.

Rendering Matte Shapes

Exporting rendered mattes is a little simpler than rendering clips.

To handle shape exports, you require the following mocha classes loaded:

Imported classes for Matte Renders

from mocha.project import Project, Clip, View, Layer, ColorizeOutput

The export_rendered_shapes() function has the following arguments:

• layers (list of Layer instances): Layers which will be exported.

• clip (Clip): Clip instance for those layers.
• colorize_output (ColorizeOutput): Colorize output option.
• directory (str): Output directory for rendered clip.
• extension (str): File extension for rendered clip.
• prefix (str): Any prefix you want at the start of the file name
• suffix (str): Any suffix you want at the end of the file name
• index_start (int): The start frame to export
• index_finish (int): The end frame to export
• index_width (int): Digits count in clip index.
• views (list of View): Views to export.

Example of Exporting Rendered Mattes

clip = proj.clips['source_clip']
layer = proj.find_layers('Layer 1')[0]
new_clip = proj.export_rendered_shapes([layer],
clip,
ColorizeOutput.Grayscale,
render_output_dir,
'.png',

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'Matte',
'',
1,
3,
0)

Exporting may require write permissions to write to the Cache

directory.

Watching Renders
You can also create watchers for the rendering so that you can trigger events or just
keep an eye on progress.

The watcher example below connects to a render process and outputs the render and
export progress to the command line.

Example of using the watcher function to output progress of a render and an

export

from PySide.QtCore import QCoreApplication

import sys
from mocha.project import *

app = QCoreApplication(sys.argv)
proj = Project('/_clips/Results/Fish_remove.mocha')
rm = RenderRemoveOperation()
layer = proj.find_layers('REMOVE FISHY')[0]

def on_start_rendering():
sys.stdout.write('Rendering started.\nProgress:\n')
sys.stdout.write('[ %s ]' % (' ' * 100,))

def on_start_exporting():
print 'Exporting started'

def on_progress(progress):
sys.stdout.write('\r')
sys.stdout.write('[ %s%s ]' % ('#' * progress, ' ' * (100 -
progress)))

def on_message(message):
print message

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def on_finish():
print '\n'
print 'Rendering is finished'

#Watch the remove and show a progress bar

watcher = rm.progress_watcher
watcher.started.connect(on_start_rendering)
watcher.progress_status.connect(on_progress)
watcher.finished.connect(on_finish)

#Render the remove from frames 0-10

clip = proj.render(rm, 0, 10, [layer])

print 'Exporting!'

# Watch the exporter and print the saved files

watcher = clip.progress_watcher
watcher.started.connect(on_start_exporting)
watcher.progress_message.connect(on_message)
watcher.finished.connect(on_finish)

#Export the clip to a png sequence

clip.export(None,
'/tmp/exported',
'.png',
'prefix_',
'_suffix',
0,
10,
0)

The Parameter API

One of the most powerful aspects of the mocha Python API is the ability to access all
project and layer parameters via the parameter function.

Example of using the parameter API to get the surface X/Y coordinates of Layer_1

from mocha.project import Project, get_current_project

app = QApplication.instance()

proj = get_current_project()
name = 'Layer_1'

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scorners = []

for idx in range(0,4):

sX = proj.parameter([name, u'Surface'+str(idx)+u'X']).get()
sY = proj.parameter([name, u'Surface'+str(idx)+u'Y']).get()
scorners.append(sX)
scorners.append(sY)

print scorners

The parameter system opens up a large range of options for users wishing to write
tools to modify or create layers with different properties.

In the example code above, once we have the layer’s surface coordinates we can then
use those positions for various tasks, such as drawing splines that fit the surface, or
adjust another layer’s surface to match the current one.

Controlling and Catching UI actions

The mocha API includes a UI module that allows you to capture menu items and widgets
and their associated actions. This is very useful for inserting your own functions before
or after an action performed in the GUI, or even entirely replacing them.

