Vishang Shah

Moving blog to a new location

2009-10-26T01:09:00.001-07:00

New location of my blog is : http://www.vishangshah.com/

Another one in Charcoal

2009-09-17T04:28:00.000-07:00

Charcoal

2009-08-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

Sack 2

2009-08-14T00:41:00.001-07:00

Sack 1

2009-08-12T23:03:00.001-07:00

Cameron Fielding’s Animation Reel

2009-08-03T18:27:00.001-07:00

Spielbergs Love for Animators

2009-07-30T18:53:00.001-07:00

Vol Libre

2009-07-30T18:35:00.001-07:00

Vol Libre from Loren Carpenter on Vimeo.

P4Python

2009-07-30T01:27:00.001-07:00

#Needs p4python installed
#P4Utility
import os
import sys
from P4 import P4

class P4Utils:
    def __init__(self,user,port,client):
        self.p4 = P4()
        self.p4.user = user
        self.p4.port = port
        self.p4.client = client
    def connectToP4(self):
        try:
            self.p4.connect()
        except:
            print "Error in Connecting to P4"
    def do_sync(self,depot):
        try:
            output = self.p4.run("sync",depot)
            return output
        except:
            output = "Files up-to-date"
            return output
    def do_changes(self,depot):
        output = self.p4.run("changes",depot)
        return output

Microsoft Excel + Python

2009-07-30T01:26:00.001-07:00

# excelWin32ReadWrite
from win32com.client import Dispatch

class excelWin32ReadWrite:
    def __init__(self,filename = None):
        self.xlApp = Dispatch('Excel.Application')
        if filename:
            self.filename = filename
            self.xlBook = self.xlApp.Workbooks.Open(filename)
        else:
            self.xlBook = self.xlApp.Workbooks.Add()
            self.filename = ''
    def save(self,newfilename = None):
        if newfilename:
            self.filename = newfilename
            self.xlBook.SaveAs(newfilename)
        else:
            self.xlBook.Save()
    def setCell(self,sheet,row,col,value):
        sht = self.xlBook.Worksheets(sheet)
        sht.Cells(row,col).Value = value
    def getCell(self,sheet,row,col):
        sht = self.xlBook.Worksheets(sheet)
        return sht.Cells(row,col).Value
    def getContiguosRange(self,sheet,row,col):
        sht = self.xlBook.Worksheets(sheet)
        bottom = row
        while sht.Cells(bottom+1, col).Value not in [None,'']:
            bottom = bottom+1
        right = col
        while sht.Cells(row, right+1).Value not in [None,'']:
            right = right+1
        return sht.Range(sht.Cells(row,col), sht.Cells(bottom,right)).Value
    def renameSheet(self,sheet,newname):
        self.xlBook.Worksheets(sheet).Name = newname
    def deleteSheet(self,sheet):
        self.xlBook.Worksheets(sheet).Delete
    def returnAllSheetNames(self):
        allSheets = self.xlBook.Sheets
        sheetNames = []
        for i in range(0,len(allSheets)):
            sheetNames.append(self.xlBook.Sheets[i].Name)
        return sheetNames
    def close(self):
        self.xlBook.Close(SaveChanges = 0)
        del self.xlApp

Add user modules path to system path in Python

2009-07-30T01:20:00.001-07:00

import os
import sys
#
pyModulesPath = os.path.join(os.getcwd(),"pyModules")
sys.path.append(pyModulesPath)
#

Parse XML Document in Python

2009-07-30T01:17:00.001-07:00

from xml.etree import ElementTree
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# function to parse XML in dictionary
def readConfigFile(filename):
    '''Reads config XLS and returns dictionary of all variables'''
    dictree = ElementTree.parse(filename).getroot()
    global_params = {}
    listCtrl_values = []
    tmpList = []
    relative_paths = ["relativepath”]
    print "Reading Global Parameters..."
    for entry in dictree:
        relative_switch = 0
        tmpList = []
        key = re.sub('[\t\n\r\f\v]','',str(entry.tag))
        value = re.sub('[\t\n\r\f\v]','',str(entry.text))
        for item in relative_paths:
            if key == item:
                relative_switch = 1
        if relative_switch == 1:
            value = os.path.join(os.getcwd(),value)
        global_params[key] = value
        tmpList.append(key)
        tmpList.append(value)
        listCtrl_values.append(tmpList)
    return global_params,listCtrl_values

#------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Open Maya as separate thread from Python

