Converting from LW to Maya FAQ

[MasonDoran]

Bandsaw: Cut
Smooth Shift and Smooth: Extrude(creates new geometry) or Move Component Tool(uses existing geometry)

VertiBevel(dont know what it does) Chamfer Vertex?

Bandglue: connect border edges from Bonus Game package

Spin Quads: Flip Triangle Edge

Drag Tool/Magnet Tool---lot of plugins and scripts on this. Native tool: Proportional Modification Tool,

Bonus Game Package Scripts: Geometry Transmogrifier

Tweak

xySoftPeak

ClayDough

Suggestionss: Use MjPolytools and Bonus Game Package for additional poly tools. Get everything from highend3d.com or AW website.

Maya has a lot of functionality with Edges and Nurbs surfaces that can be converted to poly surfaces.....use these tools to compensate for LW features.


Dont be lazy...play with maya...everything is under the poly menus.

[CIM]

You'd have to be crazy to want to model in Maya. Unless you're totally switching to Maya, you're better off just modeling in LW and exporting over to Maya for animation and stuff. :)

[MasonDoran]

lol...."opinions are like assholes, everyone has one" I personally couldnt handle the workflow of LW after learning Maya. The comprimise i made between LW and Maya for poly modelling was wings3d for character modelling and cleanup and integration for production/animation with Maya.

So robkoni, ignore the pro/con statements that you will get cuz its no different then christians and muslims wanting to kill each other for being different.

[robkoni]

Thanks 2Bytes,I shall follow your sugestions...
Cim,well its a case of where the work is I'm afraid:annoyed:

[Nemoid]

Originally posted by CIM
You'd have to be crazy to want to model in Maya. Unless you're totally switching to Maya, you're better off just modeling in LW and exporting over to Maya for animation and stuff. :)

1)
maybe , can be a great solution for many problems,but why someone has to use 2 apps? i am looking at maya 4 experiment, but hope to find great modelling tips and tools.

one thing is certain , Maya is not a great modelling software, for polys or sub_D!! maybe NURBS..

2) how can i export Lw scenes or objects in Maya?

Ciaoi from Italy:wavey:

[ghempton]

is certain , Maya is not a great modelling software, for polys or sub_D!! maybe NURBS..


How does Maya get such a bad rap in this area? I find that the modelling workflow in maya is superb. It seems as though everyone dislikes Maya because its missing a few poly tools in its default package, but every tool I have heard of other apps having, I see plug-ins/scripts for Maya that do the same thing. Not to mention Maya has Artisan, which is extremely powerful for modeling. And Maya is definitely very good in NURBS.

[SheepFactory]

Misses two things:

Bevel and Magnets.

the proportional modification tool is not even close to a decent magnet tool you get in other packages , and the bevel creates all those extra edges with tri's everywhere! , its a pain to clean it up.

There are no scripts or plugins out there to fix these two major shortcomings of Maya yet.

I would recommend doing the bevels in a package like wings 3d and export back to maya even if you want to model in maya.

[rock]

I think Maya's extrude face = Lightwave bevel

As for magnet/drag took, I think Maya is more powerful. To turn on this feature, click on

Window >Setting Preferences > Preferences

In this Panel, click Setting > Selection, in the upper right, there is a check box call "Click Drag Select ", check it. Now you can Drag and Move in One Click - very powerful stuff.

[Lyr]

personally I am not a fan of magnets. I don't find them near as intuitive as artisan, so I don't miss them. If you want them though there is that claydough script, not a perfect implementation but it works.

[SheepFactory]

Cannot compare artisan to magnets , you cannot say , define a pivot point for artisan and magnet rotate\scale\move like you can in mirai\wings. Also you cannot do masking with artisan if i remember correctly?

I tried claydough , unfortunately its not good enough.

[SheepFactory]

rock , click drag select has nothing to do with magnets , click drag select doesnt have a falloff in the first place.

what click drag supposedly is -> dragnet in LW

[Nemoid]

a thing that seem missing with main tools in Maya is
the possibility of using scale with polys wilth the mouse pointer position, to stretch polys in a different way than normal.
in Maya , handles make u work like in Lw center selection mode

also, i'd like to move components without clicking on arrows to move them in x, y, z.

Artisan its a great tool. i have to experiment with it, and if it works as i think, then there are few reasons to use polys and then convert them in sub-Ds

this maybe the reason why Maya have not so great native tools for polys.??!!

[rock]

Nemoid,

I have to agree that the polygon modeling in Maya is not organized as Lightwave, but I think we can try to find its workaround. Maybe it's that we are so used to LW way of doing things.

To move components without clicking on arrows to move them in x, y, z, simply right-click on the object into object mode, left-click to select object, and then press w to move. The object will move anywhere you want it to move.

