ngSkinTools user guide

ngSkinTools is a skinning plugin for Autodesk Maya, introducing new concepts to character skinning such as layers, any-pose-mirroring, enhanced paint brushes, true smoothing, and more.

Installing

Note

If you have ngSkinTools older than 1.0.965, please remove it first. Delete ngSkinTools module file from your <user home>/maya/<maya version>/modules, and all other files from the installation location (that's C:\program files for Windows users).

Since version 1.0.965, ngSkinTools installation uses Autodesk's autoloader system (as described in Autodesk App Store guide and Cyrille's blog).

This means that installation locations are:

  • Windows - C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\ngskintools (unless your %ProgramData% environment variable is different)
  • OSX - /Users/Shared/Autodesk/ApplicationAddins/ngskintools
  • Linux - ~/Autodesk/ApplicationPlugins/ngskintools (single user) or /usr/autodesk/ApplicationPlugins/ngskintools (all users / root)

So far it seems like these locations are not configurable (let me know if you discover otherwise).

Using autoloader system, nothing needs to be configured additionally from Maya's point of view. Maya scans autoloader locations for plugins at startup, and configures each discovered plugin automatically. For ngSkinTools, a shelf button to open UI is created in "Custom" tab.

Continue to Quick start for first steps with the plugin.

Note

If you really need to manually configure installation, you need three things (assuming you've got some experience setting up a Maya plugin):

  • Add ngskintools\Contents\plug-ins\windows-maya2017-64bit to MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH (use particular plugin path for your OS/Maya version);
  • Add ngskintools\Contents\scripts to PYTHONPATH;
  • Add ngSkinTools shelf button with python code: from ngSkinTools.ui.mainwindow import MainWindow; MainWindow.open()

Getting help

If you have a problem, a question, a feature request, let me know. Your feedback is what drives the project forward!

Frequently Asked Questions

Got a question? Checkout frequently asked questions list - maybe it's already been answered?

Mailing list

ngSkinTools user list at Google Groups.

This is the most preferred way to ask new questions and provide feedback. You might need a google ID for this, though you can contact me personally if you just want to be added to the group with a non-google email:

Contact me personally

If you're feeling shy or just want to contact me personally, use this contact form instead.