Maya 2010: create edge between 2 verts
Okay, just learning Maya 2010 (coming from Silo), so hopefully this is much easier
than the software has shown it to be thusfar:
I create a 6-sided polycube (no extra loops), select 2 border verts and can't figure
out how to create an edge between them.
What's the magic Maya terminology to do this? In Silo, I just select 2 verts,
hit 'x' (cut), and it creates the new edge. Surely there's a built in way to do this
that doesn't require me to download a .mel script?
Thanks for any insight! :poly142:
than the software has shown it to be thusfar:
I create a 6-sided polycube (no extra loops), select 2 border verts and can't figure
out how to create an edge between them.
What's the magic Maya terminology to do this? In Silo, I just select 2 verts,
hit 'x' (cut), and it creates the new edge. Surely there's a built in way to do this
that doesn't require me to download a .mel script?
Thanks for any insight! :poly142:
Replies
if you want to do a an edge loop insertion you have to use the "insert edge loop tool" and use it in an edge and it will split the rings of this edge.
two verts that are on border edges.
I found the edge loop tool and it will be quite handy (already hot-keyed it). I've also downloaded
and installed OMToolbox and it will connect internal verts to create an edge, but it won't work on
any verts that fall on a 'border'. I'm guessing it's a face-to-face tolerance angle, but I can't find
how to override it or adjust said tolerance.
It baffles me that there's not a 'cut' or 'create edge' when two verts are selected, but
I thought there might be another way to do the same thing.
I also found the 'cut faces tool' but it's pretty messy and doesn't seem to lock to a
vertex...so I'd have to cut the face, then go to merge the verts just to get an edge...
??? :poly122:
Maya2010:
Users have been installing meshtools (or is it CSpolytools?) just for that for years. But, it creates quite a bit of mess in the scene. The answer I have always been given when asking about this : "huh why would you need that!"
wow.
Went back and tried again with OMToolbox using the 'Connect Components' option
and it worked on 2 out of the 3 tries...now I guess I gotta figure how to copy it's Mel
and assign that to the shelf...but is it even possible to hotkey shelf buttons?
Or is there a better way?
(noticed I could triangulate a face, then flip the edge, but dunno if that's any less work)
Even in max, which has both the connect and split polygon tools, i do it the split polygon way because it is usually quicker.
To add a custom hotkey for a script, you can open the hotkey window, go to the user directory, and then create a new hotkey and paste in the script contents or command. You can do this to create hotkeys for custom scripts or just maya actions if you want.
I also just came across this: http://wiki.byronimo.de/pmwiki.php/Projects/BPT
Perhaps it works well?
I do appreciate all the advice and help, guys...getting more familiar with Maya, but
man it sure makes me appreciate Silo for modeling.
So it's basically context-sensitive and if I hot-key yer script bttn, it'll be up
to me to have the right parts selected when I activate, no?
Anyhow, thanks! (off to give it a whirl now)
*edit* just visited yer site... your other scripts look to be just as handy.
If have any questions/comments/suggestions let me know
http://www.illusioncatalyst.com/ic_tools.php
severe user error)
All I can do now is enable the slice-object mode, no matter what selection mode
I'm in, or what I have selected (worked just fine in multi before when I was diggin
it, but now not so much).
Tried restarting, re-pasting in the melscript for the shelf button, and totally taking
out the button on the shelf but now all I can get is this:
Think Maya2010 would be the culprit? Totally blew away the custom.mel in the
"Users->me->Documents->maya->2010->prefs->shelves folder (cause even after
I deleted it from within Maya and saved prefs it kept coming back) and re-did the
"copy into script window, run, middle-mouse-drag into custom shelf window"...
but keep getting the error/functionality above.
wheeeee, Maya is FUNNN! :poly121:
(when I've got edges and verts selected) grrrrr....
Gonna try again with blown-away custom shelf, re-boot, and fresh script-to-shelf
process.
By the way, the only other customizations I've made are the addition of OMToolbox
and some hot-keys. Everything else is vanilla. (and I also tried with standard polycube
as well as standard polysphere)
**edit** No-go...did the above and popped a polycylinder, selected 3 edges and
tried your tools, only to be greeted with the same request as the above image.
Another day, another solution, I reckon. Thanks for taking the time to share and
assist, PolyHertz!
I'll dig through OMs code a little later and see what could be going on.
the OMTools folder out, but missed the section in the userPrefs.mel ... so I just now removed that and
tried again (with custom shelf blown-away, and re-doing install of your button) but it still throws
up same message on attempting to connect 3 edges of a polycylinder. <shrugs>
Having a hard time guessing where else OMTools would put itself...
