headus 3D tools

[headus]

Here's the interface plugin for Maya; it allows you to run UVLayout from within Maya, and selected objects can be sent back and forth with the click of one button or hotkey. Note: This will only work with UVLayout v1.14 or above.

How to install it:

Grab the ZIP file below, extract its contents, then put the two uvlayout MEL scripts into your maya scripts directory, the XPM into prefs/icons, and the shelf MEL into prefs/shelves. Typically these directories are here ...

Windows: C:/Documents and Settings/<your_username>/My Documents/maya/<maya_version>

Linux: $HOME/maya/<maya_version>

If installing under Windows, you may need to also edit the uvlayout_home.mel script so it returns the install location of UVLayout. By default its set to "C:/Program Files/headus UVLayout".

You may also want to define a hotkey within Maya that calls the uvlayout_send function; I use Ctrl-U. This saves you from having to click on the Send Selected button in the plugin interface window. In fact you can kill the interface window, once everything is going, if you define a hotkey to send objects to UVLayout.

How to start it up:

Run Maya, open up the UVLayout shelf, then click on the torus icon to open up the plugin interface window (see A below). Next, click on the Start button to run UVlayout itself (see B below). Finally, select the Load Options, specifically if you're going to be sending across polymeshes or subdiv surfaces (see C below).

How to send objects to UVLayout:

Use the usual Maya actions to select one or more poly objects, or a single subdiv object, then click on the interface plugin's "Send Selected" button. The selected object should then load up in UVLayout after a second or two.

How to get objects back from UVLayout:

When you've finished flattening those objects in UVLayout, click on UVLayout's "Send" button. Then back in Maya just tap the 'x' hotkey; Maya should then load the flattened objects, replacing the ones you originally sent to UVLayout.

How to exit nicely:

When you're done flattening objects, click on the interface plugin's "Stop" button. This will not only kill UVLayout, but it also stops the background script jobs.

Suggested improvements for someone better at MEL scripting than me:

1) Currently the selected objects are unparented before being sent to UVLayout. It would be nice if it didnt have to do this, or at least re-inserted the objects back into the tree when received back from UVlayout.

2) Instead of replacing the selected objects with those sent across from UVLayout, just transfer the UVs. This would preserve all shaders, and other scene graph properties that OBJ files don't know about. I looked at polyTransfer, but couldn't get it to work.

3) I'm using "scriptJob -cf busy uvlayout_load" to check for the file sent from UVLayout. Is there a better way to do this that doesnt require the 'x' key tap to wake Maya up?

Phil

[Wolfsong]

I think I've fixed suggestion #1 and #2 now. Also fixed some other issues I found, like when trying to export only a parent it becomes a shape with all it's children merged.

Don't have a clue on suggestion #3... yet.

I'll keep going at it some more.

[headus]

Thanks!

Phil

[Wolfsong]

Found another problem yesterday, but I'm getting there. A few more days of testing and fixing should do it.

Gonna take a closer look at the subDiv issues as the poly part works fine now even with objects which have parent and/or child objects.

[headus]

For those "watching" this topic, Wolfsong's updated Maya plugin now available here ... http://www.headus.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=394

Phil