Well, I am writing this article for Autodesk Maya users. You might find on forums, some people ask where to keep the python script they made or they downloaded that is going to be used in Maya, just like mel script to which we usually refer to by source in, in case of Python you would call it import it, because like in Mel we source a mel file in python we import a python module or file. So first you should know where to keep the python scripts because thats what the subject is!!!
You can keep your python script at any of these location that you need to import later:
You can keep your python script at any of these location that you need to import later:
Figure 1
Now in the above image paths shown are relevant to my Autodesk Maya on my laptop, but these are not going to be the same for your computer. To see the paths relevant to your computer type the following code in the python tab of your Maya script editor.
Figure 2
This code you see above will list the paths where you can drop your downloaded python script like in Figure.1
Now, lets say your python script needs another python or mel script to be imported or sourced in respectively, and you do not want to hard code the full path because on everyone else's computer this path is going to be different.
Here is the solution I came up with when I was working on my Set Imageplane for maya personal project.
Here is the solution I came up with when I was working on my Set Imageplane for maya personal project.
Figure: 3 [import mel script from python script]
The code above uses for loop, to see the list of paths available to in sys.path because sys.path contains all the paths of python modules.
In the line 5. I initialized a a variable to check if the file exist , the fileexist stores Boolean value True or False, and since each variable declared in the for loop contains the path of each location that can have python module so the code in the 5th line, os.path.exists returns True or false and when the fileexist condition is met, I sourced in my old mel script that i kept in my documents/Maya /<version>/scripts folder, so it gets sourced in using the source method. You would probably import pymodule, since I knew the mel script I have distributed is going to be either of the above location that gets listed by sys.path, I took advantage of it. The print statement in the 6th line prints out the paths in stored in each variable with search result(True or false). See figure.4 below, the result in my case. The autSetProj sets the project automatically if its not set which inturn gives default directory to my file dialog to get to sourceimages where the artist must store his/her imageplanes which means he has least steps to take rather then browsing to the location.
In the line 5. I initialized a a variable to check if the file exist , the fileexist stores Boolean value True or False, and since each variable declared in the for loop contains the path of each location that can have python module so the code in the 5th line, os.path.exists returns True or false and when the fileexist condition is met, I sourced in my old mel script that i kept in my documents/Maya /<version>/scripts folder, so it gets sourced in using the source method. You would probably import pymodule, since I knew the mel script I have distributed is going to be either of the above location that gets listed by sys.path, I took advantage of it. The print statement in the 6th line prints out the paths in stored in each variable with search result(True or false). See figure.4 below, the result in my case. The autSetProj sets the project automatically if its not set which inturn gives default directory to my file dialog to get to sourceimages where the artist must store his/her imageplanes which means he has least steps to take rather then browsing to the location.
| | I hope you enjoyed reading my tip on sourcing in python or mel script from withing the python script and where to keep the python scripts that you have to use in the maya to simply import and run. I am looking forward to hear comments, question from you. |
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