ScriptSpot

Script

Automat - Artist Workflow Tools

By bathyscaph · Credited author: Steve Burke · 2014-03-31

Version
2015.1.4
Version requirement
2009
Date updated
2014-03-31
Votes
4
Homepage
www.burkestudios.com
Description

Automat banner

A large collection of time-saving scripts all organized into a simple and clean interface.

SCRIPTS included: Pivot Tool, Imagebar, SpinScatter, Miror Tool, Zipper Tool, Object Tools, Image Check Tools, Model Diagnostic Tool, Mat/Smooth Tool, Nubbins script launcher, Match Properties Tool, Object Cleaner, Golden Ratio Tool, Subdivision Calculator, Jumble Tool, JunkBox, and more.

All of the scripts were designed with the idea of streamlining my work in 3ds max by keeping me in my art brain. Some of the simplest tools, like the Match Tool, Pivot Tool and the Mat/Smooth, are my most used. These are tools that are designed to work quickly without diddling spinners. The Mirror Tool and the Zipper tool allow me to quickly stitch half of a character model together effortlessly. I use Model Diag and Object Cleaner with almost every object I build to make sure the geometry is clean. I use Nubbins for small project-specific scripts I write and also to launch my favorite maxscripts from ScriptSpot. After years of littering my desktop with reference art while I worked, I now use Imagebar to organize and keep all of my reference art instantly available, right inside of max, in a way that doesn't crowd my workspace with a bunch of windows.

Good luck. Hope you enjoy these and find them useful.

Steve Burke

Additional Info

What does the name mean? Popular in the mid twentieth century, Automats were self-serve cafeterias that sold dishes from coin-operated bins. Customers would build their own meal a nickel at a time. That was the inspiration for the interface. The goal was to keep a small footprint for the tool but allow the user to pick and choose which parts of the script to keep open at any given time. The Nubbins tool expands this idea because it allows the user to create an interface of sorts from any collection of maxscripts. **Like any mzp install script, make sure you are running max in Administrator mode when trying to install the package.
Attachments

Tags: modeling, utility, workflow, maxscript, Editable Poly, images, quad, instances, artist, mirroring, art reference, golden mean, fibonacci, right brain, suite, non-quad, ngons, clean objects

Comments (13)

set units in measure tool

nameveiof · 2014-04-16

how to set a metric units in measurement tool?

bathyscaph · 2014-04-20

The measure tool is very simple at the moment. At some point I will flesh it out a bit and add some options for more customization; including metric units. Thanks for the feedback.

bathyscaph · 2014-04-21

I went ahead and made a few enhancements to the tag tools(part of the Model Diag tool):

1. Measurement tool now measures using whatever you have set for display units whether that be meters, inches, etc. You are no longer limited to feet and inches.

2. User configurable wireframe colors are now used when creating the objects

3. There is now a scale multiplier setting so that the nametag and measurement constructions can work well and stay readable no matter the object or scene scale.

4. Nametag look improved.

asymptote · 2014-04-10

Love the image bar, only I find it kinda funky to use, I know it would be easy to prep the image size beforehand, but would incorporating an auto size image and/or zoom function be difficult ?
I just think this tool has great potential, understand your sharing your tools and may not want to develop ;)

thx for the script.

bathyscaph · 2014-04-12

Thanks for the feedback Derp Meowslurp, dsp-418, and asymptote. Glad that you guys are finding it useful.

Regarding Imagebar, I manually limit the number of images in each directory to 23 and resize the biggest images to 800 pixels in their maximum dimension using Photoshop. For my current setup, this keeps all of the large images onscreen and keeps the Imagebar at a good size, although it would be nice to partially automate this. When I get some time, I'll see if I can find a simple way of resizing really large images or just displaying them to fit onscreen better.

New Version 2015.1.2

bathyscaph · 2014-04-13

ImageBar 1.3
You no longer have to do any prep to your images. You can set the maximum X and Y dimensions to use when displaying large images. You can also set the number of images to include in the imagebar. Also added a quick way to open an explorer window at the current Imagebar location for moving files around as desired. Also added a report in the prompt window for the number of images, if any, not displayed from the current directory. Opening up a persistent window of any image will bring up the full resolution image or you have the option to bring up an image that respects the max X and max Y settings.

Mat/Smooth Tool 1.2
Added automagic new test material function. New button automatically creates and assigns a carefully colored, ten material, checkered multimaterial with user-defined tiling properties . . . super fast UV checking and visual material ID feedback.

JumbleTool 1.2
Added option to add Original Objects to a new, hidden layer. new default option set to select original objects after an operation.

dsp_418 · 2014-04-08

This is a nice set of utilities, thank you so much for your work!

Derp Meowslurp here

Derp Meowslurp · 2014-04-01

Are these tools broken up so we can assing them to our own hotkeys and toolbars? or do we have to use the ones shown?

All of the scripts run independently

bathyscaph · 2014-04-02

Best to first install the whole package first since some scripts rely on a library file to be present. You can, however, run each of the scripts independently. You can run them like standard maxscripts or use a launcher app of your choosing, or you could wrap them up into macroscripts if you like. You don't need to use my interface, they will each create their own floating rollout.

Derp Meowslurp · 2014-04-08

Hi,

i was worried the rollout was going to be too big and clunky, but its nice and compact and easy to use.

really nice scripts here, thanks for the hard work :)

luxxeon · 2014-04-01

This looks very interesting, and right up my alley. Thanks, I'll try it out. My only question is the purpose of the "mirror" and "zipper" tools, when Symmetry modifier does exactly the same thing, automatically?

Symmetry works great . . .

bathyscaph · 2014-04-02

. . . but when modeling characters, especially in the early stages, I generally prefer to work on a flattened Editable Poly. I just like the simplicity of it.

I also frequently collapse one half of the model and let the two sides grow apart for awhile to guage my progress . . . then use the mirror tool to bring the two halves in sync again . . . my own idosyncratic way of working I guess. :)

Good luck.

version 2015.0.01

bathyscaph · 2014-04-01

Added additional options to Jumble Tool.