improved for inserting profile timings from Python, to analyzer performance of pybullet programs.

See examples/pybullet/examples/profileTiming.py for an example. Note that python and c++ is properly interleaved.
Open a timings with a name, close the timing without a name. Note that timings can be recursive, added/popped as a stack.

examples/SharedMemory/PhysicsClientC_API.cpp

@@ -5276,8 +5276,8 @@ B3_SHARED_API b3SharedMemoryCommandHandle b3ProfileTimingCommandInit(b3PhysicsCl
 	struct SharedMemoryCommand* command = cl->getAvailableSharedMemoryCommand();
 	b3Assert(command);
 
-	int len = strlen(name);
+	int len = name ? strlen(name) : 0;
-	if (len >= 0 && len < (MAX_FILENAME_LENGTH + 1))
+	if (len > 0 && len < (MAX_FILENAME_LENGTH + 1))
 	{
 		command->m_type = CMD_PROFILE_TIMING;
 		strcpy(command->m_profile.m_name, name);
@@ -5290,6 +5290,7 @@ B3_SHARED_API b3SharedMemoryCommandHandle b3ProfileTimingCommandInit(b3PhysicsCl
 		strcpy(command->m_profile.m_name, invalid);
 		command->m_profile.m_name[len] = 0;
 	}
+	command->m_profile.m_type = -1;
 	command->m_profile.m_durationInMicroSeconds = 0;
 	return (b3SharedMemoryCommandHandle)command;
 }
@@ -5319,6 +5320,18 @@ B3_SHARED_API void b3SetProfileTimingDuractionInMicroSeconds(b3SharedMemoryComma
 	}
 }
 
+B3_SHARED_API void b3SetProfileTimingType(b3SharedMemoryCommandHandle commandHandle, int type)
+{
+	struct SharedMemoryCommand* command = (struct SharedMemoryCommand*)commandHandle;
+	b3Assert(command);
+	b3Assert(command->m_type == CMD_PROFILE_TIMING);
+	if (command->m_type == CMD_PROFILE_TIMING)
+	{
+		command->m_profile.m_type = type;
+	}
+}
+
+
 B3_SHARED_API b3SharedMemoryCommandHandle b3StateLoggingCommandInit(b3PhysicsClientHandle physClient)
 {
 	PhysicsClient* cl = (PhysicsClient*)physClient;

examples/SharedMemory/PhysicsClientC_API.h

@@ -664,6 +664,7 @@ extern "C"
 
 	B3_SHARED_API b3SharedMemoryCommandHandle b3ProfileTimingCommandInit(b3PhysicsClientHandle physClient, const char* name);
 	B3_SHARED_API void b3SetProfileTimingDuractionInMicroSeconds(b3SharedMemoryCommandHandle commandHandle, int duration);
+	B3_SHARED_API void b3SetProfileTimingType(b3SharedMemoryCommandHandle commandHandle, int type);
 
 	B3_SHARED_API void b3PushProfileTiming(b3PhysicsClientHandle physClient, const char* timingName);
 	B3_SHARED_API void b3PopProfileTiming(b3PhysicsClientHandle physClient);

examples/SharedMemory/PhysicsServerCommandProcessor.cpp

@@ -8037,19 +8037,21 @@ bool PhysicsServerCommandProcessor::processProfileTimingCommand(const struct Sha
 {
 	bool hasStatus = true;
 
-	B3_PROFILE("custom");  //clientCmd.m_profile.m_name);
+	
 	{
-		B3_PROFILE("event");  //clientCmd.m_profile.m_name);
+		if (clientCmd.m_profile.m_type == 0)
+		{
+			
 			char** eventNamePtr = m_data->m_profileEvents[clientCmd.m_profile.m_name];
 			char* eventName = 0;
 			if (eventNamePtr)
 			{
-			B3_PROFILE("reuse");
+				
 				eventName = *eventNamePtr;
 			}
 			else
 			{
-			B3_PROFILE("alloc");
+				
 				int len = strlen(clientCmd.m_profile.m_name);
 				eventName = new char[len + 1];
 				strcpy(eventName, clientCmd.m_profile.m_name);
@@ -8057,24 +8059,13 @@ bool PhysicsServerCommandProcessor::processProfileTimingCommand(const struct Sha
 				m_data->m_profileEvents.insert(eventName, eventName);
 			}
 
