Maya Version Conversion

Ever needed to convert a Maya file between versions but the file is too large to open it in your text editor or you wouldn't even know what to edit? 

Then this tool might be something for you. I wrote this in my spare time, but it has been used in production since quite some time and has proven to be a time real saver when having to convert multiple 2012 files back to 2009 format.

As usual you can download the script on creative crash for free.

(EDIT: Link updated & working now.)

Paint Fracture Maps

I posted a new (partly manual) workflow for fracturing volume meshes using Voronoi Texture Fracture. It describes how to deal with messy normals before inward extrusion and provides a method for painting your own fracture maps directly onto the mesh using Maya's 3D Paint Tool. Check out the thread in the SOuP Forum for details ...

Mesh fractured using Maya's 3D Paint Tool and Voronoi Texture Fracture

If the is enough demand (and if i find the time) i'll implement this workflow into the tool. 

Ionic SPH/DEM solver enters open beta!

Tony Amblés released an open beta version of his GPU accelerated SPH/DEM solver for Maya. It will be free until the end of the year, so be sure to download and test it while you have the chance! There is also a forum that can be used for bug reports, feature suggestions and the like.

(DEM solver simulation)

(SPH solver simulation)

According to Tony Amblés, both simulations were created using a Nvidia GTX 670. I think the results and performance look pretty promising and it would just be awesome to have a GPU accelerated fluid solver integrated into Maya.

Just downloaded the beta and will hopefully have some time to test it on the weekend. Cheers Mr. Amblés! Great work - keep it up! :)

Demolition Master by Eloi Andaluz

Awesome blackbox collection for TP called Demolition Master by Eloi Andaluz:

These blackboxes let you achieve demolition effects quickly and easily with little to no TP knowledge. But the even bigger value is: they are perfect study material if you want to get more into TP! I definitely recommend to buy the full version. It's just 25€ and you'll get a lot of TP know-how (dynamic sets and example scenes) for just a few bucks - plus: you'll get free updates by email!

I had actually planned to build something like that myself, but since I'm not that experienced with TP yet, it would've probably taken me a while. Now, thanks to Eloi, I can explore these dynamic sets and learn a lot quicker.

Another great treasure chest full of TP knowledge is Hristo Velev's Thinking Particles live blackbox collection on Dropbox as well the TP tutorials on his blog.

Thank you guys for making this stuff available for free (or cheap) and giving me (and others) the opportunity to learn by example!

FBX Export for Camera Matching in 3dsmax

Here is another tool i developed for RTT some time ago. It's a hybrid script utilizing MEL and MAXScript that automates the process of camera matching (still images) by integrating 3dsmax's Camera Match into an existing Maya pipeline. It was meant to speed up the whole process, establish a unified workflow and relieve the artists of all the tedious task (like browsing for files, adjusting settings, etc.) that ate up time or could've been error sources in the past.

Automated tasks:

• export selected geometry as FBX (bypassing the FBX export dialog)
• run 3dsmax (works with 2009-2012, automatically runs latest version you have installed)
• import FBX geometry into 3dsmax (bypassing the FBX import dialog)
• set render settings in 3dsmax (according to size of given image file)
• set backplate in 3dsmax (matching render output)
• configure Nitrous viewport (3dsmax2012 only)
• configure units and snap settings (3D snap to vertex)
• maximize perspective viewport and frame imported geometry
• save 3dsmax scene file
• switch to CamPoint tool so you can start working right away
• one-button interface in 3dsmax for FBX camera export (bypassing the FBX import dialog)
• import camera into Maya & create image plane with the given image

 

 (click to enlarge)

 

The tool is being used on a regular basis and has proven to be a real time saver in production.