Rock

[rock]

Nemoid,

As for "a thing that seem missing with main tools in Maya is
the possibility of using scale with polys wilth the mouse pointer position, to stretch polys in a different way than normal.
in Maya , handles make u work like in Lw center selection mode", you can do this:

1. Select the face or poly that you want to scale
2. Press Insert to change the face pivot point
3. Press R to scale
4. Then scaling now is relative to the new pivot point.

What I like in LW is the TAB key where you not only turn poly into smooth subdiv, but you can turn it back to the original poly by pressing TAB again. I don't know if you can do this in Maya.


Rock

[MasonDoran]

Nemoid, an extension to rocks post.....you can Lock the pivot point to a new position as well. so any and all component selections will have the same pivot point. LW has this of course...but you cannot "lock"

[playmesumch00ns]

you can simulate LW's tab functionality in maya with a little script something like this:

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// s w i t c h S m o o t h . m e l //
// -- //
// Anders Langlands 2003 //
// //
// Written in ten minutes to shut those goddamn lightwavers up! //
// //
// Usage: select your mesh object and run alSwitchSmooth to //
// toggle between smoothed/non-smoothed versions. Bind //
// to a hotkey (not tab!). To change the level of //
// smoothing, change the value of $alSsNumDivisions, //
// below. //
// //
// Known Issues: Does funny stuff when used on components, but //
// shouldn't cause any errors. If it does, e-mail me //
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

global int $alSsNumDivisions = 2;


proc alSmoothStuff(string $shp)
{
global int $alSsNumDivisions;
if (`attributeExists "iAmSmoothed" $shp`)
{
// Object has been swicthsmoothed before
int $isSmoothed = `getAttr ($shp+".iAmSmoothed")`;
if ($isSmoothed)
{
// Object is already smoothed
string $psms[] = `listConnections -t polySmoothFace $shp`;
setAttr ($psms[0]+".divisions") 0;
setAttr ($shp+".iAmSmoothed") 0;
}
else
{
// Object has alread been smoothed but is not now
string $psms[] = `listConnections -t polySmoothFace $shp`;
setAttr ($psms[0]+".divisions") $alSsNumDivisions;
setAttr ($shp+".iAmSmoothed") 1;

}
}
else
{
// Object has not been smoothed before
addAttr -ln "iAmSmoothed" -sn "ias" -at bool $shp;
string $psms[] = `polySmooth $shp`;
setAttr ($psms[0]+".divisions") $alSsNumDivisions;
setAttr ($shp+".iAmSmoothed") 1;
}
}


global proc alSwitchSmooth()
{
string $sel[] = `ls -sl`;
for ($o in $sel)
{
if (`nodeType $o` == "transform")
{
string $rels[] = `listRelatives -s $o`;
string $shp = $rels[0];
alSmoothStuff $shp;
}
else
if (`nodeType $o` == "mesh")
{
alSmoothStuff $o;
}
else
{
error "Please select either a mesh shape or its transform";
}
}
}


You cannot just jump back and forward like this with subdivision surfaces because Maya's are a little more advanced than Lightwaves: they're heirachichal. Use this script to "preview" before converting to subdivs for heirachical editing.

[Ibanezhead]

bandsaw = "multi loop split" in the MJPolyTools script, not "Cut" as previously stated...

Cut would be more like the knife tool.

Vic

[wgreenlee1]

Written in ten minutes to shut those goddamn lightwavers up!


LOL!:thumbsup:

[Nemoid]

Originally posted by rock
Nemoid,

As for "a thing that seem missing with main tools in Maya is
the possibility of using scale with polys wilth the mouse pointer position, to stretch polys in a different way than normal.
in Maya , handles make u work like in Lw center selection mode", you can do this:

1. Select the face or poly that you want to scale
2. Press Insert to change the face pivot point
3. Press R to scale
4. Then scaling now is relative to the new pivot point.

What I like in LW is the TAB key where you not only turn poly into smooth subdiv, but you can turn it back to the original poly by pressing TAB again. I don't know if you can do this in Maya.


Rock

Thanx for your posts, Rock!
this way to work seem to be a bit complex
than in Le but it works properly
in Lw is more easy
just putting here and tere the stretch cursor
and stretch in very different ways!!

[Lyr]

don't know if this has been covered yet but once you got your selection you can move/rotate/scale using the middle mouse button on a plane dependant on your view.

[Nemoid]

playmesumch00ns

i'll use this script, man! i'll use it!!!
:buttrock::buttrock: :buttrock:

[ghempton]

It seems as though most of you lightwavers just assume Maya isn't capable of things because you don't know how to do them. I think that if you would spend the time to achieve a deeper understanding of Maya then you would be less cynical.