Example of using the mocha.ui ActionTiggerHandler to insert code before and

after a save action

from PySide.QtGui import QMessageBox

from mocha.project import get_current_project

from mocha.ui import get_menus, ActionTriggerHandler
import getpass
import time

menu_file = get_menus()['MenuFile']

saveAction = filter(lambda a: a.objectName() == 'FileSave',

menu_file.actions())[0]

save_action_handler = ActionTriggerHandler(saveAction)

def my_handler(save_func):
reply = QMessageBox.question(None, 'Message',

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'Are you sure to save the project?',
QMessageBox.Yes | QMessageBox.No,
QMessageBox.No)
if reply == QMessageBox.No:
return
save_func()

print 'Reporting to the NSA that '{user}' has saved

{file} ...'.format(user=getpass.getuser(),

file=get_current_project().project_file)
time.sleep(1)
print 'Done'

save_action_handler.handler = my_handler

Using init.py and Initialization Functions

We generate a blank init.py script on the first run of mocha for you to add functionality
on startup.

This can be as simple as actions you want to perform when you start mocha, but the
real power comes from being able to set up tools in the interface using widgets.

The init.py path

The default init.py path is the Imaginer Systems Scripts directory.

The mocha init.py script is generated per system in the following

default locations:

• OS X: ~/Library/Application Support/Imagineer Systems Ltd/Scripts/init.py

• Windows: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Imagineer Systems Ltd\Scripts
\init.py
• Linux: ~/.config/Imagineer Systems Ltd/Scripts/init.py

You can also set the environment variable MOCHA_INIT_SCRIPT to control where the
path of the init.py initialization script resides.

If the MOCHA_INIT_SCRIPT environment variable points to a file, that file will be used,
if it points to a directory, it will look specifically for init.py in that directory. If unset, the
default locations above will be used.

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Using init.py
Below we show a detailed example of using init.py for creating a user-entry tool to
prepend a word onto the front of all selected layers.

We also list code at the end to show how to add this to the file menu in mocha and
load a dialog for user entry.

Some knowledge of PySide and Qt is helpful here, but if you follow along the script you
can see how the widgets are created.

Example of using the init.py script

from mocha.project import Project, get_current_project

from collections import OrderedDict

from PySide.QtGui import *

from mocha.project import get_current_project
from mocha.ui import get_widgets

class LayerPrepend():

def __init__(self):

self.app = QApplication.instance()
self.layer_tree = self.get_layer_tree()
self.layer_prepend()

def get_layer_tree(self):
widgets = get_widgets()
return widgets['LayerControl']

def layer_prepend(self):

selected_layers = self.layer_tree.selectedIndexes()

if len(selected_layers) > 0:
dlg = QDialog()
layout = QFormLayout()
edt = QLineEdit()
layout.addRow("Prefix", edt)
btn_box = QDialogButtonBox(QDialogButtonBox.Ok |
QDialogButtonBox.Cancel)
btn_box.accepted.connect(dlg.accept)
btn_box.rejected.connect(dlg.reject)

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layout.addRow(btn_box)
dlg.setLayout(layout)
if dlg.exec_() == QDialog.Accepted:
self.prepend_selected_layers(edt.text())
self.layer_tree.update()

def prepend_selected_layers(self, prefix):

project = get_current_project()
selected_layers = self.layer_tree.selectedIndexes()
for idx in selected_layers:
layer = project.layer(idx.row())
layer.name = prefix + layer.name

# Grab all the menu items in mocha

mocha_menus = filter(lambda wgt: isinstance(wgt, QMenu), widgets)

# Locate file menu

file_menu = filter(lambda menu: menu.objectName() == 'MenuFile',
mocha_menus)[0]

# Create menu action dictionary

actions_dict = {'Layer prepending': (file_menu, LayerPrepend)} #Add more
menu items to this list as you need them

# Add dictionary of actions to menu

for key, value in actions_dict.iteritems():
action = QAction(key, value[0])
action.triggered.connect(value[1])
value[0].addAction(action)

If you need to check Python error output after loading an init.py script, load the error
log from the Help menu, or load mocha via the terminal.