-		{
+			b3EnterProfileZone(eventName);
-			{
-				B3_PROFILE("with");  //clientCmd.m_profile.m_name);
-				{
-					B3_PROFILE("some");  //clientCmd.m_profile.m_name);
-					{
-						B3_PROFILE("deep");  //clientCmd.m_profile.m_name);
-						{
-							B3_PROFILE("level");  //clientCmd.m_profile.m_name);
-							{
-								B3_PROFILE(eventName);
-								b3Clock::usleep(clientCmd.m_profile.m_durationInMicroSeconds);
-							}
-						}
-					}
-				}
 		}
+		if (clientCmd.m_profile.m_type == 1)
+		{
+			b3LeaveProfileZone();
 		}
+		
 	}
 
 	serverStatusOut.m_type = CMD_CLIENT_COMMAND_COMPLETED;

examples/SharedMemory/SharedMemoryCommands.h

@@ -627,6 +627,7 @@ struct b3Profile
 {
 	char m_name[MAX_FILENAME_LENGTH];
 	int m_durationInMicroSeconds;
+	int m_type;
 };
 
 struct SdfLoadedArgs

examples/pybullet/examples/profileTiming.py

@@ -1,11 +1,18 @@
 import pybullet as p
 import time
-
+#you can visualize the timings using Google Chrome, visit about://tracing 
+#and load the json file
 p.connect(p.GUI)
 
-t = time.time() + 0.1
+t = time.time() + 3.1
 
-logId = p.startStateLogging(p.STATE_LOGGING_PROFILE_TIMINGS, "haha")
+logId = p.startStateLogging(p.STATE_LOGGING_PROFILE_TIMINGS, "chrome_about_tracing.json")
 while (time.time() < t):
   p.submitProfileTiming("pythontest")
+  time.sleep(1./240.)
+  p.submitProfileTiming("nested")
+  time.sleep(1./1000.)
+  p.submitProfileTiming()
+  p.submitProfileTiming()
+
 p.stopStateLogging(logId)

examples/pybullet/pybullet.c

@@ -6058,14 +6058,12 @@ static PyObject* pybullet_submitProfileTiming(PyObject* self, PyObject* args, Py
 	//	b3SharedMemoryStatusHandle statusHandle;
 	//	int statusType;
 	char* eventName = 0;
-	int duractionInMicroSeconds = -1;
-
 	b3PhysicsClientHandle sm = 0;
-	static char* kwlist[] = {"eventName ", "duraction", "physicsClientId", NULL};
+	static char* kwlist[] = {"eventName ", "physicsClientId", NULL};
 	int physicsClientId = 0;
 
-	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, keywds, "s|ii", kwlist,
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, keywds, "|si", kwlist,
-									 &eventName, &duractionInMicroSeconds, &physicsClientId))
+									 &eventName, &physicsClientId))
 		return NULL;
 
 	sm = getPhysicsClient(physicsClientId);
@@ -6074,16 +6072,18 @@ static PyObject* pybullet_submitProfileTiming(PyObject* self, PyObject* args, Py
 		PyErr_SetString(SpamError, "Not connected to physics server.");
 		return NULL;
 	}
-	if (eventName)
-	{
 	b3SharedMemoryCommandHandle commandHandle;
 	commandHandle = b3ProfileTimingCommandInit(sm, eventName);
-		if (duractionInMicroSeconds >= 0)
+
+	if (eventName)
 	{
-			b3SetProfileTimingDuractionInMicroSeconds(commandHandle, duractionInMicroSeconds);
+		b3SetProfileTimingType(commandHandle, 0);
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		b3SetProfileTimingType(commandHandle, 1);
 	}
 	b3SubmitClientCommandAndWaitStatus(sm, commandHandle);
-	}
 	Py_INCREF(Py_None);
 	return Py_None;
 }