Course
Skills Expanded
Populating Complex Environments Using Python in Maya
Throughout these lessons, we will examine the process of building custom production tools from an artist's, not an engineer's, perspective. Software required: Maya 2013.
What you'll learn
Throughout these lessons we will examine the process of building custom production tools from an artist's, not an engineer's, perspective. We'll start by establishing basic Python vocabulary. Then we will look at how Python commands can be used to extend the functionality of Maya's existing tool set to create powerful problem solving tools specific to your work. At the end of this tutorial, you should feel comfortable with the process of designing, researching, and building your own custom tools. Software required: Maya 2013.
Table of contents
Introduction and Project Overview
0mins
Populating Complex Environments Using Python in Maya
312mins
- Introducing Python Vocabulary 9m
- Writing Conditional Statements and Converting Variables 11m
- Building a Simple Production Tool in Python 11m
- Performing Actions in Maya to Write Code in Python 8m
- Using a Loop to Create a Series of Commands 10m
- Adding a User Interface to Our Tools 10m
- Using the Setattr and Getattr Commands 8m
- Creating a Directional Light with Python 9m
- Creating an Improved Default Light Rig 7m
- Building a Procedural Stone Path 8m
- Creating Variety with a 'for in' Loop to Vary the Stones 9m
- Using a Motion Path to Place the Stones 12m
- Relating the Scale of Each Stone to Offset Them from the Path 4m
- Driving the Motion Path's U Value with the Scale of Each Stone 10m
- Using a 'while' Loop to Run the Full Length of the Curve 7m
- Selecting from a Variety of Stones to Duplicate 12m
- Randomizing the Width of the Path 6m
- Defining a Python Function 4m
- Modularizing Our Tools 13m
- Breaking the Motion Path Tool into Two Separate Functions 8m
- Path Tool with Integrated Modular Motion Path Tool 6m
- Getting User Input with the Prompt Dialog Window 6m
- Adding a Prompt Dialog Window to the Path Tool 6m
- Scripting Shader Assignment 10m
- Checking Object Type and Listing Connections 13m
- Shuffling the Assignment of Our Shaders 12m
- Creating a Custom User Interface for Our Grave Yard Tool 13m
- Randomizing the Placement of Our Hair Follicles 10m
- Getting the Color Value of a Texture at a Given U and V Coordinate 8m
- Finding a Texture That Is Associated with a Piece of Geometry 8m
- Combing the Texture and Scale Follicle Tool 5m
- Populating the Graveyard 11m
- Integrating the Shader Shuffler into the Graveyard Tool 12m
- Combing the Pieces of the Graveyard Tool into One Tool 16m