Creating Interfaces
You can create GUI inside mocha using the PySide Qt API. Showing a widget and
connecting it to an action or function is very simple:

Example of showing a combo box inside mocha

from PySide.QtGui import *

combo = QComboBox()

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combo.addItems(['Layer 1', 'Layer 2'])

def nameSelected(name):
print name

combo.activated[str].connect(nameSelected)
combo.show()

You can also create menu items, by locating the menu bar:

Example of creating a new menu inside mocha

from PySide.QtGui import *

application = QApplication.instance()
widgets = application.allWidgets()
mocha_menubar = filter(lambda wgt: isinstance(wgt, QMenuBar), widgets)[0]
scripts_menu = mocha_menubar.addMenu('Scripts')

Creating Tools
When you want to extend mocha functionality further by using interactive tools, you
need to import the mocha.tools API. These set of classes allow you to read mouse
events and position, along with registering the necessary tool icon or action in the
interface.

Defining the Tool

Tools require the tools module from mocha, along with a couple of PySide modules to
be able to create the actions and icons necessary to call the custom tool. We will also
use the find_widget function from mocha.ui to locate widgets in the interface.

Importing the modules for creating a tool

from mocha.tools import *

from mocha.ui import find_widget
from PySide.QtCore import *
from PySide.QtGui import *

When defining your tool class, it needs to inherit the AbstractTool class from
mocha.tools to initialize correctly.

Setting up a new tool class

class PointHunt(AbstractTool):

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def __init__(self, project):
action = QAction(None)
action.setText('Point Hunter Tool')
action.setIcon(QIcon('/myicons/pointhunt.png'))
AbstractTool.__init__(self, action)
action.setParent(self)
tools_bar = find_widget('ToolsBar', QToolBar)
tools_bar.addAction(action)

Adding an icon using the setIcon function command from PySide.QtGui will still define
the icon on the the toolbar if your icon file path does not exist.

Once the init class is defined, you can then monitor interaction with the tool using
activation and mouse event functions.

Setting up a new tool class

def on_mouse_press(self, event):

print 'Mouse pressed!'

def on_mouse_move(self, event):

#grab the mouse position on the canvas
cur_pos = event.pos_on_canvas
print cur_pos.x(), cur_pos.y()

def on_mouse_release(self, event):

sprint 'Mouse released!'

def on_activate(self):
print 'TOOL ACTIVATED'

def on_deactivate(self):
print 'TOOL DEACTIVATED'

The on_activate function is useful for initializing items you only want to occur when
the tool has been launched from the toolbar or menu item. A good example of this is
to grab the current project on when the tool has become active.

on_activate example

def on_activate(self):
self.proj = get_current_project()

The on_deactivate function is useful for running items you only want to occur when
switching away from the tool by either selecting a different tool or another action.

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on_deactivate example

def on_deactivate(self):
release_bees()

Example Tool: Spot Cleaner

So great, you can make a tool and monitor mouse position and clicks. What can you
do with this? If you know the position of your mouse and can create point data, you
can make a lot of useful roto tools.

In the code below we have made a tool that creates a simple 4-point spline to quickly
place in a shot for spot removal.

Spot Cleaner Example tool

from mocha.tools import *

from mocha.ui import find_widget
from PySide.QtCore import *
from PySide.QtGui import *

from mocha.project import Layer, LayerGroup, XSplineContour,

XControlPoint, XControlPointData, get_current_project
class SpotCleaner(AbstractTool):
def __init__(self, project):
action = QAction(None)
action.setText('Spot Cleaner Tool')
action.setIcon(QIcon('/myicons/spotclean.png'))
AbstractTool.__init__(self, action)
action.setParent(self)
tools_bar = ui.find_widget('ToolsBar', QToolBar)
tools_bar.addAction(action)

def create_spot(self, pos):

new_layer = self.proj.add_layer(self.proj.clips[0], name='spot',

frame_number=0, view=0)
points = [[0, 0], [0, 10], [10, 0], [10, 10]]
x_point_data = []

for x, y in points:
x_point = XControlPointData(corner=False,
active=True,
x=float(x) + pos.x(),

