[FIXED] Mayavi Sync Camera

Issue

I'm following the script given at the official mayaVI site (Multiple mlab scene models example), and would like to use the sync_camera command to sync the two figures together within a qt GUI (just as shown), such that any rotation/zoom, etc in one figure automatically rotates/zooms, etc the other in the exact same manner, at the same time.

The sync_camera command is written about briefly on another official mayaVI page Figure handling functions, but I haven't been able to find much on its proper use to utilize successfully within the class hierarchy.

Does anyone have any experience with this procedure or advice?

import numpy as np

from traits.api import HasTraits, Instance, Button, \
    on_trait_change
from traitsui.api import View, Item, HSplit, Group

from mayavi import mlab
from mayavi.core.ui.api import MlabSceneModel, SceneEditor


class MyDialog(HasTraits):

    scene1 = Instance(MlabSceneModel, ())
    scene2 = Instance(MlabSceneModel, ())

    button1 = Button('Redraw')
    button2 = Button('Redraw')

    @on_trait_change('button1')
    def redraw_scene1(self):
        self.redraw_scene(self.scene1)

    @on_trait_change('button2')
    def redraw_scene2(self):
        self.redraw_scene(self.scene2)

    def redraw_scene(self, scene):
        # Notice how each mlab call points explicitely to the figure it
        # applies to.
        mlab.clf(figure=scene.mayavi_scene)
        x, y, z, s = np.random.random((4, 100))
        mlab.points3d(x, y, z, s, figure=scene.mayavi_scene)

    # The layout of the dialog created
    view = View(HSplit(
                  Group(
                       Item('scene1',
                            editor=SceneEditor(), height=250,
                            width=300),
                       'button1',
                       show_labels=False,
                  ),
                  Group(
                       Item('scene2',
                            editor=SceneEditor(), height=250,
                            width=300, show_label=False),
                       'button2',
                       show_labels=False,
                  ),
                ),
                resizable=True,
                )


m = MyDialog()
m.configure_traits()

Solution

The solution is to not use the 2-figure-in-1 method (as originally posted), but to create 2 separate figures. For my needs, I've rewritten the initial code such that each figure is in it's own class, and then simply placed them in a new frame side by side. I don't think using the sync_camera function is possible without such a separation, since it requires two separate figures as inputs. The result is basically identical. I successfully implemented the sync_camera function as follows:

import sys, os, time
import numpy as np
os.environ['ETS_TOOLKIT'] = 'qt4'
from pyface.qt import QtGui, QtCore
from traits.api import HasTraits, Instance, on_trait_change, Str, Float, Range
from traitsui.api import View, Item, HSplit, Group
from mayavi import mlab
from mayavi.core.api import PipelineBase, Engine
from mayavi.core.ui.api import MayaviScene, MlabSceneModel, SceneEditor

class Mayavi1(HasTraits):
    scene = Instance(MlabSceneModel, ())

    @on_trait_change('scene.activated')
    def update_plot(self):
        Mayavi1.fig1 = mlab.figure(1)
        self.scene.mlab.clf(figure=Mayavi1.fig1)

        x, y, z, s = np.random.random((4, 100))
        splot = self.scene.mlab.points3d(x, y, z, s, figure=Mayavi1.fig1)
        #splot.actor.actor.scale = np.array([25,25,25]) #if plot-types different

    view = View(Item('scene', editor=SceneEditor(scene_class=MayaviScene),
                 height=300, width=300, show_label=False),
            resizable=True
            )

class Mayavi2(HasTraits):
    scene = Instance(MlabSceneModel, ())

    @on_trait_change('scene.activated')
    def update_plot(self):
        Mayavi2.fig2 = mlab.figure(2)
        self.scene.mlab.clf(figure=Mayavi2.fig2)

        x, y, z, s = np.random.random((4, 100))
        cplot = self.scene.mlab.points3d(x, y, z, s, figure=Mayavi2.fig2)
        #cplot.actor.actor.position = np.array([1,1,1]) #if plot-types different

    view = View(Item('scene', editor=SceneEditor(scene_class=MayaviScene),
                 height=300, width=300, show_label=False),
            resizable=True
            )

class P1(QtGui.QWidget):
    def __init__(self, parent=None):
        super(P1, self).__init__(parent)
        layout = QtGui.QGridLayout(self)
        layout.setContentsMargins(20,20,20,20) #W,N,E,S
        layout.setSpacing(10)

        self.visualization1 = Mayavi1()
        self.ui1 = self.visualization1.edit_traits(parent=self, kind='subpanel').control
        layout.addWidget(self.ui1, 0, 0, 1, 1)
        self.ui1.setParent(self)

        self.visualization2 = Mayavi2()
        self.ui2 = self.visualization2.edit_traits(parent=self, kind='subpanel').control
        layout.addWidget(self.ui2, 0, 2, 1, 1)
        self.ui2.setParent(self)

        mlab.sync_camera(self.visualization1,self.visualization2)
        mlab.sync_camera(self.visualization2,self.visualization1)
        #self.visualization1.scene.mlab.view(0,0,10,[1,1,1])

class Hierarchy(QtGui.QMainWindow):
    def __init__(self, parent=None):
        super(Hierarchy, self).__init__(parent)
        self.setGeometry(50, 50, 400, 400) #(int x, int y, int w, int h)
        self.gotoP1()

    def gotoP1(self):
        self.P1f = P1(self)
        self.setWindowTitle("Page1")
        self.setCentralWidget(self.P1f)
        self.show()       

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app = QtGui.QApplication.instance()
    #app = QtGui.QApplication(sys.argv)
    w = Hierarchy()
    sys.exit(app.exec_())       

However, in my own version, I'm using two different data sources within each plot (one a scatter plot and the other a contour plot, with the contour plot origin of interest different from the scatter plot), and because of the camera connection, neither one is on screen at the same time as the other (native coordinates distinct in both).

Thus, if you're only seeing one of the 3d objects in frame at a time, adjust the positions within the def update_plot(self) for either figure until they are both viewed on the screen at the same time. This can be done via such commands as:

splot.actor.actor.scale = np.array([25,25,25]) #with splot for fig1

cplot.actor.actor.position = np.array([-64,-64,-64]) #with cplot for fig2

I highly suggest actually going into the mayaVI pipeline (with the red light clicked to see the output code in real-time) to adjust your plots as needed. If anyone needs any further help with this down the road, please let me know.

Answered By - evambivalence