2009-07-30T01:13:00.001-07:00

# Maya thread
class maya_thread(threading.Thread):
    def run(self):
        ''' Opens Maya as a seperate Thread '''
        maya_cmd = ('maya -command "runCommandPortInMaya"')
        #print 'Maya Running...'
        maya_process = subprocess.call(maya_cmd,shell=True)
        return maya_process

#------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Establish connection with maya
def connectWithMaya(port):
    ''' connects to Maya using socket '''
    maya_socket = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
    maya_socket.connect(("10.88.162.46", port))
    maya_socket.send(r'print"\nConnected to Python ...\n";')
    return maya_socket

#------------------------------ Connecting to Maya and sending Mel Commands -------------------
        # Maya Thread
        maya_process = maya_thread().start()
        # Maya Socket
        maya_socket = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
        #---------------------------------------------------------------
        # Loop to wait till Maya is Invoked
        # Port specified in runCommandPortInMaya.mel file
        port = 5055
        while 1:
            try:
                maya_socket.connect((socket.gethostname(), port))
                break
            except:
                continue

# Loop to wait till Maya is up and fully running
        while 1:
            #maya can only send 4096 bytes through socket
            data = maya_socket.recv(4096)
            data = data.replace("\n","")
            #print data
            tokens = data.split(" : ")
            # if preferences are saved in maya, then Maya is fully loaded with all plugins
            if re.search("Preferences saved.",data):
                break
        #---------------------------------------------------------------
        #("Maya is Running...\n")

Jon Stewart

2009-07-26T23:00:00.001-07:00

More Shading

2009-07-26T22:39:00.001-07:00

Speaker

2009-07-23T01:24:00.001-07:00

Shading, keep going

2009-07-22T02:47:00.001-07:00

But this time shading in ArtRage using Wacom, :)
Many mistakes though, the light/shadow direction and lack of proper reflection from ground.

Shading 102

2009-07-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

Shading 101

2009-07-11T03:35:00.000-07:00

Office colleague

2009-07-08T00:28:00.001-07:00

Need to keep sketching

2009-07-06T00:23:00.001-07:00

Creative

2009-07-02T00:20:00.001-07:00

Architecture

2009-07-02T00:00:00.001-07:00

Architecture from MAYAnMAYA on Vimeo.

Spot by Psyop

2009-07-01T23:52:00.001-07:00

Smith and Nephew from mate on Vimeo.

Flexible

2009-07-01T23:46:00.001-07:00

Rodeo

2009-06-15T19:26:00.001-07:00

Hoedown from Rodeo from Eleanor Stewart on Vimeo.

Wood

2009-06-09T22:13:00.001-07:00

Masquerade

2009-06-03T19:18:00.001-07:00

Masquerade from Aziz K. on Vimeo.

La Main des Maitres

2009-05-25T19:00:00.001-07:00

La Main des Maîtres
by -CaYuS-

C++ / C# Interop

2009-05-24T22:13:00.001-07:00

Here is code for basic dllExport in C++  and dllImport in C#
C++
#include <windows.h>
#define EXPORT __declspec(dllexport)
extern "C"
{
 EXPORT int dllStartClient()
 {
  return (WinMain((HINSTANCE)0x500000,(HINSTANCE)0x500000,"",0));
 }
}
int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance,HINSTANCE hPrevInstance,LPSTR lpCmdLine,int nShowCmd)
{
 MessageBox(NULL,L"Hello",L"Hello",MB_ICONEXCLAMATION | MB_OK);
 return 0;
}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C#
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
namespace Test1
{
   public partial class Form1 : Form
   {
       [DllImport("Client.dll")]
       private static extern int dllStartClient();

       public Form1()
       {
           InitializeComponent();
       }

       private void BtnStartClient_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
       {
           StartClient();
       }
       private void StartClient()
       {
           dllStartClient();
       }
   }
}

Monsters vs. Aliens

2009-05-24T21:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, got to watch Monsters vs. Aliens, first Tru 3D feature by Dreamworks and first animated feature I watched in Tru 3D.
First shot opens with a planet surrounded by orbiting rocks and meteors and we all had instant expression of “Wowwwww'”.
It took nanoseconds for me to come to a conclusion that this experience is totally worth few extra dollars.
5-10 minutes more and we had gone through scenes carefully planned for 3D experience and were simply stunning.
I don’t know whether it was due to 3D effect or better renders but the hair and fur on characters like Insectosauras looked more lively.

