<UPDATE> The component has been updated for Grasshopper 0.8. also new option to allow you to not inport the rgbPP attribute.

I have created a new definition for grasshopper that will import particle animations from Maya into grasshopper. The importer works in realtime, so if you have maya and grasshopper opened at the same time any changes to the particles in maya will be reflected in Grasshopper. Right now I only import two attributes, position as point and velocity as a vector. The script is open and easy to add any property you want to carry over. The idea behind the function is to use Maya ability to create “smarter” point cloud using forces and AI. the definition is in the download section at

www.cerver.org

how to use

1. In Maya create a particle system and add a new expression using the dynExport option.

dynExport -atr position -atr velocity -atr rgbPP -f pda NameOfParticle

or

dynExport -atr position -atr velocity -f pda NameOfParticle

Look at the Maya docs if you are not familiar with the command or expressions

2. Maya will write out the particles in real-time usually to a folder named “particles” in you Maya project directory. The file names will be the same name as the particle system name. input the name of the path and the name of the file into Ploc and Pname. For example.

Ploc = C:\Users\robert\Documents\maya\projects\particleTest\particles\test\

Pname= nParticleShape1

3. FRAME will control the frame number of the particle animation in maya

4. SCALE will scale the particle system 5. SWAPY will flip the Y and Z axis

5. UseRGB - if True will try to import the rgbPP attribute.