M MayaToolKits Changelog

Update: 2025-09-14 (v2025.9.140)

• Shot Browser: Improve performance and fix some bugs
  • Gif Preview: Gif preview now works correctly
  • Scene Export: Scene export now works correctly

Update: 2025-06-11 (v2025.6.116)

• Shot Browser: Improve performance & New features

Update: 2025-06-11 (v2025.6.115)

• Portal Tool: Improve performance & updater's performance

Update: 2025-06-11 (v2025.6.114)

• Revision Flow: Improve performance

Update: 2025-06-11 (v2025.6.111)

• Revision Flow: Advanced Slate & Upload Enhancements
  • Slate for Videos: New Add Slate to Video checkbox adds project/shot/department, frame counter, user/date, FPS, and tagline burn-in to playblast and re-encoded videos.
  • Slate for Images: Parallel Add Slate to Image option overlays the same metadata on viewport captures.
  • Threaded Uploads: Discord and Trello uploads now execute in background threads with progress dialogs, keeping Maya responsive.
  • Licence-Tier Rules: Free licences lock slate options ON; Pro & Enterprise users can toggle freely.
  • Fixes & Tweaks: Improved date-time formatting, safer FFmpeg escaping, framerate variable fix, tagline font adjustment, and proper dialog cleanup.

Update: 2025-06-06 (v2025.6.061)

• Added Maya 2026 Support
  • Can run on Maya 2026: now all tools in M MayaToolsKits will be available on Maya 2026
• New Tool: RS MatFlow (Redesigned)
  • Complete UI Overhaul: Introduced a brand-new, modern Qt-based interface for a more intuitive and efficient user experience.
  • Smart Texture Loading: Automatically detects and assigns texture maps (Albedo, Normal, Roughness, etc.) from selected files based on common naming conventions.
  • Batch Material Creation: Process an entire folder of texture sets to create multiple Redshift materials at once, automatically grouping files by material name.
  • Advanced Shader Control: Fine-tune material properties with built-in settings for color correction, roughness/gloss workflows, displacement vs. bump mapping, and more.
  • Automatic Naming: Intelligently derives material names from texture filenames if not specified manually.
• New Tool: RS Material Swapper
  • Efficient Material Reassignment: A dedicated utility to quickly swap materials on selected geometry.
  • Smart Candidate Detection: Automatically finds corresponding Redshift materials (e.g., myMat_rsMat) for standard materials, even across different namespaces.
  • Interactive UI: Presents a clear table of selected objects, their current materials, and a dropdown list of suitable Redshift materials to switch to.
  • Batch Operations: Includes "Auto Map All" to quickly link to the best candidate and "Swap Materials" to apply all changes in one click.
  • Integrated directly into the new RS MatFlow tool for a seamless workflow.

Update: 2025-06-05 (v2025.6.051)

• Shot Browser: Advanced Data Management & Export Features
  • New context menu options added for enhanced workflow flexibility and data portability.
  • Import JPG Thumbnail: Right-click a shot to import a custom JPG file as its thumbnail, allowing for personalized and more representative shot previews.
  • Export Scene File (Copy): A new feature to quickly copy the latest version of a Maya scene file to any user-selected destination folder. Useful for backups or sharing scene files without dependencies.
  • Archive Scene (to .zip): Implemented a powerful tool to archive the latest Maya scene and all its dependencies (references, textures, etc.) into a single, portable `.zip` file, ensuring complete and self-contained project handoffs.

Update: 2025-06-04 (v2025.6.041)