Halfway through the movie and I have already digested all those 3D hype and seen best scenes delivered in 3D experience.
And what I was waiting for? A great movie experience.
I was expecting a Dreamworks experience(e.g.. Madagascar, Kungfu Panda), but finally came out of theater with a new experience of
movie technology but disappointing story and humor.
Humor wasn’t that funny, it didn’t have interesting story and characters.
So here is what I felt,
“Spent more money for new experience(worth doing),
spent money & time for a moving story, good humor and lovable characters(disappointed)”

“2D or 3D animation, movie experience is all about story, characters, production art, etc... Same applies to 3D or True 3D.”

A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language

2009-05-20T01:21:00.001-07:00

http://xkcd.com/

Ships

2009-05-19T19:28:00.001-07:00

Interesting Game using Google Earth as Game Engine
http://www.planetinaction.com/ships.php

Color

2009-05-19T01:19:00.001-07:00

http://www.byronc.com/art_color.shtml

Subprime

2009-04-28T19:17:00.001-07:00

subprime from beeple on Vimeo.

Making of The Witcher Cinematics

2009-04-28T19:09:00.001-07:00

http://community.platige.com/thewitcher/default.aspx

Art of Monsters vs Aliens

2009-04-28T18:56:00.001-07:00

Lindsey Olivares-Senior Thesis Animation "Anchorred"

2009-04-15T18:44:00.001-07:00

http://lindsey-olivares-interview.blogspot.com/

Tilt-Shift

2009-04-15T00:44:00.001-07:00

Beached from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

More Images and videos on - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/16/beautiful-examples-of-tilt-shift-photography/

Freerunning

2009-04-12T23:24:00.001-07:00

Ratatouille Progression Reel

2009-04-12T19:31:00.001-07:00

Thanks to http://animationaac.blogspot.com/

Meet Maline

2009-04-12T19:28:00.001-07:00

Animation Planning

2009-04-12T19:26:00.001-07:00

Double your Animation Output from DJ Nicke on Vimeo.

How to make lip-syncing easy

2009-04-12T19:20:00.001-07:00

Facial Animation Basics from DJ Nicke on Vimeo.

Production designer on Pixar's WALL-E

2009-04-10T08:37:00.001-07:00

DESIGN WITH A PURPOSE - AN INTERVIEW WITH RALPH EGGLESTON

Maya API : nodeFromName

2009-04-08T22:57:00.001-07:00

MStatus pluginCmd::nodeFromName(MString name, MObject & obj)
{
    MSelectionList templist;
    templist.add(name);
    if(templist.length() > 0)
    {
        templist.getDependNode(0,obj);
        return MS::kSuccess;
    }
    return MS::kFailure;
}

The “Raiders” Story Conference

2009-04-07T19:38:00.001-07:00

http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/2009/03/raiders-story-conference.html
Link to the pdf

Processes in C#

2009-04-01T00:33:00.001-07:00

Start new process in C#  
Process mayaProcess = new Process();
mayaProcess.StartInfo.FileName = "wordpad.exe";
mayaProcess.StartInfo.Arguments = mayaScenePath;
mayaProcess.Start();
mayaProcess.WaitForExit();

Cool 2d Animation tools

2009-03-31T20:03:00.001-07:00

Pencil(Open Source) - http://www.pencil-animation.org/

FlipBookPro - http://www.flipbookpro.com/index.htm

The Code/Art Divide: How Technical Artists Bridge The Gap by Jason Hayes

2009-03-31T19:52:00.001-07:00

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1651/the_codeart_divide_how_technical_.php

Credit Crisis Visualized

2009-03-31T19:48:00.001-07:00

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

UP : Meet Kevin

2009-03-30T20:20:00.001-07:00

Discovering a Lost World

2009-03-30T20:16:00.001-07:00

Adrenaline Lemmings

2009-03-30T20:11:00.001-07:00

Adrenaline Lemmings CGI test from Alex Orrelle on Vimeo.

ilovesketch

2009-03-30T19:05:00.001-07:00

ILoveSketch from Seok-Hyung Bae on Vimeo.

Minority Report

2009-03-30T19:02:00.001-07:00

g-speak overview 1828121108 from john underkoffler on Vimeo.

The Art of Storyboarding

2009-03-27T02:53:00.001-07:00

Tools Of The Trade For Casual Games by Jeffrey Fleming @ GDC

2009-03-26T23:52:00.001-07:00

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22882

“On the technology side, it’s not rocket science,”

Zen Bound for iPhone

2009-03-26T23:44:00.001-07:00

Ed Ulbrich: How Benjamin Button got his face

2009-03-26T23:34:00.001-07:00

Osmos, by Hemisphere Games

2009-03-26T20:58:00.001-07:00

Osmos Trailer from hemisphere games on Vimeo.

