Overview
The Instancer to Geometry Tool is a custom Maya tool that converts particle instancer objects into standard geometry objects. This allows artists to bake instanced particles into scene geometry, making them editable and exportable for rendering or further modifications.
Features
- – Lists all instancer nodes in the scene
- – Allows selection of multiple instancer nodes for conversion
- – Converts instances into either duplicates or instances of the original geometry
- – Option to use visibility to scale down invisible instances
- – Allows conversion within a specific frame range
- – Progress bar to track conversion progress
UI Elements
Instances Section
- Instance List (TextScrollList): Displays all available instancers in the scene.
- Refresh List (Button): Updates the instance list.
Settings Section
- Duplication Type (Radio Button Group):
- Make Duplicates – Creates separate duplicate geometry.
- Make Instances – Creates instances for optimized performance.
- Visibility to Scale (Checkbox): If checked, scales down invisible instances instead of setting visibility to off.
- Start from Current Frame (Checkbox): Begins conversion from the current frame instead of the playback start.
- Frame Range (Radio Button Group):
- Playback Range= – Uses the default playback range.
- Custom Range – Allows manual input of start and end frames.
- Custom Range (Int Field Group): Allows defining a custom frame range for conversion.
Actions Section
- Convert (Button): Starts the instancer-to-geometry conversion process.
- Progress Bar: Displays the conversion progress.
How It Works
- The script retrieves all instancers in the scene and lists them in the UI.
- The user selects the desired instancer(s) and sets conversion options.
- During conversion:
Each instanced object is duplicated or instantiated at each frame.
Transformations such as position, rotation, scale, and visibility are applied. Keyframes are set to preserve animation. - 4. The progress bar updates dynamically as frames are processed.
- 5. Upon completion, the created geometry is unhidden and set visible.
Usage Instructions
- Run the script to open the tool UI.
- Click **Refresh List** to populate the available instancers.
- Select the instancers you want to convert.
- Adjust settings as needed.
- Click **Convert** to start the conversion process.
- The progress bar updates until the conversion is complete.
Notes
- – The script changes the **model editor view to bounding box** during conversion for performance optimization.
- – Original units are stored and restored after conversion.
- – Supports rotation types including direct rotation, aim direction, and aim position.
Credits
Created by **Sanjeev Namani – FXTD
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