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y=float(y) + pos.y(),
edge_width=0.0,
edge_angle_ratio=0.5,
weight=0.25)
x_point_data.append(x_point)

x_contour = new_layer.add_xspline_contour(0.0,
tuple(x_point_data))
return x_contour

def on_mouse_press(self, event):

cur_pos = event.pos_on_canvas
self.create_spot(cur_pos)

def on_mouse_move(self, event):

pass

def on_mouse_release(self, event):

pass

def on_activate(self):
self.proj = get_current_project()

register_custom_tool_type(SpotCleaner)

Custom Exporters
With the ability to dive into most aspects of the project file, it is a lot easier to now write
your own tracking, shape and camera solve exporters for your own applications.

To make this more intuitive, we have exporter classes which can register a new export
type as part of the standard exporters. In fact two of our new shape exporters, Fusion
and Silhouette, have been written entirely in Python.

Creating a Custom Tracking Data Export

The key module you need to import for creating custom exporters is the
mocha.exporters module. This contains the abstract exporter classes necessary to
create a new custom export class.

You’re also going to need the QByteArray class from PySide.QtCore to create the
final data output.

Importing the AbstractTrackingDataExporter class

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from mocha.exporters import AbstractTrackingDataExporter

from PySide.QtCore import QByteArray

As a basic example, let’s set up an exporter that will write the x,y coordinates of the
surface per frame to a CSV file. First, you need to create a new exporter class that
inherits from the AbstractTrackingDataExporter class. Here we initialize a super
class and load the name of the exporter.

Importing the AbstractTrackingDataExporter class

class CSVExporter(AbstractTrackingDataExporter):
'''
Implementation of the CSV Track exporter.
'''
def __init__(self):
super(CSVExporter, self).__init__('CSV File (*.csv)', '')

There are additional parameters you can set to initialize the class:

• name (unicode): Name of the exporter which will be displayed in the Export Tracking
Data dialog drop-down list. It Should contain a file mask in brackets e.g. Foo (*.bar)
• extension: Additional extension.
• number_of_data_streams: The number of result files required. If it equals to 1
(the default) then the Copy to Clipboard button will be enabled in the GUI.
• remove_lens_distortion: Whether the exporter supports removing of a lens
distortion.
• export_multiple_views: Whether the exporter supports multiple views.
• export_interlaced: Whether the exporter supports interlaced footage.

In the example above, we’re keeping it simple, so we are leaving the defaults and only
setting the export name and file extension.

The brunt of the work is handled in the do_export function for the class. This function
returns the final data that will go to file or the clipboard.

The do_export function in the final export class

from mocha.exporters import AbstractTrackingDataExporter

from PySide.QtCore import QByteArray

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class CSVExporter(AbstractTrackingDataExporter):
'''
Implementation of the CSV Track exporter.
'''

def __init__(self):
super(CSVExporter, self).__init__('CSV File (*.csv)', '') #Define
the CSV exporter
self._project = None

def error_string(self):
return ''

#Get the corner points of the surface for a given time and layer
def get_surface_parameters(self, layer, time, view):
surface_corners = []
for idx in range(0, 4):
surface_corners.extend(layer.get_surface_position(idx, time,
view))
return surface_corners

#Do the actual export

def do_export(self, project, layer, tracking_file_path, time, view,
options):
ba = QByteArray()

in_point = layer.parameter(['Basic', 'In_Point']).get() #Grab the

in point of the layer
out_point = layer.parameter(['Basic', 'Out_Point']).get() #Grab
the out point of the layer

for frame in range(in_point,out_point+1):

surface = self.get_surface_parameters(layer, frame, view)
result = ', '.join(map(lambda x: str(x), surface))+'\n'
ba.append(result.encode('utf-8'))
return {tracking_file_path if
tracking_file_path.lower().endswith('.csv') else tracking_file_path
+ '.csv': ba}

The main parameters for the do_export function are:

1. project (mocha.project.Project): The mocha project instance you’re working with.

