How do I change the python version in Maya?

Basically, the article can be summed up into 3 steps:

1. Create an environment variable PYTHONHOME and set it to point to the version of Python you want (e.g. C:\Python27).
2. Copy the files from your "MayaDirectory"\Python\Lib\site-packages (e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\Autodesk\Maya2013\Python\Lib\site-packages) and paste them in "PYTHONHOME"\Lib\site-packages (e.g. C:\Python27\Lib\site-packages).
3. Restart Maya and see if everything works! You can check which Python is being used by running (from Maya's 'Script Editor'):

   import sys
   print sys.prefix

Pay special attention to the 2nd step where the article underlines how to make Maya's libraries work after you change your environment variable. Note that print statements might start appearing in your 'Output Window' instead of the 'Script Editor' if you haven't done this last step correctly.

However, it's possible to change that by setting the PYTHONHOME environment variable. The following article explains how to do that and how to check that it's setup correctly:

Choose Python Inside Maya

(quoted: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14656593/how-do-i-change-the-python-version-in-maya-2013)

Nuke Merge nodes

Very useful table
http://opticalenquiry.com/nuke/index.php?title=Merge_Blend_Modes

Blend name	Short description	Real-world use	Use rating
atop	'Cookie-cuts' the BG by the FG.	Sometimes useful for combining mattes.	*
color-dodge	Lightens the BG according to FG colors. Does not affect BG black.	A soft, light-colored radial placed over the background will add a vivid highlight. Beautiful for landscape effects. An example of this is the second set of images on this page.	***
color-burn	Darkens the BG according to FG colors. Does not affect BG white. Kinda the opposite of color-dodge	Good for making things appear burned.	*
conjoin-over	A bit like over, but ignores the transparency of the FG.	Good for 'thickening up' fire.	*
difference	Shows the difference between the BG and FG.	Good for comparing frames and also can be used as a difference matte.	**
disjoin-over	If both the FG and BG have mattes and the two mattes are 'oposite' of each other (like jigsaw puzzle pieces) then the edges of the mattes are not fringed.	Good for compositing CG output where each element has a different hold-out matte.	*
hypot	Lightens the BG according to the values of the FG.	Good for adding reflections.	*
in	'Cookie-cuts' FG by BG.	Good for combining mattes.	*
mask	The oposite of in.	Good for combining mattes.	*
max	Compares FG with BG and shows the brightest.	Very good for combining mattes.	***
min	Compares FG with BG and shows the darkest.	Very good for combining mattes.	***
multiply	Multiplies FG and BG together.	The clasic shadow blend mode. Good for combining the CG shadow pass with a background.	***
over	The default merge operation.	Lays FG over BG according to matte of FG. Cant live without it.	****
overlay	Darkens and lightens the BG according to the values of the FG.	Good for adding texture and general ambient contrast.	**
plus	Lightens BG according to the values of the FG.	Good for adding light-sabre lights.	**
screen	Lightens BG according to the values of the FG.	Good for adding light-sabre lights.	**
under	Places the FG under the FG.	Good for straightforward compositing in instances where the primacy of the B feed needs preserving.	***

Tension Map

Long time didnt explore with my own stuff... mostly working in company. My last "paint weight" task was 5 yrs ago in the college. See how things improves after 5 years :D
http://mayaspiral.blogspot.sg/2012/09/soup-tension-map-basic.html

Crazy tutorial index:

Coding tricks
http://www.iquilezles.org/www/index.htm

Mostly Renderman
http://www.fundza.com/index.html

Look Development Artist

Job Duties(s): Lighting, Scripting / Programming, Shader Writer / Creation

Software Utilized: C++, Python, MELScript, MTOR, SLIM

Genre(s): Visual FX

Summary:

The Look Development Artist works as part of the Look Development team that defines all the technical aspects needed to create the appearance of a 3-D element.

Responsibilites:

• Creating or modify existing shader parameters, painting, and applying texture maps, or developing other custom software to accomplish the art direction goals of character or environment.
• Work with the show supervisors to create final looks and materials for 3D characters and environments to be used in production.
• Runs shots under guidance of Key Creatives
• Participates as a team member in determining various design and technical solutions; provides feedback to other team members of the production.

REQUIREMENTS:

Requirements:

• 5+ years production experience in Features
• Strong, expert user knowledge of prman, mtor, and slim
• Experience rendering large datasets, experience manipulating ribs, and experience setting up Delayed Read Archives.
• Experience with Plug-in Ri Filters a plus.
• Strong problem solving ability and proven good creative eye.
• Ability to write and apply shaders a plus
• Programming experience (RSL, MEL, Python, C++ a plus) a plus
• Must be able to work in a collaborative environment, and taking direction from Supervisors.

Senior Look Development TD MPC Vancouver - Film

Primary Responsibilities:

• Developing the look of a shot or sequence with the supervision team
• Using an array of commercial and proprietary lighting tools to match CG lighting to on-set lighting
• Producing test and final renders of all CG elements
• Creating working comps for review by the supervision team
• Helping establish suitable work techniques for other team members
• Working in partnership with compositors to ensure shots are delivered to the very highest standard.

