GS CurveTools and GS Toolbox installation steps:

INSTALLATION VIDEO:

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE:

1. Download the provided archive (for example gs_curvetools_v1_3_2_Personal.zip) from the email or "My Library" page in your Profile.

2. Unpack it anywhere you like.

3. Open the unpacked folder and search for your Maya version (NOTE: only for Personal Edition, Studio users have only one folder).

4. Find Maya scripts folder (NOTE: {Maya_Version} is your maya version, for example 2024):

    a. For Windows it is located here: 

Documents/Maya/{Maya_Version}/scripts/

    b. For Mac it is located here (NOTE: the folder might be hidden in your system):

{Your_Mac_Name}/Users/{User_Name}/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/{Maya_Version}/scripts/

5. Copy the gs_curvetools (or gs_toolbox) folder for your version of Maya from the unpacked folder and paste it to the scripts folder that you located in the step 4.

6. Run Maya and Copy and paste this code to Python Command Field at the bottom (switch from MEL by clicking on it) or to the script editor and press Run:

GS CurveTools:

import gs_curvetools.init as ct_init;from imp import reload;reload(ct_init);ct_init.Init();

GS Toolbox:

import gs_toolbox.init as tb_init;from imp import reload;reload(tb_init);tb_init.Init();

7. Congratulations! There will be three buttons in your shelf now:

1. Run the UI (CT UI or TB UI)
2. Reset the UI (CT or TB with a circular arrow)
3. Stop the script completely (CT DEL or TB DEL)

Most common installation issues:

- Bad Magic Number error - you chose the wrong variant of the plug-in for your Maya version.

- ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'gs_curvetools.init' error - you pasted the plug-in folder to the wrong scripts folder. Use only version specific scripts folder.

GS CurveTools v1.3.2 Update

GS CurveTools was just updated to v1.3.2! There is one new feature and a bunch of improvements to other functions.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This update has a lot of internal code changes so it is critical to completely re-install GS CurveTools. Installation and Update Instructions. Everything is backwards-compatible but just in case it is recommended to finish the old projects before updating.

UNPACK

A new Unpack feature was introduced. This function is an alternative mode for the Unbind function, and can be accessed by holding Shift and clicking on Unbind button in the menu. A separate hotkey is also available.

Unpack is a logical extension of the Unbind. When any Bound object is selected and the function is used, it will generate new cards or tubes in-place based on the Bound object geometry. So if you have 3 cards bound to one curve using "Bind" after the Unpack you will get 3 separate cards (with all the controls) in the same spot where the original Bound cards were. All the deformations and world position is maintained. UVs and other attributes are adjusted accordingly.

As this function essentially generates new cards and tubes and adjusts them to match the Bound geometry, it is not possible to get a 100% match between the Bound object and Unpacked cards/tubes. However, in most cases it gives a very close to the original approximation.

Unpack will only generate and match geometry that is one sided card and/or hollow tubes. All the other geometry will be ignored. So if you have some unusual shape Bound to a curve using Bind it will be ignored.

GEO TO CURVE

Geo to Curve is an upgrade to the previous function - Card to Curve. Card to Curve button was renamed to Geo to Curve.

Geo to Curve convert any compatible geometry to procedural cards or tubes based on the options selected in the Geo to Curve menu.

In this update the output object can also be a tube, not only a card.

Some of the new features are:

Output Type:

• Auto mode will determine the original geometry shape automatically (card or tube) and generate the new procedural objects accordingly.
• Cards or Tubes mode will generate procedural Cards or Tubes from the selected geometry. Cards can be generated from tubes and vice versa, however, some of the attributes will not be matched when the original shape is different from the selected output type.
• Curves will simply output a NURBS curve based on the selected geometry.

Delete Original Objects - will delete the original geo after the conversion process.

Use Aim Mesh - will allow user to select a mesh from the scene and this mesh will be used to calculate the correct placement of the root node of the curve. For example, it is recommended for the root node of the NURBS curve (the square symbol) to be closer to the scalp mesh. This function ensures it is so by calculating distance to the surface of the mesh from tip and root, and flipping the curve if needed.

Additionally, there were numerous improvements to the UV matching algorithm in Geo to Curve and it now matches the original UVs much better (including the flipped UVs).

