Currently the addAttr-command does not return the attribute that it creates.   In this example the variable "plug" will be empty.   >>> plug = cmds.addAttr("pCube1", longName="myNewAttr") >>> print plug     What should happen is that addAttr returns the new plug:   >>> plug = cmds.addAttr("pCube1", longName="myNewAttr") >>> print plug "pCube1.myNewAttr"     This way there would be no need to do awkward things like this:   >>> some_node = "pCube1" >>> attr = "myNewAttr" >>> cmds.addAttr(some_node, longName=attr) >>> plug = "{}.{}".format(some_node, attr)     I imagine this must be a quick and easy fix and it would be very appreciated by many TDs. Show More

Hi! when using python, I normally use the help() function to get a quick idea of how any class/method/function works. Even if the docstring are not "well" written, the help() usually shows the function arguments or class definition.   I think the same way "Quick Help" shortcut works with maya cmds (select *command* text, right-click), it would be neat to have the same workflow like: select *python* text, right-click, "Docstring Help" and print the docstring like the help() function does.   What do you think?       Show More

hi, Would be nice to have a field to enter some expression in the display layer or sets to exclude/include procedurally objects based on their names or even custom attributes like strings. Maya recently started to introduce such a thing with the rendersetup system so we need more things like that. Maya needs this behavior for almost everything to be more procedural, but having it for display layers and sets would be already a good start. thanks  Show More

Feature Request List/Notes: [See Attached image for details]   Reorganize the "Reduction Method" into a per LOD level solution   -This will allow for a more streamlined/controlled LOD optimization without the need to switch methods on subsequent LODs.   Add Exclusion mesh in Advanced Options   -This will allow for a more optimal/efficient reduction by ignoring mesh objects or groups based on naming conventions   -Should be able to work with "*", as in shown example, thereby not needing to list explicit mesh names, enabling use of prefixes/suffixes.   -Excluded meshes work on a per LOD level, user can enable/disable any LOD checkbox per selected 'Excluded Object' item   -Explicit mesh or groups can also be added based on selection -Excluded meshes are removed from the LOD hirearchy by default   -If "Remove Excluded Mesh From Hirearchy" checkbox is turned off, optimization on specified 'Excluded Objects' is ignored, mesh is kept at same resolution on subsequent LODs. -[ May be useful for Extremely low poly meshes that do not require optimization, but that the user may want to keep in subsequent LOD levels ] -Could be implemented on a per LOD level as well for finer control   Add 'Remesh & Project' optimization method. [ Stretch Goal ], similar functionality as in Simplygon/Houdini   -Creates a 'water tight' mesh specified by max triangle count   -Typically these are low polygonal meshes intended for far distances, so a triangle limit is most appropriate   -Multiple materials are consolidated into 1, for reduced draw calls in engine.   -After geometry remesh, auto-generate UVs and rebake connected/specified maps onto a new shader [ UI borrowed from 'Transfer Maps' ]   -Add 'Specular Color' projection support   -For this option to be practical, the texture rebake/projection should be fully threaded/gpu accelerated   Show More

There's currently no way to convert an OpenMaya object to OM2 or back.  This fragments Python APIs: if you're using OpenMaya you can't use OM2 at all and vice versa.  There's no way to migrate code or transition between them, since it's all or nothing.   Also, PyMEL uses OpenMaya, which means anyone building around PyMEL can only use OM and is locked out of OM2.   All that's needed to fix this is a way to convert MObject and MPlug between these APIs, so you can say:   from maya import OpenMaya as om from maya.api import OpenMaya as om2 obj1 = om.MObject() obj2 = om2.MObject(obj1) # OM1 MObject -> OM2 MObject obj3 = om.MObject(obj2) # OM2 MObject -> OM1 MObject plug1 = om.MPlug() plug2 = om2.MPlug(plug1) # OM1 MPlug -> OM2 MPlug plug3 = om.MPlug(plug2) # OM2 MPlug -> OM1 MPlug   There's no need to support this for function sets, since you can just convert the MObject and create a new function set.   This would make OpenMaya2 a lot more accessible to people who are currently locked into OpenMaya1 and the other way around. Show More

