JPEG compression control in Maya

By default, the JPEG files that render out of Maya use a %75 quality setting.

There is a way to increase the quality.

You will need to add an environment variable to your Maya.env file.

AW_JPEG_Q_FACTOR = 100;

Where 100 is the quality percentage.

from mayastation

Blend shape attach head to the body

Usually we duplicate the entire body mesh to create a blend shape for the head, but what if the object is heavy? Having few duplicated object will kill your scene.

The solution is to separate the head (extract), then duplicate and do some blendshapes, keep the first duplicated as the 'base' rather than the original mesh because we can't use original mesh as the target due to vertex order change. As soon as blend shape is ready, create a blend shape to the 'base' so it stores information. Then apply wrap deformer to the original mesh.

I know it's killing the scene by computing the calculation. But the trick here is GO TO INPUT AND CHANGE THE ORDER OF THE WRAP BELOW SKIN CLUSTER. Therefore the wrap deformer is no longer calculated after the skinned deformation. This will dramatically improve performance and resulting cleaner construction history. However another method is by using combine and merge verts, which leave ugly construction history. I prefer to use wrap instead.

squeeze your firefox

Found that you can actually save some pixels on your navigation bar.



Right click on the home button > Customize, change icon to small, and start dragging your back, forward, refresh, stop, home button, url bar to the side of "help"

Using black white image as mask.

Intro
Sometimes you want to blend 2 different textures using the mask which is a black and white image (dirt maps or texture masks) *see B. The way I usually did is to select one of the channel which has better contrast, drag it to "create new channel" to create the alpha, and use that alpha (ctrl+click the alpha thumbnail) to create the selection (indicated by marching ants), and then apply that selection to A. Well this method has disadvantage if you want to use texture which has color information for example. I don't know if this method I'm gonna show is the right one, but it achieve the result I wanted.

Steps

• Click the B. , ctrl+a to select all, ctrl+v to copy
• Go to A. , create the "add layer mask", click the white area *it must be selected otherwise you won't see alpha channel
• Go to channel Tab, click on the alpha layer and make it visible.
• Make sure the layer is selected, and the eye icon is on, ctrl+v to paste
• Done, now you need to do is delete/hide the original mask which we copied earlier
  

Result



Many thanks to Peter my classmate for his help

Update: My GF pointed me out an easier way.

Click on the B/w layer (B), in channel, click the RGB instead of creating an alpha from one of the channel, so basically it will select everything, then apply mask on the (A). As simple as that, how stupid am I.

Can I use the old style render layers in Maya 2009

There is no preset option to create a layer override in Maya 2009 as it was in 2008

However you can still create these overrides by using the following Mel
Where layer1 is the name of the Layer you like to override.

Ambient Occlusion

renderLayerBuiltinPreset occlusion layer1;

Luminance Depth

renderLayerBuiltinPreset linearDepth layer1;

Normal Map

renderLayerBuiltinPreset normal layer1;

Geometry Matt

renderLayerBuiltinPreset matte layer1;

Diffuse

renderLayerBuiltinPreset diffuse layer1;

Specular

renderLayerBuiltinPreset specular layer1;

Shadow

renderLayerBuiltinPreset shadow layer1;

From http://mayastation.typepad.com/

Zbrush importing psd texture issue

Zbrush won't allow texture import IF the psd file have more than 1 alpha..

Maya display problem in Bootcamp

Well, not only Autodesk announce the issue with camera selection in Maya for OSX, apparently my iMac has got problem with display issue as well.

Using QR-code

It's been a trend in Japan recently to use qr-code as a communication medium.

Kaywa has came up with its unique concept of this method. As you can see I have my own qr-code in this blog.

The way it worked is to use your Handphone's camera, together with kaywa mobile application which is called kaywa reader, which will scan the code, decode it, and open the decoded link, be it url, message, text, etc.


Once scanned from the mobile phone...

The qr-code in this blog serve as a mobile version of this blog, like below


It's viewed like this inside your phone.