Usually the currently open project.
2. layer: The layer you want to export the tracking data for.

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3. tracking_file_path (unicode): The absolute file path to save which has been chosen
by a user in a file dialog.
4. time (PySide.QtCore.double):The frame index.
5. view (mocha.project.View): The selected view to export.
6. options: A dictionary with keys of type QString and values of type bool. The 3
options for this are Invert, Stabilize and RemoveLensDistortion, which relate to the
3 checkboxes available in the export dialog.

Note that all of the do_export parameters will automatically be passed by the interface
unless you specifically override them.

In the example above, we define an function get_surface_parameters to handle

cycling through the position of each corner. Then do_export writes the resulting
surface [x,y] coordinates to a csv file, one line per frame.

The use of a QByteArray for the actual data is a must in order to

properly export.

Customising Existing Exporters

Another advantage of being able to create your own exporters is being able to augment
existing exporters to suit your needs.

To do this, you can grab the existing export output and modify it as you require, then
assign it to a new exporter.

Example of adding a commented header to a Nuke RotoPaint export

from mocha.exporters import AbstractShapeDataExporter

class NukeRotoPaintExtra(AbstractShapeDataExporter):
def __init__(self):
super(NukeRotoPaintExtra, self).__init__("Nuke RotoPaint [Basic]
Extra (*.nk)", "", number_of_data_streams=1,
export_multiple_shapes=True,
export_open_splines=True,
export_multiple_views=True,
export_interlaced=True)
self.nuke_exporter =
AbstractShapeDataExporter.registered_exporters()['Nuke RotoPaint [Basic]
(*.nk)']

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def error_string(self):
return ""

def do_export(self, project, layers, path, views):

result = self.nuke_exporter.do_export(project, layers, path,
views)
header = """#mocha data RotoPaint export
#Version 5.0.0
"""
for file_name, contents in result.iteritems():
result[file_name] = header + contents
return result

nuke_exporter = NukeRotoPaintExtra()
nuke_exporter.register()

Adjusting mocha Preferences using

mocha.Settings
The mocha.Settings API provides access to all mocha preferences and control over
whether you want the changes to be permanent or just overridden for the session.

This makes it much easier to set up profiles for different users, or define settings based
on particular conditions.

For a full list of available setting parameters, see the mocha Python reference.

Below is an example of using the mocha.Settings to override existing saved

preferences and then comparing them to the original on disk.

Setting and testing overridden preferences compared to saved preferences

import mocha

def settings_diff(settings1, settings2):

"""
Calculates difference between given PySide.QtCore.QSettings
(mocha.Settings) instances.

:param settings1: left operand

:type settings1: mocha.Settings
:param settings2: right operand
:type settings1: mocha.Settings

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:return: difference dict {key: (value1, value2)}
:rtype: dict
"""
diff = {}
assert settings1.group() == settings2.group()
child_keys = set(settings1.childKeys())
child_keys.update(settings2.childKeys())
for key in child_keys:
value1 = settings1.value(key)
value2 = settings2.value(key)
if value1 != value2:
diff_key_name = "{0}/{1}".format(settings1.group(), key)
diff[diff_key_name] = (value1, value2)
child_groups = set(settings1.childGroups())
child_groups.update(settings2.childGroups())
for group in child_groups:
settings1.beginGroup(group)
settings2.beginGroup(group)
diff.update(settings_diff(settings1, settings2))
settings2.endGroup()
settings1.endGroup()
return diff

# Real settings. Changes are immediately written on the disk

real_settings = mocha.Settings(override=False, read_overridden=False)

# Guard to prevent any mocha settings changes

real_settings.setValue = lambda key, value: (_ for _ in
()).throw(ValueError("U Can't Touch This"))

# Overridden settings
overridden_settings = mocha.Settings(override=True, read_overridden=True)

# These settings must be synchronized with overridden_settings for reading

values
checking_settings = mocha.Settings()