REQUIREMENTS:

Requirements:

• At least 3 years of proven production lighting experience
• Thorough understanding of techniques and technologies related to CG rendering and compositing
• Excellent communication skills
• Proven technical and creative ability in a large feature-film VFX production environment
• Working knowledge of Shake
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Very good understanding of shading, lighting and rendering terminology
• Very good understanding of production pipelines
• Very good knowledge of a production renderer
• Very good knowledge of node-based compositing software
• General understanding of linux/unix-based operating systems
• Python and MEL scripting experience an advantage

Senior Lighting Technical Director

Senior Lighting Technical Directors (TD) work with direction from the CG Supervisors and Digital Artist Supervisors to create the look of computer generated objects and scenes. They are responsible for lighting, shading, rendering, and some compositing.

* Work with competency, energy and enthusiasm within a team environment with daily supervision to complete a shot.
* Demonstrates good listening and communication skills by openly receiving direction and criticism by asking good questions to confirm clear understanding of the directions and how to approach what needs to be done. Once clear, implements the requested changes immediately and raises flags right away if a solution is not quickly found or if there are any delays, making sure the Supervisors and Production are kept in the loop and are up-to-date on the status of one’s shot work.
* Demonstrates basic presentation/communication skills in dailies/shot review by clearly and briefly outlining what has been accomplished and what next should be addressed in the shot.
* Demonstrates the development of an eye toward anticipating potential problems and knowing what could look better in one’s shot.
* Demonstrates the ability to prioritize tasks managing time well, providing everyone with accurate time estimates on shot task completion
* Responsible for mentoring other digital artists in Lighting and Rendering.

Requirements:

* 8+ years work experience required in visual effects.
* Demo reel demonstrating artistic and technical ability is required for this role.
* Feature film experienced required
* Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Computer Graphics
* Possesses strong computer programming abilities with visual arts skills.
* Strong working knowledge of Linux, C programming Python and shell scripting is required.
* Familiar with Maya, Comptime, Zeno, Commodore and Repo.

Lighting Look Dev Lead at Lucasfilm Animation

Position Summary:
·The role of the Lighting Lead is to develop techniques and procedures to create various CG elements to be used in Animation for Digital Features while establishing a standard for all Technical Directors in continually raising the bar for speed, quality of work and adaptability.

Primary Responsibilities:

·Establishes, defines, and implements techniques and procedures for lighting pipeline.

·Serves as knowledge resource and helps problem solve and guide backend pipeline artists, such as character look dev artists, fx artists, lighting artists, and environments artists.

·Works with the Managing Technical Supervisor to set the tone of the direction of a sequence.

·Monitors sequence progress and, through interaction with the show management team, directs sequence personnel and makes changes to ensure sequence will be completed on time.

·Sets up and lights very complex/multiple creatures (hairy or furry creatures)/elements and environments.
·Develops and writes plug-ins, write/hack renderman shaders as well as MentalRay procedural, volumetric and surface shaders with proficiency.
·Animate moderate objects with proficiency.
·Sets a standard for all Technical Directors in continually raising the bar of for speed, quality of work and adaptability.


Direct Reports: TBD

Education, Experience and Skills:

·Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Computer Graphics or equivalent work experience.
·3 or more year’s show production experience with strong working knowledge of various software platforms including Maya and other high end animation software.
·Supervisory experience preferred.
·Knowledge of Linux and shell scripts
·Highly proficient skills in technical problem solving.
·Excellent communications skills.
·Proficiency with LINUX/UNIX
·Experience w/C++, mel, python, and other scripting languages required.
·A reel demonstrating technical ability is required for this role.


Physical Requirements:
Uses a computer keyboard at least 80% of total work time

sys: writing a concatenated program without space

##here is the program:

name= raw_input("what is your name:")

sex= raw_input("are you male or female:")

height= input("Height:")

weight= input("Weight:")

import sys

write=sys.stdout.write

write (name)

write (sex)

write (height)

write (weight)

###end

for more informations about "sys", go :

sys — System-specific parameters and functions

Python has six basic operations for numbers

Python has six basic operations for numbers:

Operation Symbol Example

Exponentiation ** 5 ** 2 == 25

Multiplication * 2 * 3 == 6

Division / 14 / 3 == 4

Remainder % 14 % 3 == 2

Addition + 1 + 2 == 3

Subtraction - 4 - 3 == 1

31 python keywords

Python has thirty-one keywords which should be avoided from setting Variables:

and	as	assert	break	class	continue
def	del	elif	else	except	exec
finally	for	from	global	if	import
in	is	lambda	not	or	pass
print	raise	return	try	while	with
yield

learn some scripting, write a maya plug in

it is a bit annoying that maya doesnt have the "locate name" function
lets see this plug in:

http://www.rodgreen.com/?p=117

would like to start some scriptng and write some tools soon :D

some CG terms that you might get confused

1. Algorithm
ach algorithm is a list of well-defined instructions for completing a task.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithm

