API Reference — dna/layers/DescriptorReader

class DNAAPI DescriptorReader : public HeaderReader

Read metadata about the character and the rig: name, archetype, gender, age, key-value metadata, coordinate conventions, LOD count and database info.

When to use this

Use it when you need to know how a DNA's data is to be interpreted (units, coordinate system, rotation conventions) or where the character comes from. Implementors should inherit from Reader itself, not from this class.

Method groups

Group Methods
Character getName, getArchetype, getGender, getAge
MetaData getMetaDataCount, getMetaDataKey, getMetaDataValue
Conventions getTranslationUnit, getRotationUnit, getCoordinateSystem, getRotationSequence, getRotationSign, getFaceWindingOrder
LOD getLODCount, getDBMaxLOD
DB getDBComplexity, getDBName

Example

// Obtain a DescriptorReader via a concrete Reader (e.g., BinaryStreamReader)
dna::DescriptorReader* desc = reader;

// Identity group
dna::StringView name     = desc->getName();
dna::Archetype archetype = desc->getArchetype();

// Coordinate conventions group
dna::CoordinateSystem coordSys = desc->getCoordinateSystem();

// LOD group
std::uint16_t lodCount = desc->getLODCount();   // e.g., 6 → levels 0–5
std::uint16_t maxLOD   = desc->getDBMaxLOD();   // relative to LOD-0 in the database

// Database group
dna::StringView dbName = desc->getDBName();

Parameters

Name Type Description
index std::uint32_t required. Position in the key-value array. Must be less than getMetaDataCount.
key const char* required. Null-terminated key.

Returns

StringView for strings, enums for conventions, and std::uint16_t counts. For getMetaDataValue, an unknown key yields a view containing nullptr with size 0.

Watch out for

  • getMetaDataValue requires a null-terminated key.
  • getDBMaxLOD is relative to LOD-0 from the database.
  • Characters from the same database must have the same Definition, but may differ in complexity or LOD.
  • Inherit from Reader (not DescriptorReader) when implementing a custom reader. Direct inheritance from this interface is not supported.
  • getMetaDataKey(index) requires index < getMetaDataCount(). Passing an out-of-range index is undefined behavior.
  • getMetaDataValue(key) requires a null-terminated key. If the key has no associated value, the returned StringView contains nullptr with size 0 — check the size before dereferencing.