We’re excited to announce the release of Zoo Tools 2.7.4, which includes new features such as Lights, Shaders, and Selection Set marking menus and tools for managing multiple attributes and color adjustments across many selected objects. Plus, many more enhancements.
We are continuously working on adding support for VRay and native Maya lights, as well as further Hive Auto-rigger features in upcoming versions. Upgrade to version 2.7.4 for an improved user experience.
This update also brings bug fixes and increased performance.
New Marking Menu: Shader Marking Menu
We’ve added a new Shader Marking Menu assigned to o (hold and left-click hold).
Code credit: Cosmo Park
The “Shader Marking Menu” is compatible with many shader types.
Default Shader Support:
– Arnold: aiStandardSurface
– Redshift: redshiftMaterial
– Renderman: pxrSurface (limitation with metal presets)
– Vray: vrayMaterial
– Maya Veiwport 2020+: standardSurface
– Maya Veiwport 2019 and below: blinn (limitation with metal presets)
The Shader Marking Menu has many features:
“Copy and Paste” shaders with the Zoo Shader Marking Menu.
“Select Objs From Shader” selects objects sharing the current shading group.
“Transfer Shaders” copy/pastes shaders with one menu item. The first selection is copied to the remaining objects.
“Select Shader Nodes”, then apply “Presets”. The presets do not change the diffuse color of the shaders.
“Select Shader Node” selects the shader directly for editing in the Attribute Editor. Also hotkey “ctrl shift n”
Note: To update to new hotkeys with the marking menus, you must manually upgrade inside of the Zoo Preferences Window.
Zoo Shelf > Zoo Preferences Window > Zoo Hotkey Editor > Update Zoo Hotkeys
New Popup Tool: Diffuse Hue Saturation Value
We’ve added a popup window to the “Shader Marking Menu” for setting/adjusting colors on one or many shaders.
Shader Marking Menu (o left-click hold) > Diffuse Color HSV
Offset colors across many shaders. Here adjusting seven shaders across the Prim Fighter.
Offset colors across many shaders. Here adjusting many green shaders in the Seaside Apartments scene.
The HSV Popup can be mapped to a python hotkey with:
| from zoo.apps.popupuis import hsvpopup hsvpopup.main() |
New Marking Menu: Lights Marking Menu
We’ve added a new Lights Marking Menu assigned to l (hold and left-click hold).
The Lights Marking Menu has many features.
Code credit: Cosmo Park
The “Lights Marking Menu” is compatible with many renderers with some restrictions.
Create Lights at the camera position. Arnold/Redshift/Renderman/Vray/Maya Viewport.
More light options can be found by opening the Area Light (options), Directional Light (options), or HDRI Skydome (options).
Instantly build Light Presets for 180 cm scenes. Arnold/Redshift/Renderman. Vray coming soon.
More Light Presets can be found by opening the Light Presets Tool.
“Braverabbit’s Place Reflection” is included. For more information see this page.
Note: To update to new hotkeys with the marking menus, you must manually upgrade inside of the Zoo Preferences Window.
Zoo Shelf > Zoo Preferences Window > Zoo Hotkey Editor > Update Zoo Hotkeys
New Tool: Set Multiple Attributes
We’ve added a new tool for setting attribute values across multiple objects or selected nodes. The attributes can also be present on the selected object’s shape nodes.
This tool is beta and currently only supports float and int numerical attributes. More attribute type support is coming.
The “Set Multiple Attributes” tool sets attributes on many selected nodes or objects.
New Marking menu: Selection Set Marking Menu
We’ve added a new Selection Set Marking Menu assigned to u (hold and left-click hold).
The Selection Set Marking Menu is a work in progress and many more features will be added, for now you can create new selection sets and existing sets will appear as a menu list below the marking menu.
This marking menu is a work in progress.
The “Selection Set Marking Menu” lists all the selection sets in the scene for easy access (This tool is a WIP).
Note: To update to new hotkeys with the marking menus, you must manually upgrade inside of the Zoo Preferences Window.
Zoo Shelf > Zoo Preferences Window > Zoo Hotkey Editor > Update Zoo Hotkeys
Hive Auto-Rigger
This release brings a round of small changes and bug fixes.
Changes:
– Changes: Align guides optimized up to two times faster.
– Changes: Support Maya undo modifier for increased undo performance.
Bug Fixes:
– Bug Fix: Fixed transformation differences moving between guides skeleton and rig modes.
– Bug Fix: The Hive UI is no longer double-sized on a 4k monitor.
– Bug Fix: Fixed errors building in non cm scene units, a warning window now appears to ensure scene is in cm. Maya scene units can be modified after polishing the rig.
– Bug Fix: Fixed issue where a user has manually deleted a layer transform.
– Bug Fix: Fixed guide control visibility when setting both the control and pivot visibility at the same time.
– Bug Fix: Fixed Auto-Align failure when a guide Auto-Align is Off.
Enhancement: Edit Curves (X-Ray Mode)
New XRay Toggle for curves, a checkbox allows any selected curves to show through geometry, similar to Maya’s joint XRay mode.
New X-Ray toggle for curves in the Edit Controls tool (advanced mode)
Enhancement: Fix Viewport
Deleting a Fix Viewport setup turns the lights viewport mode off; this is so the scene does not turn black with no lights in the scene.
New Hotkeys: Assorted
Lights Marking Menu: l (press and hold)
Shader Marking Menu: o (press and hold)
Selection Set Marking Menu: u (press and hold)
Create CV Nurbs Curve: shift alt z
Create CV Curve (3 spans) is now assigned to “shift alt z” for quick access.
Note: To update to new hotkeys you must manually upgrade inside of the Zoo preferences window.
Zoo Shelf > Zoo Preferences Window > Zoo Hotkey Editor > Update Zoo Hotkeys
You must manually update the Zoo Tools hotkeys in the Zoo Preferences window.
Enhancement: Hotkeys
Create Nurbs Circle “ctrl shift alt o” now matches to objects or selection on creation. Select nothing to create at world center.
Create NURBS Circle hotkey creates at the selection. “ctrl shift alt o”
BugFix/Enhancement: Hotkeys
All Open Zoo Tool hotkeys are available to be assigned again, Open Tool hotkeys without bindings were missing in the previous version.
The “Open Tool Hotkeys” have returned. Search “tl” to find the hotkeys in the Zoo Hotkey Window.
All Open Zoo Tool hotkeys now have the ability to open in advanced mode with added code (advancedMode=True)
Python Code example.
| from zoo.libs.maya.cmds.hotkeys import definedhotkeys definedhotkeys.open_colorOverrides(advancedMode=True) |
BugFix: Browser Windows
Adding a new category with a folder selected no longer errors, instead the UI searches valid parent folder or uses the root directory instead.
Bug Fix: A warning is no longer triggered while adding a new folder with another folder selected .
Free rigs here are: Aang, Cycborg, and Deadpool . See how to add free rigs to the browsers here.
BugFix: 4k Windows
We’ve fixed double-scaling issues related to certain standalone Zoo Windows such as Hive, Zoo Preferences, Zoo Hotkey Windows some dialog windows and more.
BugFix: Shaders
SurfaceStandard shaders now load and convert successfully with negative specular values.
BugFix: Windows Assorted
Closed windows are now flushed out of cache and will cause less lag in the case of many windows opened/closed.
—————————————–
Buy Zoo Tools.
To see all tools go to the Zoo 2 Information Page.
Registered users can download and upgrade from the Zoo 2 Install Page.
—————————————–