Other than that, you can generate your own QR-code here

Swap alt<->command(windows logo) in boot camp mac keyboard

Having installed bootcamp in my mac, using apple keyboard is a little bit troublesome, especially when I'm used to regular pc keyboard layout. In bootcamp, alt(option) react as alt in windows, whereby command key react as windows logo. This is getting annoying when I start using 3d application like maya or modo where you click alt key a lot for viewport navigation. Another example is when I'm playing Dota, I keep holding alt almost all the time to show health bars.

I found a software called AutoHotkey which enable custom configuration on the keyboard. All you need is install the software. After that, open your notepad and fill in with this code:

LWin::LAlt

LAlt::LWin

What it does is swapping both key. Save it as win-alt.ahk

Double click on it to activate.

You can choose to put the file in the startup folder to let it run everytime you boot windows.

Now, get back to dota and time to own.

*Update on 09 January 2009

I've found a new software called keytweak which basically does same thing, but more native and less buggy, because keyTweak tend to manipulate keyboard registry value.




As you can see above, the concept remained the same, this is quite easy to achieve.

Just click full teach mode, and begin the key mapping, basically you have to do it twice, by swapping both of the key. Failing to do so will only replace a key and not swapping them.

Google Labs in Gmail feature

Gmail has been my favourite email account due to it's stability and fast in loading, and less spams too. Recently there's a feature called 'Labs'. It's an experimental project to enhance workflow.

One thing I've enabled so far is mouse gesture.

Go to these settings to activate it.


Once saved, Gmail will reload, and click on the message.


Right click and move mouse to right -> next message.
Right click and move mouse to left -> previous message.
Right click and move mouse to up -> Back to Inbox

Firefox 3 missing button solved

Firefox 3 has just launched today. Though the main server is down due to heavy traffic, I manage to download via filehippo.

However upon finishing my default installation, the back button is missing. I thought it's default when you don't have any previous link. But indeed it's missing. I tried to search for google, but the result was mostly related to RC version bug. They shouldn't have this problem on final release of Firefox 3!



After a while, I finally figured out it must be the layout issue. To solve this problem, go to view > toolbars > Customize...




You can either drag the button to the layout, or just click 'restore default set'.



Voila! Solved.

Toggle WireFrame <-> Shaded

A little script to save time. By default '4' is to display wireframe. '5' is to display Shaded mode. This script can toggle both.

I assign to '5'

//Toggle Wireframe <-> Shaded
$currentPanel = `getPanel -withFocus`;
if ( `modelEditor -q -displayAppearance $currentPanel` == "wireframe")
modelEditor -e -da smoothShaded -displayTextures off -displayLights "default" $currentPanel;
else
modelEditor -e -da wireframe $currentPanel;

Maya modeling technique

Before using maya, I was a lightwave user for about 2 years. Having accustomed to modeling toolset in LW, I cursed maya a lot when I just started to use it.

However, I found some similar technique which can be found in Max or XSI too perhaps.

Based on my knowledge and experience, these 3 are the technique I used the most.

1. Using proxy.
I used this the most. Previously maya below version 7 hasn't got this tool yet. Instead I used CPS (Connect Poly Shape). It's a script, which behave in similar way.

To use:
- select an object you want.
- click Proxy > Subdiv Proxy options box.
For more info, you can refer to help. But usually I would leave everything to default, except Subdiv Proxy Shader to Keep.



Once applied, you'll see there's a new object on top of it. If you check the outliner, There are now 2 objects under 1 group.




So how's it similar to LW? Did you see TOGGLE PROXY DISPLAY and BOTH PROXY AND SUBDIV DISPLAY on previous image? There's a default shortcut key, which is ` and ~.

Try this:
Select vertex on lowpoly, press `, move it, so now you'll see the hires is moving as well.

Okay, now I'm done with the modeling, how do I clean it up?
Well, you can manually delete the hires, unparent the lowpoly and delete the group node, but the simpler way would be:
select the lowpoly object, apply the proxy > subdiv proxy again.

Why manually delete? Sometimes I found proxy to be a little bit buggy.

