Technical Art for Games » MEL http://adammechtley.com Tips, Tutorials, and Tools - by Adam Mechtley Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:27:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Problems with allNodeTypes Command http://adammechtley.com/2009/12/problems-with-allnodetypes-command/ http://adammechtley.com/2009/12/problems-with-allnodetypes-command/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:48:39 +0000 Adam http://adammechtley.com/?p=545 Oftentimes, when loading your own custom tool set, you may want to confirm the existence of a plug-in on the client machine in order to prevent weird errors. Specifically, if you create a tool that works with a custom node, you may want to verify the node’s existence using the allNodeTypes command. Unfortunately, this command has a really quirky problem when used in Python.

The first thing worth mentioning is that this command is undocumented in all current versions of Maya with Python support (8.5, 2008, 2009, and 2010). Thus, you are using it at your own risk. Nonetheless, because it can be really useful, we should risk it! The command basically returns a list of all specific node types registered in the Maya session. I say “specific” here because it doesn’t return un-creatable parent classes for nodes (e.g. dagObject), but rather only those those which can be created using the createNode command. Consequently, you may want to search this list for your custom node and load its plug-in file if the node is not registered in the current session.

While the command seems to behave as expected in MEL, it does not currently work as expected in Python. Namely, if you first call this command from Python, then the first time it is called it will return None. Thus, to work around this problem, you should either first call the command from MEL, or make the first invocation form Python a dummy, as in this example:

__allNodes__ = cmds.allNodeTypes() # This returns None
__allNodes__ = cmds.allNodeTypes() # This returns the list and can therefore be used throughout your module
]]> http://adammechtley.com/2009/12/problems-with-allnodetypes-command/feed/ 2 Hip Constraint and Shoulder Constraint Update http://adammechtley.com/2009/01/hip-constraint-and-shoulder-constraint-update/ http://adammechtley.com/2009/01/hip-constraint-and-shoulder-constraint-update/#comments Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:38:45 +0000 Adam http://www.adammechtley.com/?p=331 Following in my pattern of frequent updates, I uploaded more revisions this morning to both the shoulder constraint and hip constraint.

The revision, which is the same in both, is another exception to handle a possible singularity. I never actually had it happen to me in practice, but I realized it was possible when I stopped to think about it. Enjoy!

]]> http://adammechtley.com/2009/01/hip-constraint-and-shoulder-constraint-update/feed/ 0 Hip Constraint Release and Shoulder Constraint Update http://adammechtley.com/2009/01/hip-constraint-release-and-shoulder-constraint-update/ http://adammechtley.com/2009/01/hip-constraint-release-and-shoulder-constraint-update/#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:33:37 +0000 Adam http://www.adammechtley.com/?p=326 This morning I finally finished the hip constraint! You can now download it here. Just like the shoulder constraint, it comes with MEL scripts designed to assist in setup.

Speaking of the shoulder constraint, I found some pretty egregious math errors in my shoulder constraint node, so I have uploaded another update to it. Not only does it actually work as intended now, the math is greatly simplified and more closely resembles what you need to do to port it into game code.

Enjoy, and please let me know if you have any problems while using it!

]]> http://adammechtley.com/2009/01/hip-constraint-release-and-shoulder-constraint-update/feed/ 0 The New Tools Are Here! http://adammechtley.com/2009/01/the-new-tools-are-here/ http://adammechtley.com/2009/01/the-new-tools-are-here/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:16:31 +0000 Adam http://www.adammechtley.com/?p=302 Because making good videos takes a bit of time, I have fallen a bit behind on the next rigging ones I have lined up. However, because all of the technology I explain in the videos already exists, I decided to go ahead and put it up for download! What this means is although you cannot yet see the videos where I explain how and why I made these tools the way I did, you are free to go ahead and download them and try them out.

There are a variety of different ones up there, but in particular I would like to point you to the shoulder constraint node I made in Python. This is my first Python plugin so I would really appreciate any feedback you have while using it. Please note the MEL Scripts and the example file that I have included in the ZIP as well, as these should greatly assist in using the new plugin.

In other news, !Rebolt! finally made it through Apple’s mysterious approval process. Go ahead and buy it!

]]> http://adammechtley.com/2009/01/the-new-tools-are-here/feed/ 0 New Video Tutorial http://adammechtley.com/2008/12/new-video-tutorial/ http://adammechtley.com/2008/12/new-video-tutorial/#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:13:21 +0000 Adam http://www.adammechtley.com/?p=239 I have a bit more time to start fleshing out the site better and I have posted a new rigging video tutorial and added an additional page where you can currently download free Maya tools. Keep your eyes peeled over the holidays, as I should have some time to add more new content.

In other news, Minotaur China Shop has been released! Go give it a shot if you haven’t checked it out yet!

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