Out-tree plugins built and added but cannot be found in SofaPython3

[chz31]

Dear all,

I'm trying to learn install out-tree plugin and use with SofaPython 3 in Windows 11. My goal is to install the Shell plugin to see if I can use Shell-Elastic_FEM to more efficiently simulate placement and bending of a thin metal plate for fixing orbital fracture.

I tried to follow the instructions of STLIB to build it by setting up CMAKE entries as:

CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH` = `SOFA_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY
PLUGIN_SOFAPYTHON` = ON
SOFA_BUILD_METIS` = ON

I then build it using Release in VS 2022.

Following the same instruction, I also build Shell plugin. Both should be successful as I could add them using the Plugin Manager:

However, when I tried to import them in python by following the examples:

import stlib #for importing STLIB plugin

rootNode.addObject('RequiredPlugin', name="Shell") #for load Shell_Elastic_FEM (https://github.com/SofaDefrost/Shell/blob/main/examples/sofapython3/TriangularBendingFEMForceField.py)

The first line could not find the module stlib, the second line could not find Shell plugin.

Can someone give me some suggestions! Thanks!

Chi

[bakpaul]

Hi !

For stlib it might be due to two things :

1. the module name is not stlib but stlib3
2. the folder containing the stlib3 module is not known by your python interpreter. Make sure to update your PYTHONPATH variable by adding the folder containing stlib to be able to import it (see this documentation on how to setup such variable for SofaPython3, it should be close for STLIB).

About the Shell plugin, if you want SOFA to be able to load it using RequiredPlugin, the plugin library needs to be installed in the same directory as the SOFA installation. Meaning, that you need to have the Shell dll file in C:/User/chi.zhang/SOFA/v24.06.00/bin and the lib file in C:/User/chi.zhang/SOFA/v24.06.00/lib. Or you can set the CMAKE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY of the out-of-tree project to C:/User/chi.zhang/SOFA/v24.06.00/ and after calling make install on the out-of-tree project, the library files will be automatically copied. See the documentation here

[chz31]

Thanks for the response and help! I've added the path of the STLIB build/lib/python3/site-packages to Python_PATH, and I can import stlib3 in Python now!

For Shell plugin, I tried both approaches. Out-tree build did automatically add the module (I just started using cmake, so I right click "INSTALL" under Solution Explorer, then "build". It appears to be equivalent to make install, and looks like it did the work). In a second attempt, I also manually put the dll and lib files into bin and lib of SOFA binary (

However, both still showed the same module not find error. When I open runSOFA, the shell also printed out [WARNING] [ObjectFactory] Module name cannot be found when registering TriangularBendingFEMForceField<Rigid3d> into the object factory. TriangularBendingFEMForceField is the FEM model of Shell.

[hugtalbot]

Sorry I am unsure to understand @chz31
Do you have the Shell module well loaded in the PluginManager (GUI > Edit) while receiving the ObjectFactory error?

[chz31]

Thanks @hugtalbot!

I tried the out-tree build @hugtalbot suggested and also followed the tutorial to install the Shell Plugin to SOFA binary. It did add the binary to the plugin list and the command prompt did not report an error loading it when I opened SOFA binary. However, I cannot load Shell plugin in Python following the example rootNode.addObject('RequiredPlugin', name="Shell").

I'll try to build SOFA again and rebuild Shell to see if it can work.

[hugtalbot]

Hi @chz31
have you solved your issue?

[chz31]

Sorry for the late response! It appears that Shell is not very urgent to me after discussing with Paul. I think the topic can be closed for now. I'll try it later!