(hehe...will now re-boot and see if that fixes it)
***edit*** negatory, drop-kick. Still a big no-go. <sarcasm> I do love me some computer! </sarcasm>
If you want to join vertices with an edge you can just use the split polygon tool and select an edge and drag the new vert to your original vert and do the same to the next vert and so on, right click and your done. It takes exactly the same amount of time as it does to connect in max as your simply selecting verts and connecting them as you go. It also snaps to the centre of an edge if you dont want to join verts and have a similar result as connect in Max.
it just sounds like you are making way too much work for yourself.
Crazyfool : The difference is that, even if in theory it shouldn't take longer to do what you describe, in practice we all know that the split polygon tool can be very annoying (detecting another edge than the one you are actually clicking on, and also so many others possible misshaps). Simply selecting two verts and pressing a 'connect' shortcut is incredibly faster and much more predictable. I would suggest you try it in another program and you will very likely love it...
Check this out: http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/stevenr/maya_2011_highlight_modeling_and_general_workflow_improvements
still pops the 'select polygonal face(s) or object first' message and goes into 'cut faces tool'. I'm
either doing something totally alien or my 'puter has issues, but here's my process just now:
-open Maya 64-bit (fresh, no nuthin changed from install)
-open PolyHertz .mel script in notepad
-select all and copy
-back to Maya and open Mel script editor
-paste into lower section
-hit 'run' in editor (nothing in the scene yet)
-select all and middle-mouse drag it onto 'custom' shelf
-click polygons shelf and pick a poly object
-go into multi-selection mode and select 2 or 3 edges and a vert (or edge mode and 3 edges)
-back to 'custom' shelf and click on new PolyHertz melscript button
-see error (fail to create a contiguous edge based upon selection)
crazyfool - if you aren't used to selecting verts, edges, faces (or a mix of them)
and 'connecting' them to direct your edgeflow, I'm not going to try and convince
you of it's value. If I can't get *some* script in Maya to allow me to do that then I'll try and
figure out another workflow, but it's just pretty fast for me to work that way.
pior - you were right!
elte - looks good! too bad I'm not on maintenance and just bought 2010 about
a month ago.
ducats kick loose I'll think about buying the 2011 student version....but not feasible
for now, sadly.
if it would work on a default polyobject that's been edited. So I just did an 'insert edge loop tool'
for a couple of loops and scaled them. Then I selected in multi-mode again some various edges
and verts and low 'n behold it worked! (yay again!)
So PolyHertz, maybe your code has some conflict with unedited default objects? (just grasping
at straws here)
Anyhow, if it will continue to work on already edited objects then we're off to the races! (since
using this script will predominantly be on actual models and not just default cubes)
But if you want to bear the pain until they finally fix their modeling tools, i would suggest getting NEX tools or some similar plugin.
Maya is a tool built specifically for animation, effects, and rendering. Autodesk has completely ignored maya's fundamental flaws in their polygon modeling workflow, and they are consciously aware of this.
Predator I learned Maya's workflow pretty quickly, and it just doesn't compare to the flow that programs like max and modo have. Non-destructive modeling is the way to go, and with maya's convoluted scene management and the inability to do the most simple things like scale more than one mesh on a global level without grouping them just goes to show that it's a very sub-par program.
You'll see that you'll begin to notice that your modelling time will be cut in half in max when compared to maya, mainly because you can skip a bunch of steps that you have to take in maya to just do something as basic setting pivot points and aligning meshes properly.
I personally think it's the other way round. Prove us if you feel so.
I think it's best to keep on track with topic in this thread.
Or, you know, Max's lack of scene management...
And have you tried hitting D then X/V middle-click and then scale?
Clearly you don't really know how to use Maya in all the appropriate ways yet. How about you go out and learn the appropriate functions before complaining that you don't know how to use it properly?
Don't get me wrong, I totally agree that Max's non-linear and non-destructive modifier stack modelling workflow is far superior in most ways, especially for high-poly work, but if you're gonna call out Maya on lacking features, at least call it out on something that is actually broken instead of something you just don't know how to do yourself
I'll try to dig the Maya connect I used to have ... must have it, somewhere ...
However, You're right. You guys called me out on flaming. I didn't really realize i was doing it and I apologize for taking this thread off topic. Was just coming off of 2 months of hating my job because of maya, so haters gunna hate :-P
The same thing goes to maya, and any other applications. Keyboard shortcuts is just one of the ways to improve your workflow, because it will be tiring to keep switching on the panel and click on affect pivot button everytime you wanna transform the pivot.
And btw, those who didnt watch the video, here's what I mean by multi component connect:
Is there a way to do that in Max?
Also could you post the code behind this ? It might be a new function altogether, but theres a slight change it could be a hacky mel script, hence portable to older mayas maybe ?
I still prefer silo's myself even with the latest 2011 updates to max and maya. It works as a connect tool, or an interactive cut tool depending on your selection context, which handles most of my geometry cut/connect needs in one tool, including loops. Best of all it is bindable to my mouse, which maya and max still can't do.