Maya Scripts

This repository is a collection of Autodesk Maya shelf tools created by AnD CGI to automate small production tasks, speed up common scene operations, and fill workflow gaps in Maya.

Project Status

This repository is in final-maintenance mode. The scripts have been refreshed for a final Maya 2027/Python 3 compatibility pass, but the project is no longer intended to receive ongoing feature work after the final archival release.

Use these tools at your own risk. Some scripts were originally written for specific studio pipelines and may need local configuration before they make sense in another environment.

Compatibility

• Target: Autodesk Maya 2027 or newer Maya builds that run Python 3.
• Older Maya/Python 2 releases are no longer a goal for this repo.
• The tools use maya.cmds and MEL shelf commands, so they must run inside Maya.
• A few tools depend on optional renderer features, such as Arnold aiAOV nodes.

Install

🔹 Auto-load Installation

Download from the release page:
👉 Download Release v1.0.1

🔹 Manual Installation

Follow the steps below.

1. Keep this repository somewhere stable, for example:

   C:/Users/<USER>/Documents/GitHub/AnD_mayaScripts
   

2. In Maya, open the Script Editor, switch to the Python tab, and run:

   import os
   import sys
   
   repo = r"C:\Users\<USER>\Documents\GitHub\AnD_mayaScripts"
   os.environ["AND_MAYA_REPO_ROOT"] = repo
   sys.path.insert(0, repo + r"\scripts")
   
   import userSetup
   userSetup.load()

3. Maya should load the AnDCGI shelf from prefs/shelf/shelf_AnDCGI.mel.

For automatic loading on every Maya start, create or edit this file:

~/Documents/maya/2027/scripts/userSetup.py

and put this bootstrap in it:

import os
import sys

repo = r"C:\Users\<USER>\Documents\GitHub\AnD_mayaScripts"
os.environ["AND_MAYA_REPO_ROOT"] = repo
sys.path.insert(0, repo + r"\scripts")

import userSetup
userSetup.load()

The startup loader adds the nested scripts/py-scripts folders to sys.path and adds the repository icons folder to Maya's icon lookup path. Replace <USER> with your Windows account name in the examples above.

Optional Configuration

Some legacy production scripts used hardcoded studio paths. They now read optional settings from:

~/Documents/AnD_mayaScripts/config.json

Use config.sample.json as a starting point. Environment variables with the AND_MAYA_ prefix also work, for example AND_MAYA_SAVE_SCENE_ROOT.

Tool Index

Tool	File	Purpose
Arnold Delete AOV	scripts/py-scripts/ai_MtoA/aiDeleteAOV.py	Imports references and removes Arnold AOV nodes.
Arnold Disable AOV	scripts/py-scripts/ai_MtoA/aiDisableAOV.py	Disables all Arnold AOV nodes in the scene.
Arnold Matte	scripts/py-scripts/ai_MtoA/aiMatte.py	Enables aiMatte on supported shape nodes.
Channel Copy/Paste	scripts/py-scripts/channelCopyPaste/hfCopyPaste.py	Copies highlighted channel box values and pastes them onto selected objects.
Clean Namespace	scripts/py-scripts/cleanNameSpace/cleanNameSpace.py	Merges non-default namespaces back to root.
Clean Unknown Plugins	scripts/py-scripts/cleanUnknwonPlugins/cleanUnknwonPlugins.py	Removes unknown nodes, unknown plugins, and _UNKNOWN_REF_NODE_.
Dynamics Quick Selection Set	scripts/py-scripts/dynamicsQuickSelectionSet/dynamicsQuickSelectionSet.py	Builds quick selection sets for FX/dynamics node types.
Fancy Separator	scripts/py-scripts/fancySeparator/fancySeparator.py	Adds colored or custom icon separators to the active Maya shelf.
Channel Box Speed	scripts/py-scripts/helperTools/channelBoxSpeed.py	Adds a HUD slider for channel box drag speed.
Batch Render Script	scripts/py-scripts/mayaBatchRenderScript/batchRenderScript.py	Appends the current scene to a daily batch render .bat file.
Save Scene	scripts/py-scripts/mayaSaveScene/mayaSaveScene.py	Saves a versioned Maya ASCII scene using configurable paths.
Scene Scale	scripts/py-scripts/mayaSceneScale/mayaSceneScaleChange.py	Parents scene assemblies under a sceneScale locator with a global scale attribute.
Reference Checker	scripts/py-scripts/referenceFix/referenceList.py	Scans Maya ASCII files for references outside the expected root.
Render-Time Catmull-Clark	scripts/py-scripts/render-TimeCatmull-ClarkSubdivision/RTCatClark.py	Temporarily smooths previewed meshes during render and restores them after.
Rivet Constraint	scripts/py-scripts/rivetConstraint/rivetConstraint.py	Creates a rivet locator from selected mesh edges or surface points.
FPS Switch	scripts/py-scripts/switchFPS/mayaBroadcastFPS.py	Sets Maya FPS and playback range from a small UI.
Support Links	scripts/py-scripts/helpSupport/*.py	Opens GitHub and Gumroad support links from Maya.

Render-Time Catmull-Clark Usage

Add these snippets in Render Settings > Common > Render Options:

Pre Render MEL = python("import RTCatClark;RTCatClark.preCatClark()")
Post Render MEL = python("import RTCatClark;RTCatClark.pstCatClark()")

Known Limitations

• These are shelf scripts, not a packaged Maya module.
• Some tools operate directly on the open scene and are intentionally destructive, such as namespace cleanup and unknown plugin cleanup.
• The shelf preserves legacy module names and folder names, including historical typos, to avoid breaking launch commands.
• Compatibility has been checked statically outside Maya, but final behavior should be tested inside Maya before publishing the archive release.

License

Except where otherwise noted, this project is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. See LICENSE.md.