Autodesk Maya Gcode Exporter using Cura.

[brictone 0]

I'm not sure if there are many around these parts that use Maya to model and create objects for printing but it's one of my favorite tools. Since it has very powerful scripting capabilities with Python and MEL, I decided to learn Python to call up Cura and slice up my object and save my gcode files ready for my Ultimaker printer. There's quite a bit more I can do with this but, I'm just not a seasoned programmer coming from the artist world. If anyone is interested in using something like this lemme know and I can try and package up the python script. Here's a screen shot of the window interface. And don't get me wrong Cura is great... it just doesn't have the capabilities that a 13+ year old leading special effects software package does.

If you're interested, I went into a little more detail on my site. http://www.bg3d.com/archives/1101

So yeah, Lemme know what you think.

 

[drde 1]

Hi,

I use maya every now and then and would like to try that script out if possible . I own the newer model but I think should work, too. Let me know if there is a way to get the script.

Kind regards

 

[IRobertI 521]

And don't get me wrong Cura is great... it just doesn't have the capabilities that a 13+ year old leading special effects software package does.

 

And it never will. cura is not a modelling/CAD package, it's a slicer (or processor as daid likes to call it). It's sole purpose in life is to create Gcode, something that 13+ year old software of yours needs cura's help to do

 

[brictone 0]

I was using maya to position the model on the platform but I think Cura has made that easy as well by just sticking it on the platform at the origin. I was also using Maya to merge and mold multiple geometry together to make a water tight STL. Cura now makes it a easy and slices multiple objects together without creating cavities. There's some options with that too.

So, I've changed the script significantly in order to accommodate all the updates that Cura goes though. So what I've done is taken the selected geometry or group of polygons and export them as an STL with the name of the selection and simply use a system command to launch Cura with that model. So I'm no more trying to replicate all the options in Cura.

without the script it's - export selection -> Navigate to folder -> Open STL with Cura -> change slicing settings -> save to SD -> Save to HardDrive

Now it's - click a button on the shelf -> change settings -> save to SD -> Save to HardDrive

I'll clean it up next week and get a link to it for you.

 

[drde 1]

ok cool

 

[brictone 0]

Hi,

I use maya every now and then and would like to try that script out if possible . I own the newer model but I think should work, too. Let me know if there is a way to get the script.

Kind regards

I updated the script on my site and you can find it here.

http://www.bg3d.com/archives/1101

 

[drde 1]

Thanks, I downloaded it and will give it a try soon. Have to update my maya first to latest release though.

 

[brictone 0]

Thanks, I downloaded it and will give it a try soon. Have to update my maya first to latest release though.

 

It should work with just about any version of Maya although I haven't tested it on anything else. Updating is still worth it but it shouldn't hold you back from trying the script. and putting it in the scripts in the non-version scripts folder will make it available to all versions that are installed.

 

[brictone 0]

 I recently had someone interested in this so I posted what I've been using to get Gcode from Maya on GitHub.  It's nothing fancy right now but it's just an obj export and launch Cura application with a Python script on the shelf.

 

I didn't get too far with my previous approach, and Cura seemed to be changing too rapidly to keep up.  Maybe now is a better time to get back into it with the new Cura 3.x

 

https://github.com/Brictone/MayaToGcode