• Revision Flow: Major Platform Integration & Usability Enhancements
  • Modernized Interface:
    • Horizontal layout with clear separation between preview and controls for a smoother workflow.
    • Capture mode selection (Image/Video) now uses intuitive radio buttons at the top.
    • More compact and visually organized controls for faster operation.
  • Smarter Shot & Department Detection:
    • Improved auto-detection of shot names from scene files, supporting more naming conventions (e.g., mdl, lkd, rig).
    • Department auto-selection based on scene name, with broader project compatibility.
  • Multi-Platform Support (Trello & Discord):
    • Seamlessly switch between Trello and Discord for submissions.
    • Dedicated configuration dialogs for each platform with connection testing.
    • Platform-specific UI controls that adapt based on your selection.
  • Video Submission & Web Hosting:
    • New options to copy original videos to a web server (XAMPP or FTP) with automatic public URL generation.
    • Flexible configuration for both local and FTP-based hosting, including connection testing and default behaviors.
    • Automatic backup of original videos to project/date-based folders on your server.
  • Trello & Discord Integration Improvements:
    • Clearer platform selection and improved feedback for Trello and Discord submissions.
    • Enhanced Trello board/member selection and Discord user management dialogs.
    • New Trello Automations:
      • Video submissions now automatically generate a thumbnail from the first frame and set it as the Trello card's cover image.
      • Automatic list creation for shots if they don't exist.
      • New cards are automatically assigned a red "waiting review" label for better status tracking.
      • A label for the submission's department is also automatically created and assigned.
  • File Size Management:
    • Real-time file size display and warnings for platform limits (Discord: 8MB, Trello: 10MB).
    • Video resize options (Original, 1/2, 1/4 size) are more accessible and clearly explained.
  • General Usability & Technical Improvements:
    • More informative status bar messages and error feedback.
    • Improved cleanup of temporary files and better resource management.
    • Remembers last-used settings for a more personalized experience.
    • Persistent configuration stored in JSON files (TrelloConfig, XamppConfig).
    • Enhanced FFmpeg and VLC integration with better path detection and error handling.
    • Streamlined code for better maintainability.

Update: 2025-05-22 (v2025.5.221)

• Revision Flow: Enhanced User Management
  • User Manager: Added a dedicated interface for managing Discord users
    • New "Manage Users" button in the Submission Details section
    • UI for adding, editing, and deleting Discord users
    • User data is stored alongside webhook configuration
  • Configuration System:
    • Updated WebhookConfig class to handle both webhooks and Discord users
    • All data is now stored in a single ReviewSubmission_config.json file
    • Automatic refresh of the notify list when user data changes
  • Interface Improvements:
    • Reorganized user notification section with a clearer layout
    • Added "Select users to notify" label for better usability
    • Improved validation for Discord user IDs (must be numeric)

Update: 2025-05-18 (v2025.5.181)

• Portal Tool: Enhanced Project Management & UI
  • Project Display:
    • The current Maya project path is now displayed in the slide-out navigation menu.
    • A new, prominently highlighted (blinking) label on the "Main Tools" page displays the current Maya project's folder name (e.g., "Current Project: MyProjectName").
      • The blinking effect (alternating background colors) activates when a project is set and the "Main Tools" page is visible, serving as a clear reminder.
      • The tooltip for this label shows the full project path.
  • Project Switching:
    • Added a "Change Maya Project" button in the slide-out menu.
    • Clicking this button reveals a context menu with:
      • A list of Maya's recent projects for quick selection and switching.
      • A "Browse..." option to open a file dialog and select any directory as the Maya project.
    • The project display updates immediately after changing the project.
  • The tool now gracefully handles cases where no Maya project is initially set.
• Shot Builder: Advanced Filtering and UI Enhancements
  • New dynamic filter lists:
    • Department Groups: Select from a list of identified department folders (e.g., "09_Lighting", "00_Model") to filter your view. Based on a predefined list and case-insensitive matching.
    • Sequence Groups: Select from a list of identified sequence identifiers (e.g., "SQ010", "EP002") found in folder paths using regular expressions.
    • Shot Groups: Select from a list of shot identifiers (e.g., "SH001", "SH1234" - now supports up to 4 digits) found in filenames.
    • Lookdev Shader Files: A dedicated list shows all *_shd.ma files from 'lookdev' folders for quick selection.
  • Smarter filter combination:
    • Department and Sequence group selections are combined with AND logic (e.g., filter for "09_Lighting" AND "SQ010"). The filter text would appear as 09_Lighting*SQ010.
    • Shot Group and Lookdev Shader File selections are combined with OR logic (e.g., filter for items matching "SH005" OR "myAsset_shd.ma"). The filter text would appear as SH005,myAsset_shd.ma.
    • Multiple selections within any single group list are combined with OR logic (e.g., selecting "09_Lighting" and "00_Model" from Department Groups results in 09_Lighting,00_Model).
  • Enhanced filter input fields:
    • Auto-completion for both folder and file filter text boxes, suggesting names as you type.
    • Folder filter placeholder updated to reflect new AND/OR logic (e.g., (09_Lighting,00_Model)*(SQ01,SQ02)).
  • Improved UI and Information:
    • The count of available lookdev shader files (*_shd.ma) is now displayed next to its filter checkbox.
    • File rows in the main list are now more compact, allowing more items to be visible, while folder rows with thumbnails retain their larger size.