2. Ray Casting (not to get confused with Ray Tracing)
Ray casting can refer to:

* the general problem of determining the first object intersected by a ray,[2]
* a technique for hidden surface removal based on finding the first intersection of a ray cast from the eye through each pixel of an image,
* a non-recursive variant of ray tracing that only casts primary rays, or
* a direct volume rendering method, also called volume ray casting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_casting

3. Ray Tracing
is a technique for generating an image by tracing the path of light through pixels in an image plane and simulating the effects of its encounters with virtual objects. The technique is capable of producing a very high degree of visual realism, usually higher than that of typical scanline rendering methods,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_tracing_%28graphics%29

4. Scanline Rendering
in 3D computer graphics, that works on a row-by-row basis rather than a polygon-by-polygon or pixel-by-pixel basis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scanline_rendering

Something you don't know about Blending Mode, aka "matte-free" compositing

a. The blending operations below (1-4) are "SYMMETRICAL", which means you can swap the 2 input image without getting different results.

1. SCREEN MODE:
-double up the exposure (it shouldn't block the background)
-the Weighted Screen Operation (reduced the opacity of background, less opacity was seen, as the usual Screen operation might make the image looked pale and disaturated)
-good for lense flare, light glow, laser, light saber compositing


2. MULTIPLY:
-each image retain their "identity", a more punchy result is given


3. MAXIMUM (LIGHTEN):
-compare 2 image on a pixel by pixel basis. Whichever pixel is the maximum becomes the output
-good for fire (life footage) compositing


4. MINIMUM (DARKEN):
-the opposite of MAXIMUM

______________________________________________________________

b. COMPLEX BLENDING MODE:

SOME BASIC MATH AND EQUATIONS:

1. "A" (blend layer) over "B" (base layer)

"take complement of the base layer (B) and then multiply that by the blend layer (A)"

thus, the equation will be:

(1-B) x A

if "A" as "input 1", "B" as "input 2", the mythical math node as 3 channel equations will look something like this:

R channel out = (1- r1) x r1

G channel out = (1- g1) x g2

B channel out = (1- b1) x b2

2. "pseudo-code" is used here. you will have to convert the equations to the syntax for your package.

"*" for multiply

"+" for addition

"if/then" for square root

______________________________________________________________

1. OVERLAY:

- changes its behavior depending on its pixel value of the base layer color. if base layer color pixel is less then 0.5, it will do a Multiply operation; if more then 0.5, it switches to a Screen operation.

If (B <>

2 x A x B

else

1 - 2 x (1 - A) x (1 - B)

2. HARD LIGHT:

- changes its behavior depending on its pixel value of the blend layer color. if blend layer color pixel is less then 0.5, it will do a Multiply operation; if more then 0.5, it switches to a Screen operation.

If (A<0.5)>

2 x A x B

else

1 - 2 x (1 - A) x (1 - B)

3. SOFT LIGHT

- also changes its behavior depending on its pixel value of the blend layer color. Its visual result is similar to OVERLAY operation but the calculation is much more complicated:

If (A<0.5)>

2 x A x B + (B² x (1 - 2 x A)

else

sqrt(B) x (2 x A - 1) x 2 x B x (1 - A)

_______________________________________________________________

more run down of other Photoshop blending modes, visit:

www.pegtop.net/dephi/blendmodes

UNKNOWN KEY WORD:
-Banding Effect

QUOTED FROM

DIGITAL COMPOSITING FOR FILM AND VIDEO, BY STEVE WRIGHT

nuke user, check this out!

http://www.nukepedia.com/

nuke user, check this out!

something about Nuke Mystery -Shuffle/Shuffle Copy?!

http://www.digitalgypsy.com/vfxlog/archives/2008/04/tip-of-the-week-shuffle-shuffl.php

They remove the existing channel! If you want to keep the channel, you'll have to use a ChannelMerge node, which is the subject of another future tip!

(Haha.. can't really do a snapshot~ but the explanation is useful!)

Some compositing links

Nuke Training- Nuke Master class

http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/pkg_training.aspx?ui=CBC2593A-2C9F-4EF9-84BE-C198B0171453

Nuke Examples

http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/pkg_examples.aspx?ui=CBC2593A-2C9F-4EF9-84BE-C198B0171453

Lense Flares

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/lens-flare.htm

Scripting is fun~

we need to know C++ for Renderman
and Python~

so lets learn it:

Python lessons for beginners:
http://www.sthurlow.com/python/lesson01/

welcome to suggest any sites to learn all these language that what a CG td needs to know :)

Visual Effects History

http://www.filmsite.org/visualeffects.html

get to know some history and knowledge about visual effects

http://www.vfxhq.com/index.html

Discussion about VFX

How to Plug-In Bump2d to Mia_Material

Image from http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=87&t=422814&page=6&pp=15

This really took me awhile to get it~

Because u can see there is no direct way to do Bump with Mia_Material

Here is the trick:

1. plug a misss_set_normal node into the bump slot ( Connect miss_set_normal.message with mia_material.bump)

2. plug in the usual maya bump2d/3d(and link ur bump map like usual) nodes into the normal vector slot of the miss_set_normal node

hope it helps to ease ur pain too :D