Why Can't Autodesk update their rigging system with the available technology of today ? and create DRAG and DROP Facial and body rigging for Maya..?   This would create more work and more Users of the product world wide with more work for every form of media. TV, Phone, Film, Games, VR, AR, short animations, cartoons, Netflix, Amazon and the like.. the opportunities for Artists would be limitless.    Create more jobs world wide by gaining more users of Maya..?   Why should Talented Artist have to change career because only the select few can get into a major studios.  What if you don't want to Queue at a big studio doors and you want to do it yourself.. The reality is 5000 people animators or riggers/TD's applying for 10 jobs world wide..   Talent is being wasted instead of helped and promoted!   So where is the solution..?   As Pixar said "STORY" is King..   How do you tell a story.. by some form of empathy and story telling in the form of Facial communication. The connection between beings, humanoid, animal or robot. But where does it start.. In the Face you can communicate so much more if a character has a face and Eyes the windows to the soul.   Auto desk Should to look at the likes of "High end 3d.com" or the Area or other small developers, where talented people have built Drag and drop Auto Rigs with full facial controls that almost work and buy them up and refine them properly into a full Maya Featured Products.   Dustin Nelson - Rapid Rig & Rapid Rig Advanced Anzovin Face Machine.. which I assume is obsolete now, but was good in it's time. Mohammad Jafrian - Perseus Rig Oyvind Nostdal - Advanced Skeleton CgKode _Frigger - Facial rigging - Facial rigging   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxzYbx3KgC0 Eyad Hussain - Ice Rig - https://vimeo.com/191885237   Autodesk should also, be looking at Braverabbit, http://www.braverabbit.com/ Brsmoothweights for better skinning.   Technology Could make this an easy and fast process and Maya could take the lead in the market with a little development..   But probably won't and fade into the distance because of the competition. Look at the big picture from the freelance Artists perspective and the people who want to work from home. It will happen.. Nimble collective will make it happen but will they Use Maya or Blender..?   Nimble collective will allow users to form a studio and work from home anywhere in the world, so why not refine the tools and make it a little easier. DRAG & DROP FACIAL AND BODY RIGGING.   Let the talent shine and push everything forward rather than the select few who have the biggest bank balance.   I studied with world famous Animation Schools and only realised after spending thousands of pounds that only the select few can work in Animation, film and Games. You can have the skills and talent but the reality of 5000 people applying for 10 jobs is you don't have a hope in hell.   I believe Nimble collective is already on the way to changing the industry, its just the software developers need to up grade some of their tooling with Drag & Drop Body & Facial Rigging Tools. One man bands seem to be able to do it, so why not a big players like Autodesk..?   Over the last few years with the development of technology I can almost produce everything single handedly. My work flow is, Sculpt in Zbrush, 3d Model in Maya, Retopologise in 3DCoat, UV Map in Maya, Texture in Substance Painter, and after many hours of Torture rig in Maya before getting to the exciting part of animating in Maya before creating a Short or exporting to Unity. But it shouldn't be so hard.   This whole process would be made easy with the suggested Tools, Drag and Drop Facial and Body Rigging. Just Body is OK but I want to tell expressive stories.   Maya could be sold to thousands more users world wide with improved Tools allowing them to work as freelance Artists, most industries are allowing people to work freelance, it's time for Autodesk to follow suit. The reality is I'd rather work from home and spend most of my time with family. Not working in a studio a 70 - 80 hour week and never seeing them. Why can't people have the tools to do the best of both.. ?   I highly doubt that this idea will every reach the lofty heights of Autodesk but just in case, please contact me.   Kind regards Lee  Show More

I know this has been requested for years...Adding another one so hopefully you all listen to how important this is as a feature.    I use Maya professionally and am coding all day at work...in python. Why can't I do this at home in the LT version? Or use references?    The lack of python discourages actual TDs from using LT or creating anything intuitive beyond little quick scripts, and the lack of a reference editor discourages version iterations on work progress, lest you end up with massive storage use for heavier files.    Please bring these to LT.   Thank you.    -AJ Show More