Looks pretty much like Cell Stage in Spore

Tag: The Power of Paint - Best Student Game @ IGF

2009-03-26T20:55:00.001-07:00

Tag: The Power of Paint. Complete walkthrough from Tejeev Kohli on Vimeo.

Machinarium – Winner of Excellence in Visual Art @ IGF

2009-03-26T20:52:00.001-07:00

Machinarium Preview 02 from Amanita Design on Vimeo.

Add a folder with all files and subfolders to Perforce

2009-03-26T02:36:00.001-07:00

Files will be added to default changelist,

dir /b /s /a-d | p4 -x - add

Another Dimension – how much difference can it make?

2009-03-25T23:41:00.001-07:00

Here is an interesting article about stereoscopic movies,
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1886541-3,00.html

One theory, James Cameron says, is that 3-D viewing "is so close to a real experience that it actually triggers memory creation in a way that 2-D viewing doesn't." His own theory is that stereoscopic viewing uses more neurons. That's possible. After watching all that 3-D, I was a bit wiped out. I was also totally entertained.

Well, its real because of another dimension and much more entertaining, but does it change the story at all? It can make the whole experience more frightening or live but movies like Schindler's List and The Silence of the Lambs can frighten you with its story and performances without any technology.

Its just me being too focused of story, maybe this another dimension opens new frontiers in storytelling and performance.

Create a new Camera Node

2009-03-25T23:29:00.001-07:00

M3dView view;
MObject camera;
MDagPath cameraPath;
// create new camera
view = M3dView::active3dView(&status);
MFnCamera fnCamera;
fnCamera.create(camera,NULL);

Maya Plugin Development Primer

2009-03-05T01:12:00.000-08:00

Here are few steps for developing plugins from scratch and not using the wizard, thanks to Rob Bateman for most of the info,

1. Create dll project
2. add a c++ file to it
3. change the output extension to mll
4. change project settings->C/C++->Code generation to Multi-threaded or Multi-threaded-debug
5. add NT_PLUGIN & REQUIRE_IOSTREAM to the C/C++ -> pre-processor defines in the project settings
6. set the library and include paths to the maya API (additional include directories, and additional lib directories (Foundation.lib, OpenMaya.lib)

in the cpp file:
//
#include <maya/MFnPlugin.h>
#include <maya/MPxCommand.h>
//
// link libs under VisualC++/Win32
#ifdef WIN32
#pragma comment(lib,"Foundation.lib")
#pragma comment(lib,"OpenMaya.lib")
#pragma comment(lib,"OpenMayaFx.lib")
#pragma comment(lib,"OpenMayaUi.lib")
#pragma comment(lib,"Image.lib")
#pragma comment(lib,"OpenMayaAnim.lib")
#pragma comment(lib,"OpenGl32.lib")
#pragma comment(lib,"glu32.lib")
#endif

#ifdef WIN32
#define EXPORT __declspec(dllexport)
#else
#define EXPORT
#endif
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
class helloCmd : public MPxCommand{
public:
virtual MStatus doIt(const MArgList&);
static void *creator(){
return new helloCmd;
}
};
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MStatus helloCmd::doIt(const MArgList& args){
MStatus status = MS::kSuccess;
MGlobal::displayInfo("Hello\n");
setResult("initialized");
return status;
}
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXPORT MStatus initializePlugin( MObject obj )
{
MStatus status;
MFnPlugin pluginFn( obj, "Vishang Shah", "1.0");
status = pluginFn.registerCommand("helloCmd",helloCmd::creator);
if(!status)
status.perror("registerCommand Failed");
return status;
}
EXPORT MStatus uninitializePlugin( MObject obj)
{
MFnPlugin pluginFn( obj );
MStatus status;
status = pluginFn.deregisterCommand("helloCmd");
if(!status)
status.perror("deregister failed");
return status;
}
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C#

2009-01-29T23:46:00.001-08:00

First C# Code, to search all tga files in given directory and its subdirectories

static class FileSearch{
public static List<string> GetFilesRecursive(string parentDir){
List<string> result = new List<string>();
//
Stack<string> stack = new Stack<string>();
//
stack.Push(parentDir);
while (stack.Count > 0)
{
string dir = stack.Pop();
try
{
result.AddRange(Directory.GetFiles(dir, "*.tga"));
foreach (string subdir in Directory.GetDirectories(dir))
{
stack.Push(subdir);
}
}
catch (System.Exception e)
{
Console.WriteLine(e);
}
}
return result;
}
}

That wasn't the real issue

2009-01-29T02:31:00.001-08:00

In reply to my previous post, I just figured out that the bake texture method is not useful because that isn't the real issue in what I am trying to do. Anyway, now we know how to solve the next-gen/current-gen problem, and working on it.