# Test that overloads have been not set yet, so the settings must be
identical
assert not(settings_diff(real_settings, overridden_settings))
assert not(settings_diff(real_settings, checking_settings))
assert not(settings_diff(overridden_settings, checking_settings))

#Toggle an override of the Full Screen setting and test it against the
saved setting
full_screen = overridden_settings.value('FullScreen')

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overridden_settings.setValue('FullScreen', not full_screen)
assert not(settings_diff(overridden_settings, checking_settings))
diff = settings_diff(overridden_settings, real_settings)
assert '/FullScreen' in diff
overridden_settings.setValue('FullScreen', full_screen)

#Toggle an override of the Disable Offscreen buffers setting and test it

against the saved setting
overridden_settings.disable_offscreen_buffers = not
overridden_settings.disable_offscreen_buffers
assert not(settings_diff(overridden_settings, checking_settings))
diff = settings_diff(overridden_settings, real_settings)
assert '/DisableFBOs' in diff
overridden_settings.disable_offscreen_buffers = not
overridden_settings.disable_offscreen_buffers
assert not(settings_diff(overridden_settings, checking_settings))

Rendering on the Command Line

Since you can use Python to call render operations and export clips, we have written
a command line renderer so you don’t have to.

Running the mocharender.py tool on OS X

'/Applications/mocha Pro.app/Contents/MacOS/python' '/Applications/mocha

Pro.app/Contents/MacOS/mocharender.py' [options]

Running the mocharender.py tool on Windows

'C:\Program Files\Imagineer Systems Ltd\mocha Pro V5\python' 'C:\Program

Files\Imagineer Systems Ltd\mocha Pro V5\python\mocharender.py' [options]

Running the mocharender.py tool on Linux

'/opt/isl/mochaproV5/python' '/opt/isl/mochaproV5/python/mocharender.py'

Below are the various options to render. After you have typed in your options and
pressed Enter, mocha will apply the render to layers with cogs turned on in the saved
project file.

In each case you can choose either the abbreviated option (such as -p
PROJECT_PATH), or the more descriptive option (--project=PROJECT_PATH):

-p PROJECT_PATH, --project=PROJECT_PATH

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Path to the mocha project. E.g. /projects/mochaprojects/Results/myproject.mocha

-g LAYER_NAMES_IN_GROUPS, --group=LAYER_NAMES_IN_GROUPS
Group of layers to render. Specify layer names after the group name to render them
only. Duplicated layers will be ignored.

-r RELINK_PATH, --relink-path=RELINK_PATH
Path to the first clip file for relinking. This option is useful if you have sent your project
file to a different machine to render and you need to relink the source footage without
opening the GUI.

-L MIN_INDEX, --lower-index=MIN_INDEX
Lower clip frame index for relinking. If you are only using a certain frame range for the
original clip.

-U MAX_INDEX, --upper-index=MAX_INDEX
Upper clip frame index for relinking. If you are only using a certain frame range for the
original clip.

-c CLIP_NAME, --clip-name=CLIP_NAME
Clip name, i.e. the name of the source clip you are using to render with.

-V VIEW_INDEX, --view=VIEW_INDEX
Clip view index. By default this is zero(0), but if you are using a multi-view clip you can
set the index here. By default Left and Right views are 0 and 1 respectively.

-D OUTPUT_DIR, --output-directory=OUTPUT_DIR
Path to the output directory for the rendered export.

-E OUTPUT_EXT, --output-extension=OUTPUT_EXT
Output clip extension. This is where you define your format, such as TIF, DPX, EXR etc.

-P OUTPUT_PREFIX, --prefix=OUTPUT_PREFIX
Output clip prefix. Such as Remove_

-S OUTPUT_SUFFIX, --suffix=OUTPUT_SUFFIX
Output clip file name suffix if you require one.

-I FRAME_IN, --frame-in=FRAME_IN
Start frame index. The in point for your render.

-O FRAME_OUT, --frame-out=FRAME_OUT

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Stop frame index. The out point for your render.

