Project Manager

Houdini Python panel for managing drone show projects. Access via New Pane Tab Type → Misc → Python Panel → Project_manager.

Panel file: python_panels/Project_manager.pypanel

Sections

Login

Field	Description
`Email`	Dronatello account email
`Key`	License key
Login	Creates local license file
Clear	Clears input fields

Create Project

Field	Description
`Project path`	Root directory for the project
`Project name`	Name of the project
Create	Builds the full project structure and Houdini scene
Clear	Clears input fields

Create runs Project_presets.basic_preset() which builds:

/obj/
  ├── f_00_ (geo)
  ├── f_01_ (geo)
  ├── ... (up to N formations)
  ├── Figures_preview (geo)
  │     └── Figures_preview (static_preview)
  │           └── Formation_0..N (object_merge) → Timeshift_0..N
  ├── SHOW_TIMELINE (geo)
  │     ├── Formation_0..N (object_merge)
  │     ├── Main_animation_flow_0..N-1 (morf_tool)
  │     ├── bookmarks_control (null) — with bookmark buttons
  │     ├── Show_solver (animation_sim)
  │     └── rop_alembic
  ├── TAKEOFF_AND_LANDING (geo)
  │     └── (loaded from preset file)
  ├── Checker
  ├── Show_preview (full_show_preview)
  └── Show_site_data (Site_data)

Also creates the folder structure on disk:

project_path / project_name/
  ├── Abc/
  ├── Assets/
  │     ├── geometry/
  │     ├── map/
  │     ├── texture/
  │     └── USD/
  ├── Binary_files/
  ├── Cache/
  ├── Compose/
  ├── Hdas/
  ├── Hip/
  ├── Reference/
  │     ├── photo/
  │     └── video/
  ├── Render_output/
  ├── Show_config/
  └── Temp/
        ├── simulation/
        ├── render_preview/
        └── geometry/

Bookmarks (on `bookmarks_control` node)

The bookmarks_control null in SHOW_TIMELINE has three buttons:

Button	Description
Init Bookmarks	Creates timeline bookmarks matching each morf_tool transition range
Reset Bookmarks	Clears existing bookmarks and re-creates them from scratch
Set morfs values	Reads bookmark timing and writes `Start_Frame` / `Duration` onto each morf_tool node

This keeps the timeline bookmarks and the morf_tool parameters in sync.

Finish / Upload (in `bookmarks_widget`)

Control	Description
`Project to GDrive`	Checkbox to enable Google Drive upload
Check list	Validates project folder structure matches the template
Upload	Uploads the project folder to Google Drive (if checked and checks pass)

Usage

Login — Enter email and key, click Login to activate the license
Create project — Set path and name, click Create to scaffold the scene and folders
Populate formations — Add drone position data into each f_0X_ geo
Set timeline — Use the bookmarks buttons on bookmarks_control to sync morf_tool timings
Work through the pipeline — Configure transitions, physics, takeoff/landing, validation, and uploads