Update: 2025-05-16 (v2025.5.161)

• Shot Browser: Enhanced Scene Creation and Management
  • New "Create New Scene" button to quickly set up new shots or assets directly within the browser.
    • Smart naming: Scenes are automatically named based on department, shot/asset number, and (for "sh" prefix departments like Animation/Lighting) a short department name (e.g., sh0010_anim_v001.ma).
    • For asset departments (Model, Setup, Lookdev), you'll be prompted for an "object name" to include in the file name (e.g., mdl0100_characterA_v001.ma).
    • Sequence Organization: For "sh" prefix departments (Animation, Lighting, Track, EFX), you can now organize shots into sequences (e.g., SQ010). A new "Sequence" dropdown will appear, allowing you to browse and create scenes within specific sequences.
    • The tool now prompts to save unsaved changes in your current Maya scene before creating a new one.
  • New "Save New Version" button for easy versioning of open scenes.
    • Automatically increments the version number (e.g., _v001 to _v002).
    • Prompts for confirmation before saving and asks to save current changes if needed.
    • Intelligently finds the next available version number if a version already exists, preventing accidental overwrites.
  • Smarter Browsing:
    • The browser now correctly lists shots and assets that follow the new naming and sequence structures.
  • Personalized Experience:
    • The Shot Browser now remembers the last department and sequence (for sequence-based departments) you were working in, making it quicker to get back to your work.
    • Fixed an issue where the sequence dropdown might not appear for the default department when the tool first starts.

Update: 2025-05-13 (v2025.5.131)

• Shot Builder: New "Build Shot Advanced"
  • Added a "Build Shot Advanced" button to make setting up shots easier.
  • Import your working files (including special shader files like those ending in _shd.ma) directly into your shot.
  • Materials from your imported files will now automatically connect.
  • Improved handling of how different parts of your imported files are organized and connected.
• Shot Builder: Better Filtering Options
  • New "Include Lookdev Folders" checkbox: Always see your look development folders, even when using other filters.
  • New "Filter Files" box: Quickly find specific files within the folders you're viewing. You can use commas (e.g., char, prop) or asterisks (e.g., hero*shot) to narrow down your search.
• Memo MatConnector: More Reliable
  • Memo MatConnector now works more smoothly, especially when used by the Shot Builder to automatically connect materials.
• Shot Browser: Better Previews & More Options
  • See animated GIF previews (thumbnail.gif) of your shots just by hovering your mouse over them.
  • New slider to easily change the size of shot thumbnails.
  • Right-click on shot thumbnails for new quick actions:
    • "Open Shot"
    • "Browse Shot Folder" (Go directly to your shot's files)
    • "Create GIF Thumbnail" (Quickly make an animated thumbnail for your selected shot using the new GIF Converter tool).
  • New "Play All GIFs" option: Watch all visible animated thumbnails play at once.
  • Fixed some bugs for a smoother experience with thumbnails.
• New Tool: GIF Converter
  • Introducing the new GIF Converter tool (gif_converter_tool.py)!
  • Easily turn your MP4 video playblasts or screen recordings into animated GIFs.
  • You can:
    • Choose your MP4 video and where to save the GIF.
    • Change the size of the GIF (default is 25% smaller).
    • Set the speed (frame rate) of the GIF (default is 25 FPS).
    • Pick the quality (High, Medium, or Low - High is default).
    • Also save a still JPG image from the middle of your video (this is on by default).
  • Includes a progress bar so you can see how the conversion is going.

Initial Release: 2025-05-05

• The first version of M MayaToolKits! (We started keeping track of changes after this).
• This is where all the main tools and features began.