Advantages:
- Easy toggle and editable. LW and Modo users will love this.
- History is properly kept.

Disadvantages:
- Sometimes buggy with mirrored objects.
- Sometimes you have to manually delete the smooth object (bug I guess)
- Smoothed object might have problem with render (investigate the render stats under attribute editor)


2. Active Smooth Poly (http://www.3dbe.com/ActiveSmoothPoly/Default.aspx)
This is another script I used by Tal Threstha. The purpose I used this mainly is for viewing hires object only.
You'll find out more in his website, I'll just summarize.

Advantages:
- Fast, I assign to alt+q, object smoothed, and you can still orbit the viewport
- Good for minor tweaking which do not require proxy.
- History is clean, since the script will automatically clean polysmooth node after it's deactivated.
- Comes with smoothing radius, so you can adjust the distance of smooth, good for slow computer.

Disadvantages:
- Once smoothed, you can't edit the lowres object like proxy mode.
- selecting object and activate the script is fast, but selecting vertex and activate the script seems to slow down performance.


3. HKSubDConvertor (http://www.henrykorol.com/Scripts/SubdToggle/index.html)
The last one here is not really my preferences, but it's worth mentioning. I occasionally use it.
Again, visit the website for more information.

Advantages:
- Smooth object look really smooth, because it converts object to SubD
- Good for detailing or finishing phase.

Disadvantages:
- Always delete history, not good if you'd like to keep bevel or such node.
- Personally I just feel it's not clean, even though it claims to be.
- Once in a while it would crash maya.
- Conversion would be slow sometimes, depending on your machine and poly counts.

hello..are u still awake? :P

Insert Edge loop tool tips.

Just in case most of you don't know, here's a little gem on insert edge loop tool, which I've neglected for a while, but now I use this tool a lot.





You can also check out the offset edge loop tool...

File Revision System using FileHamster

When working with scenes, we are aware that saving files incremently is extremely important. However, most of the times we end up losing the track/record of what we have done toward that particular scene and we often end up being cluttered by bunch of files inside a folder.

There are several ways to remedy this, one of them is by using attribute editor (there's a small comment box in the bottom)



I recently found a free software called FileHamster. What it does is basically save the backup of your current scene, and allow you to give comments, or notes, and also lock the file, so that it's not easily edited.



What you see here, is that I ask FileHamster(FH) to watch a folder called c:\Documents...\scenes, and in that folder I have only 1 file, which is test_V01.mb

test_V01.mb only have a sphere in a scene. I save the file.
The popup will appear, asking what comment you wanna write, so I write "a scene..."

Next, I add a cube to the scene, and save again. This time I still save the scene as test_V01.mb, instead of test_V02.mb, which was my typical workflow. The popup appear again, asking for comment, so I add "tambah cube".

I did the same thing again by adding cone.. and the process goes on.

The benefit here is that I only have a file on my working directory, instead of several versions, which is of course, neato!

There is a good example on using FH with Photoshop in their website, I suggest.. give it a try :)

Setting Image Plane in Maya

There are 2 most popular techniques used to setup imageplane for modeling reference. Let's discuss both of them.

Before we begin, let's get some image to model. In Photoshop, align them.
So here it is:


Use marquee tool to select each image, crop, and then save them separately. So, now we have:
car_side.jpg
car_top.jpg
car_front.jpg

Notice that the car_front is facing right, we need to rotate it 90* to the left, so it's facing down (which is +Z in Maya)

Back in maya, here is the first technique:

01. Using camera image plane.
advantage: Easy, less hassle.
disadvantage: Slow down maya performance.
How? Watch this video :)


02. Using poly plane.
advantage: Faster maya performance, easy adjustment.
disadvantage: Slow setup.
How? Watch this video :)


From both technique, I prefer to use the second one, which use polyPlane. I know it takes a while to setup, but hey.. There's a script to simplify your workflow.

Watch this video to understand better :)

9th ICG speed modeling session - Keychain

So, here is my entry.. gw search di gizmodo, dapet atari keychain...



