Improving our bootstrap flexibility


Blurb:

This piece is an addition to the all inclusive Maya bootstrap post from earlier.

This post will explore how to increase flexibility across projects.

Tutorial:

Since developing the system I found using multiple batch files for multiple projects was not particularly scale able.

  • Multiple changes to multiple files needed

  • Tiny changes had to be replicated multiple times without error

  • Irritating to constantly diff files to check the changes are made across all project setups

  • Not project scale-able

At this point I had two projects using the system and was about to upgrade to a third, things had to change so that the project could be leveraged more easily across projects.

Using the approach detailed below we can customise our Maya sessions per project very easily:

  • Different export locations

  • Different tool setups

  • Different icons and boot logos

  • etc.

THE MASTER BATCH FILE:

https://gist.github.com/ben-hearn-sb/94a4e16b5759d30ce42a446ed948010b

The MASTER batch file serves as a central hub for elements such as:

  • Plugins

  • Trunk/Source pathing

  • Maya Icons directories

  • User setup script locations

  • Python Pathing

THE CHILD BATCH FILE:

https://gist.github.com/ben-hearn-sb/683ac84fd97aad7c0c0b28978ca8d933

The CHILD batch file simply passes parameters you have set to the MASTER file.

The MASTER file then uses these parameters and constructs any relative pathing that is necessary for the Maya session.

Advantages to using this approach:

  • Changes to master env vars, python path etc. only need to be made in one location

  • Very easy to set project specific maya startup images, icons, modules etc.

  • New projects can be added easily with minimal setup

  • Restrict access to certain tools and pathing locations

  • Provide different projects with different toolsets


Recent Posts
Archive