Share your secret weapon...!

#381

Hi everyone, here I share some of my commands ( assign it to a shelf, or create a custom hotkey ) that I use in production :

http://3dreda.free.fr/ressource/commandList.html

#382

Pose 2 shelf script and custom shelves. Also i love the dope sheet.

late.
:cool:

#383

Thanks guys this stuff is really useful and I would also like to share a little secret :

in some games constraints refer to limit information and therefore if you want for example recoil etc… then use the translate limit information.

#384

This thread is great! Lots of cool tricks here. I haven’t read 'em all and i hope I’m not repeating, but my brain was starting to hurt from all the info :).

Anyway Here’s something I do whenever I model using reference planes. I assign a lambert shader to my model and name it transShader ( the name is entirely up to u of course ). then I go to the transparency attribute and bring it up to about 60%, let go of mouse button, then bring it back down to 0%. then in the script editor I highlight the commands and create a shelf button for both on the custom tab. It acts similar to xray, except instead of xray the entire viewport it only does it on the shader (ie. the model). This allows me to see my image planes through my model much easier. So whenever I create a new model and assign it a lambert, all i need to do is rename the shader to transShader, and my custom shelf buttons will work.

#385

Huge thread so useful ,thanks everybody !

Ok, one of mine , very simple , certainly many people already know…
It a equivalent to look throught selected

Just select the shape of your camera or light , and drag it in the viewport with the third button of the mouse . :slight_smile:

Sorry for my english

#386

Like anyone goes through 26 pages, god damn. But the one thing I didn’t see skimming through all 26 pages (heh… heh… yeah…) was the connection editor.

Frankly, being able to use the luminance of a light to project the transparency information onto a shader is a move that has been helping me with some kick ass fades in the darkness of the background.

Also the Hotkey editor, I don’t know what would do if I needed to worry about getting the split poly tool every other move after merging verts and filling in holes and extruding faces withough assigning these tools to keyboard shorts.

#387

I don’t think anyone has mentioned RoadKill for UV mapping, I love it.

#388

I just set a hotkey for a fast auto isolate selected function -

$check=`isolateSelect -q -state modelPanel4`;
if ($check==1){
	enableIsolateSelect modelPanel4 0;
	isolateSelect -state 0 modelPanel4;
}else{
	enableIsolateSelect modelPanel4 1;
	isolateSelect -state 1 modelPanel4;
}

For isolating out what I’m working on, I’ve been using it ever other minute.

#389

wrote a script for that…
this is basically the same idea.just works on most of the standard maya shaders.Iam not much of a good scripter but I hope you like it…

string $selectedBaseMeshShader;
int $shadertransp;

string $currentSelection[]= ls -sl -tr;

if(size($currentSelection)!=0){

for($i in $currentSelection){
string $nodes[] = listHistory -f 1 $i;
string $history[] = listHistory $nodes;
string $shader[] = ls -type "lambert" $history;
$selectedBaseMeshShader = $shader[0];
}
}

if($shadertransp == 0){
$shadertransp = 1;
setAttr ($selectedBaseMeshShader +".transparency") -type double3 0.5 0.5 0.5 ;}
else if($shadertransp == 1){
$shadertransp = 2;
setAttr ($selectedBaseMeshShader +".transparency") -type double3 0.9 0.9 0.9 ;}
else{
$shadertransp = 0;
setAttr ($selectedBaseMeshShader +".transparency") -type double3 0.0 0.0 0.0 ;}

#390

I use this tool a lot when i’m doing rigging… i created this mel script to change topology of skinned objects. i can add edge loops, extrude faces, etc. with no damage to my skin weights… i done this using a http://www.petershipkov.com hint…

usage:
select the skinned geo and run the mel script above…
edit the geometry named “modify”
delete the history of the “modify” geometry
and go to the deform menu and press hide intermediate objects
then go to atribute editor of your skinned object and press “update weights” on the skin tab

//
//modify skinned object 1.0
//created by sergio yamasaki based on a http://www.petershipkov.com hint.
//http://www.sergioyamasaki.net

//select the skinned object and apply this mel script

//create skinned object selection
string $sel[] = ls -sl -fl;

//create node for modification
createNode transform -n modify;

//make possible edit skinned object
select -r $sel;
DisplayIntermediateObjects;
string $zed[] = ls -sl -fl;

//link modify node to skinned object
parent -add -s $zed modify;

//edit the object named “modify” - its already selected
//you can do anything, extrude, split edge loops, etc.
//delete the history of it
//delete it
//then go to atribute editor of your skinned object and press “update weights” on the skin tab
//go to the deform menu and press “hide intermediate objects”
//voilá! you edited your geometry with no messing to your skinned object
//

#391

My lightning Mel for MR and Renderman for fast Area light and paint light making.
The Shadow light part is for mayaman™ users.

