Roadmap for the maya plugin

[k.a.schubert]

@everbody using Linux, OSX, @matrix2012

releases are here:

Linux
OSX

@itsallgoode9
So an UI in the Render settings window as before displaying passes, kernels, layers?
Its okay to "badger" me with this, just a bit patience for an answer please.

@gah5118
Gotta do some UI/Mel while changing components, else I can't test it myself.
The idea for the standalone window was debugging at first.
But if some of you like the standalone node graph more than the maya nodegraph,
its possible as well. Momentarily they sync only in one direction (Maya -> Octane).

Let's hope that we are seeing the "buildings" guts without the walls put up just yet.

What walls? Attribute Editor UI "hiding" the standard UI?

@p3taoctane, gah5118, jagger, limeforce, PaulScheepers
Gonna do the basic setup with a one-click button/ automatically when a new scene is created.

@ciboulot
Sorry to hear. I still think when v3 is done you will like it.
The nodes where not planned as a must for everybody, but for those who want this level of access and therefore the steps taken are all necessary.
See one click/automatic setup above.
A global UI for passes, kernels and layers can be added, even though finding these options in separate nodes seems easier.

Cameras will be connected automatically in the node graph when you cycle through them in the viewport.

Materials I have to touch yet, since the new nodes work completely different on the insides,
so incompatibilities are unavoidable.

Not possible for you to use v2 until v3 is good enough for you?

@PaulScheepers
Cameras will be connected automatically in the node graph when you cycle through them in the viewport or selecting in IPR, looking for the hook for this.

In my hypershade I'm finding all nodes but the ones I need... shaders

Please explain! all we have are octane materials connected to maya shading groups:

I think I gave enough info upfront, with the screenshots for example, how the node system will look like.
Easy setup button is still missing, I see that.

@pixerati2
Tell me more about that pipeline integration!

[matrix2012]

Hi Kai,

Thanks for the Linux Version.

Best
matrix2012

[blackshore]

I agree with ciboulot.
Material networks gets complicated as it already is, I think this new workflow only adds additional problems and time.
That is not cool in production.
If users want to have octane standalone GUI, users should use standalone.
Users that don't like the way the hypershade works should not take this up here, they should whine to Autodesk.
Every single renderer out there such as Vray, Arnold, Maxwell, Redshift have adapted it to the Maya GUI and it's users production workflows.
I would not suggest Octane plugin to be different in this regard.
Octane plugin must function at least as good as the others on the market before it has time to be unique.



Octane is rather young. Perhaps as a young organism, it should learn to walk in others footsteps, before it will be able to walk it's own path.

[calus]

I agree with ciboulot.

I would advise You and Ciboulot to read again the Kai's messages in this Topic because there seems to be a big misunderstanding,
you are speaking of a "new octane specific workflow" coming from where ?
Didn't you notice that Arnold, V-Ray, Redshift, Maxwell, Mental-ray ... and Maya in general also use a bunch of nodes under-the-hood ?

Please don't mix up the nodal structure of a plugin with its GUI integration (which is not there yet obviously as you can't implement GUI stuff before functionalities).
And by the way, Vray took years to be correctly integrated in maya GUI, I won't even talk about mental-ray,
Kai only had a few months ...

As the new approach is more granular at node level it will enable a way better integration in Maya than the V2 plugin and will get rid of its limitations...

[gah5118]

I think a lot of folks misunderstand the purpose of an alpha. When we get to the beta, I believe that is where gui will be addressed. It's like saying the car looks ugly when you are only looking at it's engine. Or, that's a terrible looking house and would never keep you warm when only looking at incomplete framing.

Alpha = infancy development/framework

Beta = early development/gui

Release = final product

We aren't near the final product yet.

[limeforce]

Hope we get 2016.5 support soon

[blackshore]

I agree with ciboulot.

I would advise You and Ciboulot to read again the Kai's messages in this Topic because there seems to be a big misunderstanding,
you are speaking of a "new octane specific workflow" coming from where ?
---

As the new approach is more granular at node level it will enable a way better integration in Maya than the V2 plugin and will get rid of its limitations...

This post worried me I suppose:
viewtopic.php?f=109&t=55117&p=281880#p281877
If the workflow won't change then I'm cool.
But people from last two pages seems to have interpreted it in that way.

@gah5118:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_ ... life_cycle
They define what alpha, beta, stable is. It is the amount of change.
One can start with GUI if one likes. If you work with QT or Visual Basic you will have that as a start.
There is no rules for this.

[itsallgoode9]

[quote=

@itsallgoode9
So an UI in the Render settings window as before displaying passes, kernels, layers?
Its okay to "badger" me with this, just a bit patience for an answer please.

[/quote]

Not necessarily the the render settings window (although, i do hope that functionality as an option, is still in there). Previous posts made it sound like that eventually nodes would be simplified in a later release so not EVERY node is exposed and the user is required to connect a billion nodes to get a simple render going. Like others mentioned, keeping it working, visually, like the plugin used too while keeping the real deep node functionality a bit more hidden. that's what I was asking about

[calus]

If the workflow won't change then I'm cool.

Unlike you I really really hope that the workflow will change and use more usual Maya workflows,

the limitation coming with V2 plugin approach gave us a lot of convoluted non-sens workflows.

Do you really want to still have to select "MayaIFF16" format to output 32 bits EXR ?

[Slimshader]

The idea for the standalone window was debugging at first.
But if some of you like the standalone node graph more than the maya nodegraph,
its possible as well.

No thanks, I would prefer the maya nodegraph but I see the value in having the standalone graph for debugging (only).