Tech Anim Lead - Mill Film, Adelaide. Currently there is absolutely no way to harness anything in the shapeEditor to allow for creation of improved techAnim, CFX workflows. I have a team of 30 Tech anim artists and growing rapidly. We need faster and more efficient ways to do skin fixing on animation cached creatures. The shapeEditor has some great features but it is entirely black box so creating more functionality that could massively improve our efficiency is next to impossible. A few simple examples:   Querying what target(s) are selected in the interface:  This is possibly the biggest issue. Being able to accurately return the index of the blendshape represented by the target would allow us to do a million things. Example: creating a corrective shape for a frame - naming the corrective automatically based on the frame number (and perhaps the name of the group that the target is organised under.. say  f1002_thorNeck Another shape for frame 1008  f1008_thorNeck  and the ability to automatically key into the pose by determining that there is a target with f1002 so key f1008_thorNeck off at frame 1002 and on at 1008, and key off f1002_thorNeck at frame 2008.. All this could be done as a command to manage and make sure that animating on and off the sequence of targets is cared for.   Additionally if I can query if the selected target is in edit mode I can listen for the sculpt tool context or component selection and warn if the target is not in edit mode. This could save a lot of grief as accidentally sculpting with the target not in edit mode can clobber things (despite deleting the tweak node)   Additionally currently created and named targets could be queried and sorted based on frame number making management of targets waaaay easier..   None of this is able to be done because the UI is a mess.   PLEEEEAAASSSSEEEE open the shapeEditor to access for maya.cmds!.   Show More

Add an OpenMaya callback for when the application gains focus.   This is useful for scripts and plugins that want a simple place to refresh data from disk without causing extra overhead during normal use.  An API-level callback would be useful, so it can be used from both native plugins and Python code (not a scriptJob).   This can be done with SetWinEventHook, but that's Windows-specific.  Qt has hooks, but they're unreliable (they're confused by things like tear-off windows).   A matching callback when losing focus and a query for whether Maya currently has focus might make sense, but those are less important.   Show More

Somehow detect when a MEL script is not responding or jumping at the same location over and over and within a specified timeout display a popup window asking whether or not to abort the current script...   Currently when making a mistake in for or while loop conditions there is no choice but forcefully close Maya and lose the code in Maya script editor and other unsaved worked in the scene. Show More

(Copied from original User Voice forum)   "ogsRender is a very cool command to have custom scripted playblast but you need to have a proper project setted as you can't explicitly set a file path to write rendered frame on. Please add a filePath argument to ogsRender command to override the file path and let the developper manage where frames are stored: maya.cmds.ogsRender(filePath="/path/to/file.001.png')" Show More

(Copied from original User Voice forum)   "The pre and postMel render callbacks aren't executed when doing a maya batch render from within Maya, which is suprising and annoying, please make this work." Show More

(Copied from original User Voice forum) "Improve scriptCtx or add a new mel command that allows usage of all mouse buttons and modifier keys to run multiple commands from the same tool.  Example:  Create a polygon reduction tool that merges Target Weld, Delete Edge Loop and Collapse Edge Ring in one single tool. The switch would be done with modifier keys that can be queried when the click command is activated.  At the moment the tool is based on the selection context and I've tried using getModifier to run more commands in the same tool but I'm practically limited to SHIFT and CTRL+SHIFT since CTRL+Click will deselect and I cannot run that on my first component click and ALT+Click is reserved for camera movement and again, does nothing. Also check out my other suggestion regarding pressed keys: http://mayafeedback.autodesk.com/forums/160514-ideas-for-maya-forum/suggestions/18495562-query-keypress-in-mel-python" Show More

(Copied from original User Voice forum) "The new Node Editor does not have the ability to create 'composite' nodes, like every other node editor anywhere (XSI ICE, coral, morpheme, houdini, etc.). It is effectively useless without the ability to create composite nodes." Show More