-R RENDER_TYPE, --render-type=RENDER_TYPE
Rendering operation type (remove, insert, stabilize). Note the US spelling of stabilize!

-v LOG_LEVEL, --verbosity=LOG_LEVEL
Show the render/export operation progress. -v1 is minimum, -v4 is maximum.

• --fbo=FBO*
Use offscreen buffers. Use 1 to use frame buffers, 0 to turn them off. If not set,
mocha will use the setting in Preferences.

• --offset
First file number of the exporting image sequence. If specified with no arguments,
the project offset is used.

Example mocharender.py usage

I’ve got a project with two layers (Layer 1, Layer 2).

The following command performs removing contents of Layer 2 and saves entire result
clip to the /tmp/rendered directory.

Command

$ python mocharender.py --project Markers.mocha "Layer 2" --output-

directory="/tmp/rendered" --output-extension=png --render-type=remove -v4

Output

[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:26:14,464 Loading project file: Markers.mocha

[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:26:14,749 Project loaded
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:26:14,750 Preparing for rendering
[INFO] 2015-11-05 14:26:14,752 Rendering started
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:26:14,752 Removing "Layer 2" in Frame 0
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:26:15,528 Removing "Layer 2" in Frame 1
...
[INFO] 2015-11-05 14:26:16,766 Rendering complete
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:26:16,767 Preparing for exporting
[INFO] 2015-11-05 14:26:16,769 Exporting started
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:26:16,769 Saving Clip...
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:26:16,770 Writing /tmp/rendered/0.png
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:26:16,861 Writing /tmp/rendered/1.png
...

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[INFO] 2015-11-05 14:26:17,471 Exporting complete
[INFO] 2015-11-05 14:26:17,472 Exported clip has been written to /tmp/
rendered

Exporting data on the Command Line

Since you can use Python to export tracking and shape data, we have also written a
command line exporter so you don’t have to. The mocha exporter also renders matte
clips.

Running the mochaexport.py tool on OS X

'/Applications/mocha Pro.app/Contents/MacOS/python' '/Applications/mocha

Pro.app/Contents/MacOS/mochaexport.py' [options]

Running the mochaexport.py tool on Windows

'C:\Program Files\Imagineer Systems Ltd\mocha Pro V5\python' 'C:\Program

Files\Imagineer Systems Ltd\mocha Pro V5\python\mochaexport.py' [options]

Running the mochaexport.pytool on Linux

'/opt/isl/mochaproV5/python' '/opt/isl/mochaproV5/python/
mochaexport.py' [options]

The mochaexport.py script can export layer data to different export formats. There are
4 types of export (see --export-type option):

1. shapes: Refers to options in the "Track tab → Export Shape Data…" dialog inside
the mocha GUI.

2. tracking: Refers to options in the "Track tab → Export Tracking Data…" dialog
inside the mocha GUI.

3. camera-solve: Refers to options in the "Camera Solve tab → Export Camera

Data…" dialog inside the mocha GUI.

4. rendered-shapes: Renders layer shapes to file. This is a bit different from other
exports. You don’t specify --export-type, --exporter-name and --file-path options for
rendered shapes. Required options are --output-directory --output-extension, list of
layer names.
Optional inputs are --frame-in, --frame-out, --prefix, --suffix, --index-width.

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Below are the various options to export. In each case you can choose either the
abbreviated option (such as -p PROJECT_PATH), or the more descriptive option (--
project=PROJECT_PATH):

-p PROJECT_PATH, --project=PROJECT_PATH
Path to the mocha project. E.g. /projects/mochaprojects/Results/myproject.mocha

-g LAYER_NAMES_IN_GROUPS, --group=LAYER_NAMES_IN_GROUPS
Group of layers to export. Specify layer names after the group name to export them
only. Duplicated layers will be ignored.

-e EXPORT_TYPE, --export-type=EXPORT_TYPE
The Export type. The choices are rendered-shapes, shapes, tracking, or camera-solve.

