Mesh Toolkit v1.0

What does it do

Enhanced or automated mesh operations and powerful layout tools.

Interface

Compatibility

Maya	2017	2018	2019	2020
	✓	✓	✓	✓

Installation

1. Copy MeshToolkit.py to :

   WindowsLinuxMac

   \Users\USERNAME\Documents\maya\MAYAVERSION\prefs\scripts
   

   $HOME/maya/MAYAVERSION/prefs/scripts
   

   $HOME/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/MAYAVERSION/prefs/scripts
   

2. Launch / Restart Maya

3. In Maya, open a Python Tab in the Script Editor and execute :

   import MeshToolkit as MeshKit
   MeshKit.MainClassMeshKit()
   

   Warning

   Please make sure that there are no Space characters in front of the code lines.

Video Overview

Option Menus / Help Line

1. Option Menus can be accessed when you click on a button with the RMB ³.

   Note

   When a button features an Option Menu a little list icon appears next to the cursor.

   

2. The Help Line, along the bottom left of the Maya user interface, provides a short description of tools and menu items as you hover over them.

Tool Menu

Info

The Tool menu is located in the top right corner of the toolkit.

• Up arrow closes all tabs

• Down arrow opens all tabs

• Stack icon opens a new window with information about the tool

Mesh Operations

Combine

Info

Enhanced combine operation:

• Clean history (no empty groups)

• Unique name (EL_Combined#)

• Option to keep the name of the first selected object (See RMB ³ Option Menu)

• Stays under current parent

• Option to keep the orientation of the first selected object (See RMB ³ Option Menu)

• When you combine one group, it keeps the group name

1. Select 2 or more objects / groups

2. Click on to run the script

Note

LMB ¹ : Run script

RMB ³ : Option Menu

Option Menu options:

• Keep Orientation

• Keep Name (First Object)

Separate

Info

Enhanced separate operation:

• Clean history (no empty or top groups)

• Keeps mesh name and adds a _Sep_# suffix

• Stays under current parent

• Centers pivots

1. Select 1 or more combined objects

2. Click on to run the script

Note

LMB ¹ : Run script

MMB ² : Groups each object individually

Extract

Info

Enhanced extract operation:

• Clean history (no empty or top groups)

• Keeps mesh name and adds a _Ext_# suffix

• Stays under current parent

• Centers pivot

1. Select 1 or multiple faces

2. Click on to run the script

Duplicate Face

Info

Enhanced duplicate face operation:

• Separate object with clean history (no empty or top groups)

• Keeps mesh name and adds a _Dup_# suffix

• Stays under current parent

• Centers pivot

1. Select 1 or multiple faces

2. Click on to run the script

Layout

Place

Info

Place source meshes on a target mesh, right under the mouse cursor location.

Orients the source to the targets normal orientation.

Tip

Check your source objects Y-axis orientation and set the desired pivot location before you start.

1. First select your target object

2. Then Shift select your source object

3. Click Place to run the script

4. Click once or multiple times on your target object to place the source

Duplicator

Info

Distribute object duplicates based on a value or their bounding box.

Option to define a spacing between the duplicates.

1. Select one or multiple objects.

2. Define your duplicator values within the MMB ² menu.

3. Set your options in the Option Menu.

4. Click Duplicator to run the script

Note

LMB ¹ : Run script

MMB ² : Duplicator value options

RMB ³ : Option Menu

Option Menu options:

Axis

• X

• Y

• Z

Direction

• Manipulator (objects only)

• Positive

• Negative

Move by

• Bounding Box

• Value

Distribute

Info

Distribute overlapping objects based on their bounding box.

Option to add spacing between the objects.

1. Select multiple overlapping objects.

2. Define your distribute values within the MMB ² menu.

3. Set your options in the Option Menu.

4. Click Distribute to run the script

Note

LMB ¹ : Run script

MMB ² : Distribute value options

RMB ³ : Option Menu

Option Menu options:

Axis

• X

• Y

• Z

Direction

• Positive

• Negative

Import / Export

Import

Info

Import OBJ files as a single combined mesh, separated meshes or as Blendshapes.

1. Choose your prefered import option from the RMB ³ Option Menu

2. If you choose As blendshapes select your base mesh

3. Click on Import to run the script

4. Navigate to your file location and select the files you want to import

Known issue with Maya 2017

When you choose As blendshapes it only works, when the base mesh already has a 'BlendShape' node assigned.

Note

LMB ¹ : Run script

RMB ³ : Option Menu

Option Menu options:

Options

• Combined

• Separate files

• As blendshapes

Export

Info

Export objects as OBJ files. Either as a single combined or separate files.

It is also possible to export an objects Blendshapes as separate files.

1. Select 1 or multiple objects

2. Choose your prefered export option from the RMB ³ Option Menu

3. Click on Export to run the script

4. Specify a save location

Note

LMB ¹ : Run script

RMB ³ : Option Menu

Option Menu options:

Options

• Combined

• Separate files

• Blendshapes

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1. LMB - Left Mouse Button ↩↩↩↩↩↩

2. MMB - Middle Mouse Button ↩↩↩↩↩

3. RMB - Right Mouse Button ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