I'm writing a tool that will help make me make custom uvSets on a model that will be linked to ramps(no interpolation) that will be sent to vray_extraTex render elements. these will become mattes and used in the same way as vRay multi mattes. however, I am not able to link the ramp that is my texture for the vray_extraTex to the custom uvSet using pymel.
I can do all this manually in Maya but for some reason, I am missing something for pymel to link the UVs to the ramp. I am testing in a Maya scene with a pSphere that has two uvSets and the second set is active. This code has been stripped down a bit:
def main():
inclusiveSet = None
renderElements =[]
ramps = []
newChannels = ['TestA','TestB','TestC','TestD']
for i, channel in enumerate(newChannels):
modIndex = i % 3 # 0:Red, 1:Green, 2:Blue
shapeNode=pm.PyNode('pSphereShape1')
transformNode=shapeNode.getTransform()
if modIndex == 0: # the first channel in the new Render Element
# make an etex render element
eTexElement = pm.PyNode(pm.mel.eval('vrayAddRenderElement("ExtraTexElement")'))
eTexElement.vray_name_extratex.set('')
eTexElement.vray_explicit_name_extratex.set('empty_empty_empy')
renderElements.append(eTexElement)
# make a ramp
ramp = pm.shadingNode('ramp', asTexture=True, name='eTex_{}_ramp'.format(transformNode.name()))
ramps.append(ramp)
ramp.outColor.connect(eTexElement.vray_texture_extratex)
# make a place2dtexture
place2d = pm.shadingNode('place2dTexture', asUtility=True)
place2d.outUV.connect(ramp.uv)
place2d.translateFrameU.set(len(renderElements) - 1)
# link UVs to ramp
# NOT WORKING
indices = pm.polyUVSet(shapeNode.name(), query=True, allUVSetsIndices=True)
currentUVSet = pm.polyUVSet(shapeNode, query=True, currentUVSet=True )
for i in indices:
if currentUVSet == pm.getAttr("{}.uvSet[{}].uvSetName".format(shapeNode.name(), i)):
pm.uvLink(uvSet='{}.uvSet[{}].uvSetName'.format(shapeNode.name(), i) , texture=ramp)
explicit_name = eTexElement.vray_explicit_name_extratex.get()
nameTokens = explicit_name.split('_')
nameTokens[modIndex] = channel
explicit_name = '_'.join(nameTokens)
eTexElement.vray_explicit_name_extratex.set(explicit_name)
main()
I get no errors but when I check the UV Linking the ramps are still set to map1 uvSet and not the second set that was active.
I expected to see the ramps connected to the uvChooser node and linked to the second uvSet.
I realized while writing this post that maybe I need to attach the ramps to the shader that is assigned to the geo before I can uvlink them with python. I'll try and test that next
so after some more testing, I was able to get it to work after assigning the ramps to a new attr on the objects' shader and with a couple of minor fixes to the code I posted before. fixed:
def connectTexture(layeredTex, shapeNode):
shadingGrps = pm.listConnections(shapeNode,type='shadingEngine')
shaders = pm.ls(pm.listConnections(shadingGrps),materials=1)
shader = shaders[0]
pm.addAttr(shader, longName='eTexLayeredTex', usedAsColor=True, attributeType='float3' )
pm.addAttr(shader, longName='eTexLayeredTexR', attributeType='float', parent='eTexLayeredTex' )
pm.addAttr(shader, longName='eTexLayeredTexG', attributeType='float', parent='eTexLayeredTex' )
pm.addAttr(shader, longName='eTexLayeredTexB', attributeType='float', parent='eTexLayeredTex' )
layeredTex.outColor.connect(shader.eTexLayeredTex)
def main():
inclusiveSet=None
renderElements=[]
ramps=[]
newChannels = ['TestA','TestB','TestC','TestD']
shapeNode=pm.PyNode('pSphereShape1')
transformNode=shapeNode.getTransform()
# make a layeredTexture
layeredTexture = pm.shadingNode('layeredTexture', asTexture=True, name='eTex_{}_layeredTexture'.format(transformNode.name()))
layeredTexture.attr('inputs')[0].color.set(0,0,0)
layeredTexture.attr('inputs')[0].alpha.set(1)
layeredTexture.attr('inputs')[0].blendMode.set(1)
connectTexture(layeredTexture, shapeNode)
for i, channel in enumerate(newChannels):
modIndex = i % 3 # 0:Red, 1:Green, 2:Blue
if modIndex == 0: # the first channel in the new Render Element
# make an etex render element
eTexElement = pm.PyNode(pm.mel.eval('vrayAddRenderElement("ExtraTexElement")'))
eTexElement.vray_name_extratex.set('')
eTexElement.vray_explicit_name_extratex.set('empty_empty_empy')
renderElements.append(eTexElement)
# make a ramp
ramp = pm.shadingNode('ramp', asTexture=True, name='eTex_{}_ramp'.format(transformNode.name()))
ramps.append(ramp)
ramp.interpolation.set(0)
ramp.colorEntryList[0].position.set(0.0)
ramp.colorEntryList[1].position.set((1.0 / 3.0))
ramp.colorEntryList[2].position.set((2.0 / 3.0))
ramp.colorEntryList[0].color.set(1,0,0)
ramp.colorEntryList[1].color.set(0,1,0)
ramp.colorEntryList[2].color.set(0,0,1)
ramp.defaultColor.set(0,0,0)
ramp.outColor.connect(eTexElement.vray_texture_extratex)
ramp.outColor.connect( layeredTexture.attr( 'inputs[{}].color'.format( 1 + i // 3)))
# make a place2dtexture
place2d = pm.shadingNode('place2dTexture', asUtility=True)
place2d.outUV.connect(ramp.uv)
place2d.outUvFilterSize.connect(ramp.uvFilterSize)
place2d.wrapU.set(0)
place2d.wrapV.set(0)
place2d.translateFrameU.set(len(renderElements) - 1)
# link UVs to ramp
indices = pm.polyUVSet(shapeNode.name(), query=True, allUVSetsIndices=True)
currentUVSet = pm.polyUVSet(shapeNode, query=True, currentUVSet=True )[0]
for index in indices:
if currentUVSet == pm.getAttr('{}.uvSet[{}].uvSetName'.format(shapeNode.name(), index)):
pm.uvLink(uvSet='{}.uvSet[{}].uvSetName'.format(shapeNode.name(), index) , texture=ramp)
explicit_name = eTexElement.vray_explicit_name_extratex.get()
nameTokens = explicit_name.split('_')
nameTokens[modIndex] = channel
explicit_name = '_'.join(nameTokens)
eTexElement.vray_explicit_name_extratex.set(explicit_name)
main()
they key was connecting the ramps to a material assigned to the object. Strangely after the uvLinks are made you can delete the connection between the ramps and the material and the uvLinks still work correctly. I posted this in case someone comes across a similar problem