Bake texture from high-res mesh and fit onto Low Res Mesh

2009-01-28T22:40:00.001-08:00

This it the task I am working on since few days. Initially I thought its piece of cake. Some artist work on UV layout and then bake textures and assign to low-res mesh. But as it turns out that it can be most complex task I have handled(complex mean mind boggling), I haven't found any tool, script or plugin which can give me this functionality. So far, I have checked below tools,

Road Kill - http://www.pullin-shapes.co.uk/page8.htm
Projection Maker - http://www.highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/texturing/4947.html

But looks like I will have to figure this out and write a tool to achieve it.

Films

2008-07-24T00:16:00.001-07:00

Why films?

Why movies influence our society more than any other artform?

my answer is, "Because Human Emotions are Complicated", They can't be portrayed in one artform whether it be writing, visualizing or hearing,

The best thing about Movies is it combines all these experiences and gives us a unique feeling, that's why after these many years, its still THE best Artform when it comes to emotions.

Wall E

2008-07-06T19:17:00.001-07:00

Patrick Beaulieu at CG Overdrive

2008-06-18T17:42:00.001-07:00

I was at CG Overdrive in Singapore on 2nd day, and I knew I was there just to attend Patrick Beaulieu's presentation on Animation techniques,

and it went awesome, I can say that because after 1 hour at conference I was searching for a diary, and when I found it, I started making little basic animation, and then flipping them to show it to my friends,

Wow, after 2-3 years, I animated something(just for fun),

Patrick's amazing little animations are at http://www.chevisodes.com/

commandPort

2008-06-05T03:21:00.001-07:00

Its been long long time since I posted anything on my blog.

So here is a way to send data from Python to Maya and vice versa,

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#echoFromMaya.py

import socket
import re

port = 3033

maya_socket = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
maya_socket.connect((socket.gethostname(), port))
maya_socket.send(r'print"\nConnected to Python ...\n";')

while 1:
    data = maya_socket.recv(4096)
    data = data.replace("\n","")
    if re.search("callPythonSocketServer",data):
        print "Closing..."
        break

print "Socket closed"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

in Maya,

commandPort -eo -n ":3033"; to connect to python socket

then,

print "Hi from Maya\n"; will print the string in command line, where python server is listening

and then finally, we are using this string "callPythonSocketServer" to tell python server to quit,

print "callPythonSocketServer";

Enjoy

:-)

Delete Nodes having some Prefix

2007-11-15T01:50:00.001-08:00

# To delete nodes starting with some prefix string
import os
from time import strftime,localtime

def del_p_999(fpath,str):
    print ('--------------------------------------------------------------------')
    print fpath
    print "Start Time : " + strftime("%H:%M:%S",localtime())
    filein = open(fpath,'r')
    inputstr = filein.read()
    filein.close()
    lines=inputstr.splitlines(1)
    sw = 0
    linecount = 0
    outputstr=''
    totalnodes = 0
    fileout=open(fpath,'w')
    for line in lines:
        if(line.startswith('createNode')):
            sw = 0
            if line.find(str) != -1:
                sw = 1
                totalnodes += 1
            else:
                fileout.write(line)
                sw = 0
        else:
            if sw==1:
                continue
            else:
                fileout.write(line)
                sw = 0
    fileout.close()
    print ("\nTotal Nodes Deleted : ")
    print totalnodes
    print ("\nEnd Time : " + strftime("%H:%M:%S",localtime())+'\n')

basedir=raw_input('Enter Root Path : ')
str=raw_input('Enter Node Prefix : ')

for root,dirs,files in os.walk(basedir):
    for f in files:
        fpath=os.path.join(root, f)
        if(f.endswith('.ma')):
            del_p_999(fpath,str)

Simple Object Oriented Program in Python

2007-11-05T06:36:00.001-08:00

# Python Program to understand Classes

class base:
    def __init__(self,var):
        self.var = var
        print "Object Initiated"
    def printVar(self):
        print self.var
object = base("FirstObject")
object.printVar()

'''
First Line is definition of class named base,

In the world of Object Oriented Programming,a class means a datatype
which user can define.

second line is a Constructor, which is the function that gets executed
when an object of that class is created,

The need of constructor is basically to allocate the memory required to
newly created object.
There is no memory leaks in Python, so we dont have any destructors here.

