Maya Particle importer for Grasshopper

<UPDATE> The component has been updated for Grasshopper 0.8. also new option to allow you to not inport the rgbPP attribute.

I have created a new definition for grasshopper that will import particle animations from Maya into grasshopper. The importer works in realtime, so if you have maya and grasshopper opened at the same time any changes to the particles in maya will be reflected in Grasshopper. Right now I only import two attributes, position as point and velocity as a vector. The script is open and easy to add any property you want to carry over. The idea behind the function is to use Maya ability to create “smarter” point cloud using forces and AI. the definition is in the download section at

www.cerver.org

how to use

1. In Maya create a particle system and add a new expression using the dynExport option.

dynExport -atr position -atr velocity -atr rgbPP -f pda NameOfParticle

or

dynExport -atr position -atr velocity -f pda NameOfParticle

Look at the Maya docs if you are not familiar with the command or expressions

2. Maya will write out the particles in real-time usually to a folder named “particles” in you Maya project directory. The file names will be the same name as the particle system name. input the name of the path and the name of the file into Ploc and Pname. For example.

Ploc = C:\Users\robert\Documents\maya\projects\particleTest\particles\test\

Pname= nParticleShape1

3. FRAME will control the frame number of the particle animation in maya

4. SCALE will scale the particle system 5. SWAPY will flip the Y and Z axis

5. UseRGB - if True will try to import the rgbPP attribute.

Comment

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Comment by Avishek Das on June 17, 2011 at 10:29pm: oh,thanks

Comment by robert cervellione on June 17, 2011 at 5:51pm: Avishek, it is just a Proximity 3D component that generates the connections

Comment by Avishek Das on June 16, 2011 at 10:08pm: how is this struts are evolvong between the points?

Comment by robert cervellione on June 16, 2011 at 1:46pm: I am glad you figured out rgbpp. Since this is a grasshopper forum I did not get deep into it but per particle attractive are very powerfully. I use rgbpp because in essence it is just 3 numbers r g b. So you can assign many things to it. Say life to r . Age to g. And a hit test b ( 0 for no 1 for yes) and so on. Then in grasshopper you can break the color into its 3 parts and use it for stuff. But you can assign almost anything to a pp attribute

Comment by Avishek Das on June 16, 2011 at 1:24pm: actually add both...add per particle and add per object

Comment by Avishek Das on June 16, 2011 at 1:04pm: Robert, I have figured out a way..

We can use still use legacy particle system with rgbPP atr

1.make a particle grid

2.set render apperance as sphere

3.now go to ''add dynamic attributes'' and select ''color''

4.now select all the particles and select'' add per particle'' from the dialogue box just appeared

now u can use ''dynExport -atr position -atr velocity -atr rgbPP -f pda NameOfParticle'' command without any error and robert's code does accept it without any error..

if u have any problem mail me @ colors1990@gmail.com

Comment by robert cervellione on June 16, 2011 at 12:07pm: also would everyone please use the new group "cerver tools" for help

Comment by robert cervellione on June 16, 2011 at 12:07pm: Alex,

the update is on my site www.cerver.org. and if you using legacy particles then omit the rgbpp part of the expression

Comment by robert cervellione on June 16, 2011 at 12:05pm: take a look above at the how to use, you can omit rgbPP and it will work fine.

dynExport -atr position -atr velocity -atr rgbPP -f pda NameOfParticle

or

dynExport -atr position -atr velocity -f pda NameOfParticle