Installation

Installing the plugin and tools is very simple and uses Maya’s module feature to keep everything separate from your existing tools and paths. More information can be found in the Maya’s documentation.

Do not confuse this with a Python module. This is a specific setup that Maya uses to add locations for loading external plugins and scripts in the form of a module description file. This file is called seUVBlendShape.mod in the root folder of the download. You do not need to edit or copy this file as the install scripts explained below will do all the work required for a quick and painless install.

You can also watch the install/uninstall demo video.

Note

Before you begin, move the root seUVBlendShape folder to a location where you want to keep it for use. This does NOT have to be in any special directory or Maya path. If you happen to move this folder after you install, you will need to uninstall first and then run the installation script again.

Do not move or rename any files or folders inside the download. Doing so will break the loading and importing of these tools.

Easy Install Script

In the root of the seUVBlendShape download folder there is a MEL script called seUVBlendShape_install.mel. This script will automatically install the module description file and load the shelf. To run this script:

  1. Launch an interactive Maya session
  2. Source the seUVBlendShape_install.mel script that is located in the root directory of the download by one of the following ways:
  • Calling the source MEL command with the full path to this script OR
  • In the script editor, source the script through the File->Source Script menu OR
  • Drag and drop the script into the viewport. (if supported)

Note

On Windows, if you are not able to drag and drop the script, make sure you are NOT running Maya as administrator. If so, launch Maya normally which should allow you to drag and drop the script into the viewport.

  1. A prompt will appear asking which folder to save the module description file into. This is a special folder that Maya searches to load modules. Normally this is [your home directory]/maya[version]/modules but it can be any path set with the MAYA_MODULE_PATH environment variable. You must have write permissions to this directory.
  2. The script will save the module description file into that directory, load the module, then add the shelf. That’s it! You are ready to go!

Note

If you want to install in a non-interactive Maya session, open and read the information inside the seUVBlendShape_install.mel file for instructions.

Manual Install

If you prefer to manually install the module without the use of the install script, you can do so by:

  1. Copy the seUVBlendShape.mod file to one of Maya’s module search paths.
  2. Open the file in a text editor and replace the %modulePath% string with the location of the root seUVBlendShape module directory. Then save the file. See Maya’s module documentation from above for more information.
  3. Launch Maya and load the shelf located in the shelves folder inside the module.

If you do not see seUVBlendShape in the plug-in manager or the seUVBlendShape Python module does not import, check the paths in the module description file and you followed the rules mentioned in Maya’s documentation.

Uninstall Script

One of the nice things about using Maya’s module feature is the easy removal if you need to uninstall. After uninstalling, the next time Maya is restarted, the seUVBlendShape plug-in and scripts will no longer be availabe.

Note

This will NOT delete the plug-in or scripts from the file system. Only the shelf and the seUVBlendShape.mod file inside your module directory where it was installed will be removed. You can reinstall by repeating the install process again.

  1. Source the seUVBlendShape_uninstall.mel script in one of the same ways as the installation script above.
  2. A confirmation box will appear to make sure you want to continue. After this, the module description file will be deleted and shelf removed. You must have write permission on the module file to be able to delete it.
  3. That is it! The module may still be loaded into Maya, but it will no longer be there the next time you restart Maya.

Manual Uninstall

Uninstalling the module manually is easy as well:

  1. Delete the seUVBlendShape shelf.
  2. Delete the seUVBlendShape.mod file from the module directory selected during installation.

Upgrading From Trial Version

Upgrading from the trial version to the full version is simple. Any scenes that were saved with the trial version will work with the full version. Also any tools or scripts should be unaffected.

  1. Close all Maya sessions first.
  2. Go to the directory where the root seUVBlendShape directory exists.
  3. Delete the trial seUVBlendShape directory.
  4. Extract or move the full version of seUVBlendShape from the download in the same directory as the trial version. Make sure it is named the same as the trial version.
  5. Relaunch Maya and make sure the tools and plugin load.

If for some reason there is a problem, you can first uninstall and then reinstall from the steps above.