I will explain this line : def __init__(self,var):
then name of constructor must be __init__,

self is like this pointer in C++, which points to the class itself,
each function in class will have one common argument : self
self.var = var will assign passed variable var to base's internal variable
self.var,

in second function printVar we are not passing any arguments but still self will remain.
now we already have base's own variable self.var defined in constructor __init__,we
can use it in printVar.

finally an object called "object" is created of type base,
and function printVar is called through object.printVar()

'''

Lord of the Mayas : The Two APIs

2007-10-16T03:00:00.001-07:00

From 8.5, Maya introduced Python support for scripts and plug in development,
For people using older versions, they can use this :
http://cgkit.sourceforge.net/

So Maya has Two APIs now , Maya C++ API and Maya Python API,
Plug ins developed using Python API are called Scripted Plugins.

You can find example scripted plug ins at here:
C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya8.5\devkit\plug-ins\scripted

Code blocks in Both APIs are very similar,
Both kinds of plug ins need to be initialized and uninitialized,

If you are using Visual Studio .NET for Maya C++ Plug in Development then while creating API project through wizard , VS creates a Macro called declareSimpleCommand
This Macro takes care of initialize/uninitialized of Plug in.
While in Python we need to take care of this through separate functions

All computations will go in doIt function of class derived from Maya's Library,

Stand Alone applications can also be written using any of both APIs.

Here are some sites for Python development,
http://www.daniweb.com/forums/forum114.html
http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/

Happy Developing,
:-)

Maya API Development

2007-10-15T23:58:00.000-07:00

Ok,

Here starting Maya API Development,

First some good resources,

http://www.robthebloke.org/
http://hohehohe2.hp.infoseek.co.jp/openMaya-eng/0mokuji.html
http://florian.loitsch.com/gpExport/

And Complete Maya Programming Vol 1 and 2 by David Gould,

:-)

Vishang Shah

ScanMayaFile.py

2007-06-27T03:55:00.001-07:00

'''
This Python script will check for naming convention errors in
all mayaAscii files in given director path.
wxPython must be installed for GUI of the Script.
'''
# ScanMayaFile.py
import os
import wx
import re
from mayaFileScanBaseClass import mayaFileScanBaseClass

class mayaScanUI(wx.Frame):
    def __init__(self, parent, id, title):
        wx.Frame.__init__(self, parent, id, title, size=(900, 700))
        self.SetIcon(wx.Icon('M:/212p-asset_lib/mel/icons/mickey_small.bmp',\
        wx.BITMAP_TYPE_ICO))
        panel = wx.Panel(self, -1)

font = wx.SystemSettings_GetFont(wx.SYS_SYSTEM_FONT)
font.SetPointSize(9)

vbox = wx.BoxSizer(wx.VERTICAL)

        hbox1 = wx.BoxSizer(wx.HORIZONTAL)
        st1 = wx.StaticText(panel, -1, 'Directory :')
        st1.SetFont(font)
        hbox1.Add(st1, 0, wx.RIGHT, 8)
        self.tc1 = wx.TextCtrl(panel, -1,size=(100,22))
        hbox1.Add(self.tc1, 2)
        btn1 = wx.Button(panel, 101, 'Browse', size=(50, 23))
        hbox1.Add(btn1,0)
        vbox.Add(hbox1, 0, wx.EXPAND | wx.LEFT | wx.RIGHT | wx.TOP, 10)

#vbox.Add((-1, 2))

        hbox2 = wx.BoxSizer(wx.HORIZONTAL)
        st2 = wx.StaticText(panel, -1, 'Log File :')
        st2.SetFont(font)
        hbox2.Add(st2, 0, wx.RIGHT, 8)
        self.tc2 = wx.TextCtrl(panel, -1,size=(100,22))
        hbox2.Add(self.tc2, 2)
        btn2 = wx.Button(panel, 102, 'Browse', size=(50, 23))
        hbox2.Add(btn2,0)
        vbox.Add(hbox2, 0, wx.EXPAND | wx.LEFT | wx.RIGHT | wx.TOP, 10)

vbox.Add((-1, 10))

        hbox4 = wx.BoxSizer(wx.HORIZONTAL)
        st3 = wx.StaticText(panel, -1, 'Error Log')
        st3.SetFont(font)
        hbox4.Add(st3, 0)
        vbox.Add(hbox4, 0, wx.LEFT | wx.TOP, 10)