[Kaiser_Sose]

drag in lw is cool becuse you do not have to cick on a point

I read this is also true in maya but hidden some where in the settings



anyone know where

[SheepFactory]

Originally posted by ghempton
It seems as though most of you lightwavers just assume Maya isn't capable of things because you don't know how to do them. I think that if you would spend the time to achieve a deeper understanding of Maya then you would be less cynical.

I feel like this is aimed at my bitching :) Fyi I never used lw in my life , i was a maya user from the beginning. I recommend you dl wings 3d which is free and try out the tools I mentioned , than you'll see why everyone who used those tools cant live without them.

[Nemoid]

Originally posted by Kaiser_Sose
drag in lw is cool becuse you do not have to cick on a point

I read this is also true in maya but hidden some where in the settings



anyone know where

its in Window/setting prefs/prefs/selection/ check the click and drag option. its not exactly like drag, but it works great.

u can also check the poligon selection-- whole face for an easy selection of polys:thumbsup:

[Nemoid]

Originally posted by ghempton
It seems as though most of you lightwavers just assume Maya isn't capable of things because you don't know how to do them. I think that if you would spend the time to achieve a deeper understanding of Maya then you would be less cynical.

that's why they have so a different philosophy.
however, factory Maya settings are not so focused on the workflow. that's my opinion. anyone can tell me the contrary.

Ciao:wavey:

[SheepFactory]

Nobody uses factory maya settings anyway. the beauty of maya is it being fully customizable. Start adding your own shelves & marking menus and you'll never look back :)


Ali

[robkoni]

Well thanks guys for all the help, just starting to get my head round things,it does seem a little clunky at first ,however I like it so far(and thats not very far) .Still early days yet but for Polgon modelling LW seems(I may well eat my words)to have a much better toolset and workflow(sombody port Vertibevel to Maya)
But I think it's easy'er than XSI so far and am enjoying it:applause:
Thanks again for the help:bounce:

[Kaiser_Sose]

You LW you can model with symetry on bothsides of x axis, is there a way to do this in maya

Whats the best way to start off a character you know will be mirrored across

[Nemoid]

Originally posted by Sheep Factory
Nobody uses factory maya settings anyway. the beauty of maya is it being fully customizable. Start adding your own shelves & marking menus and you'll never look back :)


Ali

right! hey can i hotkey the sculpt surface tools opeartions like push, pull ane erase? and the brushes? i think this can speed up the workflow greatly!!:buttrock: :buttrock: :buttrock:

[Lyr]

Originally posted by Kaiser_Sose
You LW you can model with symetry on bothsides of x axis, is there a way to do this in maya

Whats the best way to start off a character you know will be mirrored across

the options for this are under the duplicate options. You will want to set the scale to -1 x and check instance on. Also make sure that the object you wish to make symmetrical has it's pivot snapped to 0 on the x axis. I think you will find that maya's instances are much more sturdy than LW's symmetry.

[Kaiser_Sose]

Originally posted by Nemoid
its in Window/setting prefs/prefs/selection/ check the click and drag option. its not exactly like drag, but it works great.

u can also check the poligon selection-- whole face for an easy selection of polys:thumbsup:

Hmm, is tis the maya drag equivalent

I thought I read about a custom script or something like that

[CraigT]

I was going to start a new thread(and maybe should have) but this one looks applicable. I've just started using MAYA after having used LW since 1.1 on the Amiga so I'm pretty conditioned to dealing with objects(geometry) and scenes independently. From what I've seen so far, MAYA has everything scene based, so what have people found to be the best way of dealing with geometry that might be used in many varied projects? I know MAYA can Import scenes into other scenes but that approach doesn't allow choosing what objects are wanted. It seems like creating separate scenes for every object(geometry) would be very inefficient. I think those of you who have used LW know where I'm coming from with this. I really would like to get off on the right foot in setting things up so I would appreciate any suggestions- besides telling me to keep my posts shorter. :D Thanks.

[Kaiser_Sose]

Originally posted by CraigT
I was going to start a new thread(and maybe should have) but this one looks applicable. I've just started using MAYA after having used LW since 1.1 on the Amiga so I'm pretty conditioned to dealing with objects(geometry) and scenes independently. From what I've seen so far, MAYA has everything scene based, so what have people found to be the best way of dealing with geometry that might be used in many varied projects? I know MAYA can Import scenes into other scenes but that approach doesn't allow choosing what objects are wanted. It seems like creating separate scenes for every object(geometry) would be very inefficient. I think those of you who have used LW know where I'm coming from with this. I really would like to get off on the right foot in setting things up so I would appreciate any suggestions- besides telling me to keep my posts shorter. :D Thanks.

That brings up a good point and also what about making and selecting surfaces for easy object surfacing

[wgreenlee1]

Originally posted by Lyr
the options for this are under the duplicate options. You will want to set the scale to -1 x and check instance on. Also make sure that the object you wish to make symmetrical has it's pivot snapped to 0 on the x axis. I think you will find that maya's instances are much more sturdy than LW's symmetry.