-D OUTPUT_DIR, --output-directory=OUTPUT_DIR
Path to the output directory.

-E OUTPUT_EXT, --output-extension=OUTPUT_EXT
Output clip extension. If this option is not set, it will default to a PNG file when exporting
rendered shapes.

-P OUTPUT_PREFIX, --prefix=OUTPUT_PREFIX
Output clip prefix. For use if you are exporting rendered shapes. Default is no prefix.

-S OUTPUT_SUFFIX, --suffix=OUTPUT_SUFFIX
Output clip suffix. For use if you are exporting rendered shapes. Default is no suffix.

-V VIEWS, --views=VIEWS
Names or abbreviations of views to export.

-v LOG_LEVEL, --verbosity=LOG_LEVEL
Show the export operation progress

-n EXPORTER_NAME, --exporter-name=EXPORTER_NAME
A name of an exporter. Can accept Regular Expressions as /regexp/. This is required
if you are exporting shapes, tracking or camera solves.

-f FILE_NAME, --file-path=FILE_NAME
Exporter output file name.

-t TIME, --time=TIME
Frame time.

-C COLORIZE, --colorize=COLORIZE

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Colorize output option. This is used to export the colored version of the mattes. Options
are grayscale, matte-color, or layer (for layer id gradient). The default is grayscale.

-I FRAME_IN, --frame-in=FRAME_IN
Start frame index. Default is 0.

-O FRAME_OUT, --frame-out=FRAME_OUT
Stop frame index.

-w INDEX_WIDTH, --index-width=INDEX_WIDTH
Output index width. Default is 0.

-L, --exporters-list
If set, the script will output list of all possible exporters grouped by their types.

-i, --invert
Mimes Invert checkbox of the Export Tracking Data dialog.

-R, --remove-lens-distortion
Mimes Remove lens distortion checkbox of the Export Tracking Data dialog.

-s, --stabilize
If set, stabilize data will be exported. Use it together with a tracking exporter type.

• --fbo=FBO*
Use offscreen buffers. Use 1 to use frame buffers, 0 to turn them off. If not set,
mocha will use the setting in Preferences.
• --offset
First file number of the exporting image sequence. If specified with no arguments,
the project offset is used.

Example mochaexport.py usage

This command exports Layer 1 and Layer 2 shape data from a mocha project to the
HitFilm shape format.

Command

$ python ./mochaexport.py --project Markers.mocha --export-type="shapes"

--exporter-name="/HitFilm/" --file-path=/tmp/1.hfcs "Layer 1" "Layer 2" -
v4

Output:

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[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:29:41,852 Loading project file: Markers.mocha

[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:29:42,137 Project loaded
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:29:42,138 Performing export with 'HitFilm [Transform
& Shape] (*.hfcs)' exporter...
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:29:42,165 Writing contents to '/tmp/1.hfcs'
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:29:42,165 Done

This command exports a rendered shapes clip of Layer 2:

Command

$ python .mochaexport.py --project Markers.mocha --output-directory="/tmp/

rendered" --output-extension=png "Layer 2" -v4

Output:

[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:33:40,426 Loading project file: Markers.mocha

[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:33:40,713 Project loaded
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:33:40,713 Preparing to export clip...
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:33:40,713 Performing rendered shapes export
[INFO] 2015-11-05 14:33:40,769 Exporting started
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:33:40,769 Saving Clip...
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:33:40,775 Writing /tmp/rendered/0.png
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:33:40,856 Writing /tmp/rendered/1.png
...
[INFO] 2015-11-05 14:33:41,342 Exporting complete
[DEBUG] 2015-11-05 14:33:41,358 Done

Updating the GUI

Some Python scripts may require you to update the mocha GUI frequently. Do do this,
you can use QCoreApplication.processEvents() in your code:

Using processEvents()

from PySide.QtCore import QCoreApplication

...
QCoreApplication.processEvents()

Further Reference
For complete reference of the mocha Python API, see here: http://
www.imagineersystems.com/support/documentation/python/

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