NEW AUTO-SAMPLING MODE

New Auto-Sampling toggle attribute that will automatically increase sampling rate for Warp based objects on low CV counts. This allows for optimal performance on high CV counts and good accuracy on low CV counts. This mode is enabled by default and should stay on, unless you need to change it manually for some reason. Same goes for Auto-Refine mode.

FILL IMPROVEMENTS

Fill can now output regular NURBS curves. This mode is toggled in the Options menu.

MAYA 2024 STANDARD SURFACE:

Standard Surface material from Maya 2024+ is now fully supported by the UV editor.

BUG FIXES:

• Fixed a bug with Curve Tubes (warp) not scaling properly with high WidthX or WidthZ values.
• Fixed a bug with Auto-Hide Curves on Inactive Collections checkbox. It will now work properly with Layer filters.
• GS CurveTools will now automatically load built-in Maya plug-ins that it needs. If user disabled those plug-ins in the past it should not cause errors now. For now it’s “curveWarp” and “lookdevKit” plug-ins that are required.

UPDATE VIDEO:

GS CurveTools geometry deformation during Bind

In the latest version (v1.3) of GS CurveTools and introduction of Auto refine mode there were some changes to the default attributes. This can affect geometry that was attached to a curve using Bind. Geometry might appear distorted (see video below) and same goes for the textures.

This will only happen if you are using very low resolution curves (4-5 CVs) as a base for Bind and can be resolved by rebuilding the curve (using Rebuild slider) to higher CV count or by simply increasing the SamplAcc value in the Curve Control Window -> Other.

Alternatively, you can disable Auto mode and change the Refine value manually. This might significantly decrease curve responsiveness when dragging CVs (or when modifying multiple curves at a time), so use it only if you really need it.

So to recap, if you notice any unusual geometry deformations when using Bind (or Warp Cards/Tubes) on lower CV counts - increase the SamplAcc or use manual Refine.

GS CurveTools v1.3.1 Update

A small update to fix a critical bug with Attribute and UV filters.

Improvements:

• Changed node id in plug-ins for a proper one from Autodesk. Should avoid conflicts with other plug-ins in the future.
• Better error handling and error message for corrupted layer names (copy-pasted curves or improperly imported curves).

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a critical bug with Attribute and UV transfer filters (and Copy-Paste). They will now work properly when deselecting some attributes in filter window and transferring attributes to different type of card/tube.

Also, please read this in case you had issues with Maya's Copy-Paste functionality corrupting GS CurveTools layers (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V in viewport):

https://gs-curvetools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/faq.html#corrupted-layer-names

This issue can also happen if you import from some other scene that had GS CurveTools objects (cards/tubes) in it. 
Use GS CurveTools -> Options -> Export/Import function to export and import curves to avoid issues.

GS Toolbox v1.1.7 Update

New Features:

• Maya 2024 Support

Improvements:

• Added new StandardSurface material in Maya 2024 as default

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed Array having the wrong arrangement on some Maya versions
• Fixed hotkeys for Selection Constraint and Transform Constraint
• Fixed “Save Preset” swatch generation bug in Quick Materials

GS CurveTools is now even better with v1.3 update! 

The main focus of this update is scene organization and workflow improvements. You can find the plug-in here: LINK

Some of the most notable new features:

See the visualization of these features here: LINK

- Advanced Visibility - this is a new feature that allows user to toggle geometry or curve highlight of the selected curves. This highlight can be customized by changing color and size of the components (CVs, curve, hull) as well as some additional customization options.

- Fully Reworked Color Mode - colorize mode from the previous versions was reworked to now support alpha map transparency and it will also work with most of the functions of GS CurveTools. User can work in this mode from start to finish and then just switch back to the original texture, or turn it on and off when needed during the modeling process.

- New Layer Collections System - organize complex projects into separate named collections, use some useful functions like auto-hide curves on inactive collections, template collection ignore and import curves into a new collection.

- Dynamic Subdivisions (Dynamic Length Divisions) - changes the divisions of the geometry based on the length of the curve and divisions density slider. Fully procedural. Set and forget.

