time to learn python

by Spot on 28.06. '08

no matter which 3d package you’re working with – it’s high time to get your hands dirty with python. while packages like blender, xsi and maya support this language natively, i’m pretty sure 3ds max will follow very soon, especially when it comes down interconnecting different packages. if you already want to start using python in 3ds max, read the following cg-talk thread, or check out this topic on area. adam pletchers comment sums it up:

  • python is a mature, full-featured language and provides a lot of useful functionality that’s simply not there in maxscript.
  • python isn’t bound to a specific 3d application. this allows us to create tools that have very little app-specific code, making them much easier to deploy for multiple 3d applications (max, maya, etc.).
  • we’re using python as the embedded tools scripting language in our next-gen editor tools.
  • python is just fast and fun to program with.

so, let’s have some fun! :-)

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automatic script sourcing on maya launch

by Spot on 25.06. '08

if you have extended your maya with several mel scripts (if not, you certainly will one day!), it’s useful to source those automatically when launching maya, so you can access them right ahead instead of manually sourcing them whenever you need one or the other.

the best way to do this is by creating an empty text file called userSetup.mel within your personal scripts folder (usually c:\users\[yourusername]\documents\maya\2008\prefs\scripts) and add this:

source "nicescript.mel" ;

just copy the line and add further script file names to it and next time you start maya, all those scripts are ready to go!

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target weld function in maya

June 25, 2008

i was pretty suprised that maya doesn’t offer the target weld function i was used to in 3ds max, since this is a pretty basic feature for modeling. luckily there’s a fine script extending maya with exactly this functionality. it took me a minute to figure out how to use it: go to component mode [...]

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base your pivot

June 25, 2008

another little script that extends my personal collection of mel scripts i have permanently installed: base pivot. it centers and drops the pivot point of the selected object(s) to the bottom. works perfectly stable; worth adding to a hotkey or the shelf as i’m going to use this function on a daily base! or you [...]

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openexr rocks!

June 25, 2008

since i’ve tested some workflows for the post production of my upcoming short “border”, i came across the awesome openexr format. you can just save all your passes right into this image format and access them in post, if your software supports it. i experimented a little using photoshop and after effects in combination with [...]

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renderman and the command line

June 25, 2008

i had to collect the renderman attributes i can access through the maya command line renderer in order to automate my rendering process using a batch file; it was like putting the pieces of a puzzle together, since the documentation doesn’t cover this topic in much detail. it was a little bit frustrating that some [...]

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occlusion pass with renderman

June 25, 2008

i was struggeling lately with renderman to get a nice occlusion pass rendered out separately. here are my exploration’s notes:

the most recent version (2.0.1) can not render out a separate pass without generating the final render pass at the same time. let’s hope this feature will be added to the next version, as this could [...]

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animator’s survival kit

June 25, 2008

i don’t have many books on my shelf that can stay there for a long time because they’re usually outdated very quickly as 3d software update cycle speeds are increasing more and more. but there are exceptions, one book that accompanied me during my digital character animation studies here at the vancouver film school: animator’s [...]

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versatile maya outliner

June 24, 2008

some love the hypergraph, some the outliner in maya to access nodes, objects etc. i think both have their specific use and after using hypergraph for the longest time to do just everything, i recently discovered two neat features which made me open up the outliner window much more often when i got more used [...]

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compile your shader for renderman

June 24, 2008

i’m digging deeper into renderman and i started to create my own little shaders, first i had to get the shader compiler running, before i develop my own creations. this post will explain you how to easily compile a shader for renderman and use it within maya, since the documentation doesn’t offer a clear step-by-step [...]

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