vbox.Add((-1, 10))

        hbox3 = wx.BoxSizer(wx.HORIZONTAL)
        self.tc_txt = wx.TextCtrl(panel, -1, style=wx.TE_MULTILINE)
        hbox3.Add(self.tc_txt, 1, wx.EXPAND)
        vbox.Add(hbox3, 1, wx.LEFT | wx.RIGHT | wx.EXPAND, 10)

vbox.Add((-1, 25))

        hbox5 = wx.BoxSizer(wx.HORIZONTAL)
        btn_scn = wx.Button(panel, 104, 'Scan', size=(70, 30))
        hbox5.Add(btn_scn, 0)
        btn_cl = wx.Button(panel, 103, 'Close', size=(70, 30))
        hbox5.Add(btn_cl, 0, wx.LEFT | wx.BOTTOM , 5)
        vbox.Add(hbox5, 0, wx.ALIGN_RIGHT | wx.RIGHT, 10)

        panel.SetSizer(vbox)
        self.Centre()
        self.Show(True)
        self.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.OnClose, id=103)
        self.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.opendir, id=101)
        self.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.openfile,id=102)
        self.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.scan_mayafile,id=104)

    def OnClose(self,event):
        self.Close()
    def opendir(self, event):
        dlg = wx.DirDialog(self, "Choose a directory:",\
        style=wx.DD_DEFAULT_STYLE | wx.DD_NEW_DIR_BUTTON)
        if dlg.ShowModal() == wx.ID_OK:
            self.tc1.AppendText(dlg.GetPath())
        dlg.Destroy()
    def openfile(self, event):
        dlg = wx.FileDialog(self, "Save Log File", os.getcwd(), "", "*.txt", wx.OPEN)
        if dlg.ShowModal() == wx.ID_OK:
            path = dlg.GetPath()
            mypath = os.path.basename(path)
            self.tc2.AppendText(path)
        dlg.Destroy()
    def scan_mayafile(self,event):
        '''Scans All Maya Files'''
        basedir = self.tc1.GetValue()
        logfile = self.tc2.GetValue()
        epnames=['Prefix_']

        for root,dirs,files in os.walk(basedir):
            for f in files:
                if(f.endswith('.ma')):
                    st =('\n\n-------------------------------------------------------------\n'+\
                    'Scanning File : '+os.path.join(root,f)+'\n--------------------------------\
                    -----------------------------'+'\n\n')
                    self.tc_txt.AppendText(st)
                    file = mayaFileScanBaseClass(os.path.join(root,f))
                    nodenames = file.fileScan()
                    for n in nodenames:
                        st =('Incorrect Node Name : '+n+'\n')
                    ftnpaths = file.fileScan_ftn()
                    if len(ftnpaths) > 0:
                        for ftn in ftnpaths:
                            if os.path.exists(ftn):
                                sub = ftn.split('/')
                                substr = sub[len(sub)-1]
                                i = 0
                                for j in epnames:
                                    if substr.startswith(j):
                                        i = 1
                                        start = j
                                        break
                                if i==0:
                                    st =('File Name Wrong : '+substr+'\n')
                                    self.tc_txt.AppendText(st)
                                else:
                                    substr2 = substr.strip(start)
                                    if len(re.findall('\W',substr2[0:-4])) > 0:
                                        st =('Illegal Characters : '+substr+'\n')
                                        self.tc_txt.AppendText(st)
                            else:
                                st =('Missing File : '+ftn+'\n')
                                self.tc_txt.AppendText(st)
        #log.write('\n------------------------------------------------------------------\n')
        self.tc_txt.AppendText('\n--------------------End of Scanning\
        ----------------------------------------------\n')
        if logfile != '':
            log = open(logfile,'w')
            log.write(self.tc_txt.GetValue())
            log.close()

app = wx.App()
mayaScanUI(None, -1, 'Scan mayaFile for Shader/Texture Network')
app.MainLoop()

