Simple Mel Ui Script- Maya Can't Find My Images For Buttons

[agard]

Hi All-

So, I'm writing a script to build a little UI so I can more easily get to the controls on an object I want to animate. This UI consists of three image buttons which I am storing as variables. As an example, the script for one of these is:

string $MechRootFile ="/Users/name/Documents/maya/projects/When Mechs Attack/sourceimages/Mech_Root.bmp";

Now, I'm running this on a MAC G5 OS X 10.4.9 with Maya 7.0.1 Even though I've triple-triple checked the path for the image file, Maya can't find this image. I'm wondering if any MAC users have encountered this issue and if there are any fixes.

I've tried the below with no luck:

• restarting Maya
• building a File texture node in the Hypergraph, linking the file to it and copying the path from there [which produces/; sourceimages/melUI/Mech_Root.bmp, but still doesn't work]

Also, the full UI code can be seen here as another student ran into the same issue:

http://discussion.autodesk.com/adskcsp/thr...threadID=508744

If anyone has any insight that's be awesome!

Cheers!

[davvey]

Hi

In order to use an image file inside any GUI The file must be in one of Maya's XBMLANGPATH folders. e.g. the prefs/icon folder is one example. You need to add the folder to Maya's env file or include it as a call inside the script by using the putenv command

putenv "XBMLANGPATH" $IconaddPath;

where $IconaddPath is the variable of the folders full path.

Having an image file available in the env is the only way to call it as part of a control inside a GUI.

[agard]

Thanks Davvey!

Unfortunately, putting the images in that icons folder and inserting the following code:

//Create three variables to hold bitmap file information

string $IconaddPath="/Users/adam_kaszycki/Library/Preferences/Alias/maya/7.0/prefs/icons/melUI/";
putenv "XBMLANGPATH" $IconaddPath;

string $MechRootFile ="/Users/adam_kaszycki/Library/Preferences/Alias/maya/7.0/prefs/icons/melUI/Mech_Root.bmp";
string $RightFootFile ="/Users/adam_kaszycki/Library/Preferences/Alias/maya/7.0/prefs/icons/melUI/Right_Foot.bmp";
string $LeftFootFile ="/Users/adam_kaszycki/Library/Preferences/Alias/maya/7.0/prefs/icons/melUI/Left_Foot.bmp";

still produces the following error:

// Error: File not found: /Users/adam_kaszycki/Library/Preferences/Alias/maya/7.0/prefs/icons/melUI/Mech_Root.bmp //

Perhaps I am still doing something in error? Mind you, I have no prior programming experience before dabbling here in MEL to help speed up my animation productivity [plus it's just fun to stretch the brain cells]. Let me know if my above code still seems off.

cheers!

[davvey]

Hi

Don't put them in a subfolder unless that sub folder is in the env path. Also if they are in the icon folder you don't need to give the full path just the image file name as Maya will search all XBM Paths to try and find it.

Easiest way is to stick Image files in the prefs/icons folder and just set the variables to the file names
eg.

string $RightFootFile = "Right_Foot.bmp";