- New Card to Curve algorithm - convert any one sided card to procedural card with curve control and all the features of GS CurveTools. It will (attempt) to transfer attributes such as orientation, twist, profile and even UVs to a new procedural card. Any number of selected geometry cards can be converted in one go.

- Copy, Paste and Filter attributes - a new feature of transfer attributes and UVs buttons. Copy and Paste are pretty self explanatory. Filter will allow you to choose which attributes are transferred using Transfer and Copy-Paste functions.

- Maya 2024 support!

... and even more features and improvements!

Full changelog here: LINK

So I just noticed that my blog post about russian war in Ukraine (my home) and my take on this topic was silently deleted.

I don't know when it happened but there were no warnings, no messages, no explanation.

I don't care if it's some russian staff member/moderator who was offended, russian bot attack, ArtStations' policy about this topic or whatever. They do have the right to moderate their platform. Just annoyed that it was done in a sneaky, silent and backstabby way like that. But Ukrainians are used to backstabs at this point.

I will not repeat myself here.

If someone wants to read a small part of that post, you can find it on my Discord. There's nothing brutal there or in my deleted post for that matter.

Anyway, work on the plug-ins continues. Hopefully there will be a new major free update for CurveTools and then for Toolbox soon, if constant power outages and air raid alerts allow it. Stay safe and make art.

Слава Україні!

P.S. The post was created just to notify the ArtStation community about a deleted post. Some people apparently had a wrong impression that it was meant for ArtStation staff or something.

Black Friday (Cyber Days) sale is here! 

-50% on everything!

(November 24 - December 03)

STORE LINK

GS CurveTools

GS CurveTools for Maya simplifies the process of creating beautiful hairstyles for games by allowing for quick and easy control over hair cards using curves.

GS Toolbox

GS Toolbox is a powerful polygon modeling tool for Maya, that simplifies the most used functions in Maya as well as adding a bunch of unique functionality like Fill with Quads, Instance+, Interactive Booleans, Procedural Arrays and more.

GS CurveTools Trailer/Quick Overview

Just a quick overview video for new users of GS CurveTools:

GS CurveTools v1.2.8 Update - Optimization and Bugfixes

Update Video:

New Features:

• All the relevant buttons now have (optional) tooltips. Can be disabled in the Options.

Improvements:

• Convert Curves is now out of beta (in the Options menu):
  • Card -> Card conversion will now correctly keep original orientation and profile.
  • Will now retain original materials on conversion.
  • Performance was improved.
  • Twist, Width and Profile Graphs are now applied to ALL selected curves.
• Card to Curve algorithm was rewritten and improved:
  • Better compatibility and reliability for one-sided cards with different vert orders.
  • Optimization and speed-up of the algorithm
  • Cards with no width spans are now correctly converted.
• Massive improvement of the Mirror operation:
  • Improved orientation and profile calculation during mirror for all Warp and Extrude cards.
  • Speed-up and optimization.
  • Much less orientation “drift” when using “Flip”.
• Orient to Normals algorithm improvements:
  • Optimization and speed-up.
  • Increased precision with less iterations.
  • Cards will not flip or change orientation on continuous use on already aligned cards.
  • Reduced angle tolerance to 1 degree by default.
• Select CVs slider was improved. Current hotkeys:
  • Shift + Drag: additive selection.
  • Alt + Drag: deselect CVs.
  • Ctrl + Drag: allows for slider movement without selection change.
• Expanded supported texture formats list for the UV editor. Added TIFF (TIF).
  • Full list of supported texture formats: JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIF, TIFF, TGA (24bit, no RLE).
  • Also added additional info for the “Wrong format” error message. It will now specify that TGA has no support for RLE compression.
• Minor improvements for curve creation algorithm (better refinement and divisions calculation)
• Some minor UI adjustments

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a hotkey conflict with layer selection:
  • Holding Ctrl + clicking on Layer should now select the contents of that layer, and deselect everything else like intended.
  • Show Always on Top hotkey changed to Ctrl+Alt.
• Fixed a bug where “Layer Isolation Selection” hotkey was not working properly. Now holding Shift+Alt and clicking on Layer will isolate select this layer properly.
• Transfer UVs will now correctly transfer H-Flip UV attribute.
• Select CVs slider will no longer deselect the last selected CV when using subtractive mode.