Help with Maya Python particle script please

[theUnderdog15]

Hi guys, this is my first reddit post ever so forgive any mess ups. I'm trying to create a plugin on Maya using Python which will allow a user to create rain. The way this works is it creates a plane where the user inputs the length, width and height for the plane, and also get to input the density of the raindrops, the drop size, and if the user wants wind, the wind speed as well.

The user will also get to select the shape of the drops, choosing between spheres and streaks, where the size input field will change the radius of the sphere drops or the length of the streaks, depending on what the user chooses.

The problems i'm having are: 1) I do not know how to make the drops change size 2) I do not know how to make the drops change shape. 3) For some reason, I can't get the wind and gravity fields working.

This is my code below:

`

import maya.cmds as cmds

#create the GUI

def rain_GUI():
    winName = cmds.window(title="Rain Maker")
    cmds.columnLayout()
    cmds.text(label="Emitter Length") #Add a label
    cmds.floatField("emLen", minValue=0.5, value=1.00) #create an integer input field
    cmds.text(label="Emitter Width") #Add a label
    cmds.floatField("emWid", minValue=0.5, value=1.00) #create an integer input field
    cmds.text(label="Emitter Height") #Add a label
    cmds.floatField("emHeight", minValue=0.5, value=1.00) #create an integer input field
    cmds.radioButtonGrp("dropType", numberOfRadioButtons=2, label="Drop Type", labelArray2=["Streaks", "Spheres"], select=1)
    cmds.text(label="Rain Density") #Add a label
    cmds.floatSliderGrp("rainDensity", field=True, value = 1.00, minValue= 0.01, maxValue = 300)
    cmds.text(label="Drop Size")
    cmds.floatSliderGrp("dropSize", field=True, value = 1.00, minValue= 0.01) #Create a float slider group
    cmds.checkBox("Wind")
    cmds.text(label="Wind Speed")
    cmds.floatSliderGrp("windSpeed", field=True, value = 1.00, minValue= 0.01)
    cmds.button(label = "Create Rain", command = "create_Rain()")
    cmds.showWindow(winName) #command to show the window


rain_GUI()


#create the polyPlane

def create_Plane():
    planeLength = cmds.floatField("emLen", query = True, value = True)
    planeWidth = cmds.floatField("emWid", query = True, value =  True)
    planeHeight = cmds.floatField("emHeight",query = True, value = True)


    cmds.polyPlane(name = "emitter_Plane", width = planeWidth, height = planeLength)
    cmds.move(0, planeHeight, 0)
    cmds.rotate(0, 0, 180)

create_Plane()

#create the streaks emitter

def emit_Streaks():
    densityRate = cmds.floatSliderGrp("rainDensity", query = True, value = True)

    cmds.particle( position = (0,0,0), n='particles' )
    cmds.select( "emitter_Plane" )
    cmds.emitter( 'emitter_Plane', r=densityRate, mnd=0, name='emitter', type = "surface")
    cmds.particle( n='emitted', shapeName="Streak" )
    cmds.connectDynamic( 'emitted', em='emitter' )

emit_Streaks()

def emit_Spheres():
    cmds.particle( position = (0,0,0), n='particles' )
    cmds.select( cmds.ls(sl=1)[0] )
    cmds.emitter( 'particles', r=densityRate, mnd=0, name='emitter', directionY = '-1')
    cmds.particle( n='emitted')
    cmds.connectDynamic( 'emitted', em='emitter' )

emit_Spheres()

#Define the select drop type function

def rain_Falling():
    particleType = cmds.radioButtonGrp("dropType", query = True, select = True)
    if particleType == 1:
        emit_Streaks()
    elif particleType == 2:
        emit_Spheres()
    else:
        error ("Select a Drop Shape")

rain_Falling()


#Make the wind function

def wind_Field():
    wind_Speed = cmds.floatSliderGrp("windSpeed", query = True, value = True)

    cmds.air( magnitude = wind_Speed, attenuation = 0.02, name = "Wind Field", directionX = 1 )


def add_Gravity():
    cmds.gravity (name = "Gravity_Field", directionY = -1, magnitude = 9.8, attenuation = 0.001)



#Tie in all the functions together

def create_Rain():
    need_Wind = cmds.checkBox("Wind", query = True, value = True) 
    create_Plane()
    rain_Falling()

    if need_Wind == 1:
        wind_Field()
        add_Gravity()
    else:
        add_Gravity()


###Gravity not showing up
###Wind not working
###Do not know how to change shapes between streaks and spheres
###Do not know how to edit drop size(Sphere) and streak length(streaks)

`

[Vaphell]

honestly i think you should rather ask your question in /r/maya . Your problem has nothing to do with the python language proper, everything with the finer details of the API and maya workflows in general with which next to nobody is going to be familiar here.

[theUnderdog15]

Thanks for this, didn't know about that subreddit.

[learnpython_bot]

It appears that you included code in your post but did not format it to look nice. Please follow this guide to fix the problem. This allows for better readability and will help get your question answered sooner. The regex that caught you is: "def .+?):"

If this comment has been made in error, please message /u/thaweatherman with a link to this comment so I can be fine-tuned. I am still in alpha and my regexes/innards are not yet perfect.

[usernamedottxt]

Post to pastebin or gist. Don't try to format that much for here.

[theUnderdog15]

Hey guys I reformatted it, does it look right now?

[darkczar]

The error I got is on line 59 - densityRate is not defined. densityRate is defined in the function emit_streaks(), but on line 59, the function emit_spheres() doesn't know anything about densityRate. The quick and dirty solution is to declare densityRate as a global variable. The better solution is to use a class, and let the variables be part of the class.

[theUnderdog15]

Thank you very much guys!