While we are this subject...
I have a problem with "instanceing"...Sometimes when I select the side I wish to work on the instance side gets selected...
Is there a way to hide it from me to see it but not be able to selct it?

[ceql]

Wow!! Great thread!! so interesting! :applause: :applause:
Thanks Ch00ns for your script, too! :beer:

[fango]

playmesum, about your "shut the LWers up" script,

first i didn t know where to reply(didn twant to pollute the mel sticky) or to send you a pm so doing that here :

in your script, when i delete history on an object then select it and run your script, i get "can't find divisions" or something of that sort (will post a more detailed description when i m at my workstation) . I have to throw a polysmooth first, run your script then run it again to go back to unsmooth version.
the script works as long as a polysmooth is in history. It works fine on primitives though.

haven t look in depth into your script so dunno how to fix that.

would appreciate any feedback and thanks again for the script :)

[Rudity]

Originally posted by wgreenlee1
While we are this subject...
I have a problem with "instanceing"...Sometimes when I select the side I wish to work on the instance side gets selected...
Is there a way to hide it from me to see it but not be able to selct it?

You could put the instanced half on a layer and reference it.

[MasonDoran]

CraigT....look into the Level Tools plugin on the Aw website...that focuses on modular game level design where u just import objects as u want. I havent used it yet(dont have 5.0) so cant say if it is what you are looking for.


Also, there is the referance editor:

Importing files by reference

When you import a scene by reference, Maya makes a link from the current scene to the source scene. This link points to the latest saved version of the scene. You cannot rename, delete, or ungroup objects from a referenced file.

You can develop the referenced file while you use it in other scenes. For example, say you had three scenes in an animation that all used the same props. In one scene, the chair is beside the table. In the second, the chair is on top of the table. In the third, the chair is on the floor. If you imported the files by reference, three animators could use the same props, saving file space and sharing changes made to the surface characteristics and shading of the objects.

[pixelmonk]

Originally posted by ghempton
It seems as though most of you lightwavers just assume Maya isn't capable of things because you don't know how to do them. I think that if you would spend the time to achieve a deeper understanding of Maya then you would be less cynical.

the key is it "seems" No need for assumptions about most of us Lightwavers.

Sometimes it has nothing to do with "spending more time to achieve a deeper understanding of Maya". Certain programs or fuctionality in other programs are better suited for certain things. I'm sure Maya could do everything, but maybe not as fast as other programs. Pointing out those short-comings doesn't mean we're Maya illiterates, gimps or monkeys and if it sounds cynical, then again.. that goes back to you assuming.

[playmesumch00ns]

Originally posted by fango

in your script, when i delete history on an object then select it and run your script, i get "can't find divisions" or something of that sort (will post a more detailed description when i m at my workstation) . I have to throw a polysmooth first, run your script then run it again to go back to unsmooth version.
the script works as long as a polysmooth is in history. It works fine on primitives though.


So let me get this right... You have an object, A. you apply a polysmooth to A. then you use the script. then you delete history on A, then the script doesn't work anymore, right?

I think this is because it doesn't check whether there's actually a polysmooth node attached, it just checks whether you have used the script on this object before.

OK a temporary workaround is to select the shape node of your object (i.e. if your object is pCube1, the shape node will be pCubeShape1), then go modify>delete attribute. Select the attribute named "iAmSmoothed" and delete it. the script should work fine again.

This bug arises because it works the way it does there in order to let you "switchSmooth" an object that might already have a history with one or more levels of polySmooth applied.

I'll figure out a proper fix soon, in the meantime the method described above works.:)

[CraigT]

Thanks 2Byts. I knew about the referencing but that isn't really what I was wanting since in LW I often modified a version of an object from a previous scene. I do see how referencing definitely has it's uses though. I'll check out the A/W site as you mentioned and perhaps something in the gaming stuff will do what I was after. None of this is a real big deal presently since I know I've got a lot to relearn in a different way than LW. I'm working on it though. :eek:

Craig

[MasonDoran]

i hear ya craig.....i tried doing what u are but in the reverse direction. I couldnt do it....i felt i just didnt have the time and energy to "relearn" 3d. My only advice is to make a backup of your hotkeys....then shamelessly configure your hotkey functionality to that of LW. Other advice....force yourself to master the hotbox and all of RMB combinations....its a wonder...really.

[Julez4001]

Man ..all that fuss and "delving deeper" to try and replace ONE Button {TAb} which by hitting it again ..turns the objects right back to its normal state.



Jules - the thread resurrector.

[Steve McRae]

all I have to say is congatulations for switching . . . =)

(ex lw'er)

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