Oh, ini video timelapse the making nya..sory kalo kualitas videonya jelek.. udah mentok gw kompres.. dan sorry juga kalo skill gw ngaco.. but anyway.. here:

Maya Render Layer problem

Ini problem laen yg sedang dihadapi di kantor.

Scene terdiri dari :
-sphere
-plane

dengan material sebagai berikut :
- misss_fast_simple_maya, kemudian attach lightmap shader dan mentalraytexture.
- pada render layer, assign occlusion override.

lalu, set multiply mode pada layer occlusion.

Agar lebih jelas, liat illustrasi ini:



Maka apabila kita render masing2 layer, kita mendapatkan :
SSS


Ambient Occlusion


Lalu pada layer editor, hidupkan composite pass :



Maka ini yg kita dapatkan :


Gambar diatas ternyata tidak sesuai dengan yg kita harapkan.

Khiang, technical 3D supervisor di kantor, dan saya yg masi cupu melakukan beberapa test/experimen, dan akhirnya menemukan solusinya.
Hal ini disebabkan oleh adanya alpha/mask pada hasil renderan. Walaupun pada render global kita sudah uncheck alpha channel (Mask).
Cara laen utk benar2 mematikan alpha ialah pada framebuffer maya :
opsi ini masi menyimpan alpha = RGBA (Red Green Blue Alpha)


Oleh karena itu, hilangkan alphanya hehe.. :


dan image akhir dari composite :


Ada beberapa technical issue disini:
- Pada saat saya test render, walaupun settingannya sudah benar, kayanya harus direfresh lagi rendernya, dengan cara mengubah panah merah yg terletak di samping huruf 'R' pada render layer editor menjadi hijau, kemudian render lagi. Proses ini tidak akan berlangsung lama, karena panah hijau berarti kita menggunakan hasil renderan sebelumnya (no re-render), sort of refresh.
- Pada test ini kami menggunakan format iff, kami belum mencoba menggunakan jpeg, tiff, tga dan sebagainya.

Speed Modeling timelapse

2 minggu lalu aku sempat ikut speed modeling yg diadakan di ICG. Ini hasilnya, seekor stingray, tribute to Mr.Crikey.

Ini link timelapse videonya, walau ga komplit, karena kesalahan teknik pas recording.*Aku pake snagIT, seharusnya camtasia, akhirnya filenya gede abis.
Here's the link to download:
part_01
part_02

query a directory name

How can I build a file browser dialog, to select a file that doesn't yet exist? Or to select a directory only?

• fileBrowserDialog
• Notes: The docs on this suck, so this is what you need to do:
• Example:
• First, built the file brower dialog: -mode is telling it what to do:

• fileBrowserDialog -mode 2 -fileCommand "procName" -actionName "whatYouAreDoing";
  

• -mode 0 is for reading files, so if you type in a name that dosn't exist, the browers will give an error
• -mode 1 & 2 are pretty much the same and are for for writing to file, so you can speficy your own filename inthe browers.
• -mode 4 is for selecting directories only.
• -fileCommand is the name of the below proc, that the fileBrowserDialog? passes its info to.
• -actionName is simply what is printed in the UI, telling the user what is going on
• Next, you need to build a proc, that can take the return from the FBD, and then do something with it. It needs to be in the below format, but the proc name, and var names can change.

• global proc procName(string $result, string $type){
   textFieldButtonGrp -e -tx $result controlName;} 

• So, the fileBrowserDialog passes its info, via the $result argument, into the "procName" proc. Then procName will update controlName with $result.
• 
  
• Another issue: By default you can't specify WHERE the dialog will open too. It appears that it bases where it opens on where Maya's current workspace is. SO, to tell it where to go, you'd need to do something like this:

• // query Maya's current workspace:
   string $mayaWorkspace = `workspace -q -dir`;
  // set the workspace to where you want the dialog to open:
   workspace -dir $myCustomPath;
  // run the dialog code:
   fileBrowserDialog ....
  // and set the workspace back again:
   workspace -dir $mayaWorkspace

• Annoying!

I find this article to be extremely useful, so I'll get it pasted. The original article is in here