                      [http://www.highend3d.com/f/4843.html](http://www.highend3d.com/f/4843.html)
#392

Spacebar>Whatever in combo with the abilities to map your own Hotkeys and write your own MEL scripts…

Definitely my favorite tools in maya. My workflow continues to become faster and more efficient everyday because of them :slight_smile:
But as far as non-basic stuff:

ya_selectionManager: http://highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/modeling/curve_tools/3958.html
[b]

v1.7 Features
[/b]-fast QSS creation and managing
-can select multiple QSS at a time
-can intersect multiple QSS
-can intersect multiple QSS with the current selection
-can substract multiple QSS from the current selection
-can substract the current selection from multiple QSS
-can be displayed in a dual layout, at the same time with the channelbox
and much more! :slight_smile:

Zen Tools: http://highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/modeling/curve_tools/zenTools-4337.html
Simply epic tool. Visit site for more info, couldn’t live without it.

Local Tools:
http://highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/modeling/curve_tools/Local-Tools-3717.html
Allows movement of an object around “local axis” without having to move the objects global axis.

Math Nodes: http://highend3d.com/maya/downloads/plugins/rendering/misc/Mathematic-Nodes-4711.html
I’m still experimenting with this one but it looks promising.

#393

Setting up Mental ray™ Standalone for using with maya.
(My every day weapon!!)
Find it here:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=87&t=554164

#394

Recently I wrote a New secret weapon!! A python script for maya 8.5 and 2008.

Faking Global Illumination. 1.1.0

[left]- Fakes Global illumination in very fast way. For maya 8.5 and 2008

  • This tool makes a Magic light! to your scene. No extra set up is needed.
  • You should add occlusion to your scene to see the actual results.
  • This is NOT a light system, so add your lights before rendering the scene.
  • Change the light intensity if you want.
  • Download the sample file here.
  • Feel free to send me bugs at: rodmenacom@gmail.com

-v 1.1.0: Some bugs fixed.
-Usage:
1- Put this file in your PYTHONPATH. if you have not set it yet, set it now:
name: PYTHONPATH
value: %MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH%
2- In python window type:
import fa_fgi
3- Add your lights to the scene.
4- Render it.

[/left]


Download it.
Contact me.
Have fuN!!!

#395

Hi ,

Something almost useful ! ^^
Perhaps it s already in the thread !
But sometimes maya “freeze” and become white , for example during a render (with render window) , when you open a other program,or something like that, impossible to see the “current” render , the same when the playblast freeze.

To fix this boring “bug” you just need :

Go to your desktop
Right clic the maya icon
-> properties
-> choose Compatibility
-> tick : run this program in compatibility mode for
-> and choose : Windows 2000

Maya will more be stable , and no more white freeze … :wink:

Jerome

#396

I remember that issue but now after reading your post I tried to reproduce it again. Nevertheless, I get no more white screens on the render editor whatsoever.
Maya 2008 on Windows Vista 64bits.

#397

mapy

Now you can use every script editor with maya.

  -Supports mel and [b]Python[/b] commands.

-Automatic text selection and execution in any editor.

  [b]-Installation: [/b]
  - Go to [mapy](http://rodmena.com/mapy/) homepage. there is a document about installing it.
  [b]-Usage:[/b]
  [b]-Configure your favorite editor for work with mapy[/b] ([[b]Read this Tutorial[/b]](http://rodmena.com/mapy/)).
      You can use crimson editor, SciTE, notepad++, pspad, textpad or any editor that support using tools.
#398

If anyone is working on a scene with tons of texture files then you will NEED this SG_MRMapCreator link:

http://highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/rendering/mental_ray/3794.html

This goes through and creates bot files wich basicly break up the textures in memory as it renders so maya dosn’t choke on them and CRASH. Trust me it will. My company was working for a long time trying to figure out why it was crashing before realizing that maya just cant handle tons of textures without this.

#399

best secret weapon = duel monitors :scream:

#400

Going to get my second computer screen soon so I wonder of do you set em up so you can have 2 screens active at once?