mayaFileScanBaseClass.py

2007-06-27T03:54:00.001-07:00

# Definition of Class to scan given Maya Ascii File
import re
import os

class mayaFileScanBaseClass:
    def __init__(self,filename):
        self.filename = filename
    def fileScan(self):
        '''Scans File for 'createNode' and looks for shading nodes'''
        fid = open(self.filename)
        output = []
        epnames=['Prefix_']
        for line in fid:
            if line.startswith('createNode'):
                words = line.split(' ')
                nodeTypes = ['lambert','shadingEngine','materialInfo','bump2d',\
                'bump3d','blinn','file','place2dTexture','place3dTexture',\
                'anisotropic','rampShader','phong','ramp','blendColors',\
                'surfaceLuminance','clearCoat','layeredTexture','samplerInfo']
                for n in nodeTypes:
                    if words[1]==n:
                        names = line.split('-n ')
                        name = names[1].split('"')
                        namechk = name[1].replace(words[1],'')
                        if(not namechk.islower()):
                            output.append(name[1])
                        else:
                            i = 0
                            for j in epnames:
                                if(name[1].startswith(j)):
                                    i = 1
                                    break
                            if i==0:
                                output.append(name[1])
                            else:
                                if len(re.findall('\W',name[1])) > 0:
                                    output.append(name[1])
        fid.close()
        return output
    def fileScan_ftn(self):
        '''Scans File for ftn nodeType and does texture\
        name checking and check if texture file exists '''
        fid = open(self.filename)
        paths = []
        for line in fid:
            if re.compile('.ftn').search(line,1):
                path = line[32:-3]
                paths.append(path)
        return paths

First Python Script for Production

2007-06-27T03:50:00.001-07:00

# rename all files and folders
# renameFiles.py
import os
from time import strftime,localtime

'''
Rename All File and Folders
'''
def renameAll(f,root):
    fpath = os.path.join(root,f)
    if(f.startswith('212p-999')):
        n = f.replace('212p-999','212p-998')
        npath = os.path.join(root,n)
        os.renames(fpath,npath)
        print 'Renamed : '+fpath
        l.write('\n'+'Renamed : '+fpath)
    else:
        print 'Skipped : '+fpath
        l.write('\n'+'Skipped : '+fpath)

'''
Search and Replace string inside Maya Files
'''
def findReplaceFile(fpath):
    print fpath
    l.write('\n'+'----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------')
    l.write('\n'+fpath)
    print "Start Time : " + strftime("%H:%M:%S",localtime())
    l.write('\n'+"Start Time : " + strftime("%H:%M:%S",localtime()))
    filein = open(fpath,'r')
    inputstr = filein.read()
    filein.close()

    outputstr=inputstr.replace('212p-999','212p-998')
    outputstr=outputstr.replace('p212_999','p212_998')
    outputstr=outputstr.replace('212p-201_Suitcase.ma','212p-201_suitcase.ma')
    fileout=open(fpath,'w')
    fileout.write(outputstr)
    fileout.close()
    print ("End Time : " + strftime("%H:%M:%S",localtime())+'\n')
    l.write('\n'+"End Time : " + strftime("%H:%M:%S",localtime()))

'''
Program Starts Here
'''

basedir=raw_input('Enter Root Path : ')
logdir=raw_input('Enter Log Path : ')

logfile = os.path.join(logdir,'logfile1.txt')

l=open(logfile,'w')
l.write('Rename starts'+'\n'+'------------------------'+'\n'+strftime("%H:%M:%S",localtime())+'\n'+'\n')
for root,dirs,files in os.walk(basedir):
for f in files:
renameAll(f,root)

print '------------------------------------'
l.write('\n'+'---------------------------------------------------------------')
for root,dirs,files in os.walk(basedir,topdown=False):
for d in dirs:
renameAll(d,root)

print '\n'+'All Files & Folders Renamed'
l.write('\n'+'\n'+'Files & Folders Renamed')
l.write('\n'+'---------------------------------------------------------------'+'\n\n\n\n\n\n\n')
l.write('\n'+'Search and Replace inside Maya Files'+'\n-------------------------------------------\n')

filec = 0

for root,dirs,files in os.walk(basedir):
    for f in files:
        fpath=os.path.join(root, f)
        if(f.endswith('.ma')):
            findReplaceFile(fpath)
            filec+=1

print '\n Total Maya Files Restored : ', filec

l.write('\n'+'------------------'+'\n'+'Rename ends'+'\n'+strftime("%H:%M:%S",localtime())+'\n')
l.close()

Languages

2007-05-24T00:49:00.000-07:00

C, C++, Perl, Python, MEL, VBScript, TCL,

what the hell?

how many languages we can get the control over?

but I guess now CGI industry is adapting Python as standard,

so Python and C++ will do for all Developers,

ahhhhhhhhhh, what a relief?

Yo

2007-04-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

10 PRINT "We are Great"
20 GOTO 10