VRay shader not appear in maya hypershade ?

[Seila]

hi,

I follow the instruction of "V-Ray for Maya translator SDK" to try to make a simple VRay shader visiable in maya's hypershade but it not works.

This is my VRay plugin code:

TexInputTypeTest_VC11.cpp

#include "vrayplugins.h"
#include "vrayinterface.h"
#include "vrayrenderer.h"
#include "vraytexutils.h"

#include "meshinfobase.h"
#include "meshinfointerface.h"

#include "globalnewdelete.cpp"

// Prevent from "to tchar*" conversion warning ...
#if (defined __GNUC__) && !(defined __clang__)
	#pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wwrite-strings"
#endif //(defined __GNUC__) && !(defined __clang__)

using namespace VR;

// Parameters
struct TexInputTypeTest_Params: VRayParameterListDesc {
    TexInputTypeTest_Params(void) {
        addParamInt("int", 0, -1);
    }
};

struct TexInputTypeTest: VRayTexture {
    TexInputTypeTest(VRayPluginDesc *pluginDesc):VRayTexture(pluginDesc) {
        // Set parameter caches
	paramList->setParamCache("int", &int_val);
    }

    AColor getTexColor(const VRayContext &rc);
    void getTexColorBounds(AColor &cmin, AColor &cmax);
    Vector getColorBumpGradient(const VRayContext &rc);
    
    virtual PluginInterface* newInterface(InterfaceID id) { return VRayTexture::newInterface(id); }
    
    // VRayTexture Member function
    PluginBase* getPlugin(void) { return static_cast<PluginBase*>(this); }
    
    // These pure virtual functions have to be implemented if support RTTexInterface
    //int getDataSize(void) { return 0; }
    //void getData(float *fdata) { }
    //int getSource(const char *part,const char *outParam,const char *lang,VUtils::ShaderSource &, OCLData &mtlData);
        
    private:
        int int_val;
};

#define TexInputTypeTest_PluginID PluginID(LARGE_CONST(2004711829))
SIMPLE_PLUGIN_LIBRARY(TexInputTypeTest_PluginID, EXT_TEXTURE, "TexInputTypeTest", "Test curious input type of VRay plugin", TexInputTypeTest, TexInputTypeTest_Params);

AColor TexInputTypeTest::getTexColor(const VRayContext &rc) {
    return AColor(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f);
}

void TexInputTypeTest::getTexColorBounds(AColor &cmin, AColor &cmax) {
    cmin = AColor(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f);
    cmax = AColor(1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);
}

Vector TexInputTypeTest::getColorBumpGradient(const VRayContext &rc) {
    return Vector(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);
}

and the corresponding maya plugin as follows:


VRayInputTypeTestNode.h

#ifndef _VRayInputTypeTestNode
#define _VRayInputTypeTestNode

#include <maya/MPxNode.h>
#include <maya/MFnNumericAttribute.h>
#include <maya/MTypeId.h> 
 
class VRayInputTypeTest : public MPxNode
{
    public:
        VRayInputTypeTest();
        virtual    ~VRayInputTypeTest(); 

	virtual MStatus	compute(const MPlug& plug, MDataBlock& data);
	static void* creator();
	static MStatus initialize();

	static MTypeId id;
	static MString apiType;
	static MString classification;

    private:
	// Input Attributes
        static MObject m_Int;

        // Output Attributes
        static MObject m_OutColor;
	static MObject m_OutAPIType;
	static MObject m_OutAPIClassification;
};

#endif

VRayInputTypeTestNode.cpp

#include <maya/MPlug.h>
#include <maya/MDataBlock.h>
#include <maya/MDataHandle.h>
#include <maya/MGlobal.h>
#include <maya/MFnTypedAttribute.h>
#include <maya/MFnStringData.h>

// V-Ray headers
#include "vraybase.h"
#include "vrayplugins.h"
#include "VRayInputTypeTestNode.h"

MTypeId     VRayInputTypeTest::id(0x002104F1);

MString VRayInputTypeTest::classification("shader/surface/utility/:swatch/VRayMtlSwatchGen");

MObject VRayInputTypeTest::m_Int;

MObject VRayInputTypeTest::m_OutColor;
MObject VRayInputTypeTest::m_OutAPIType;
MObject VRayInputTypeTest::m_OutAPIClassification;

VRayInputTypeTest::VRayInputTypeTest() {}
VRayInputTypeTest::~VRayInputTypeTest() {}

MStatus VRayInputTypeTest::compute( const MPlug& plug, MDataBlock& data )
{
	return MS::kSuccess;
}

void* VRayInputTypeTest::creator()
{
	return new VRayInputTypeTest();
}

MStatus VRayInputTypeTest::initialize()
{
	MFnNumericAttribute nAttr;
	MFnTypedAttribute tAttr;
	MFnStringData strData;
	MStatus	stat;

	// Create input attributes
	m_Int = nAttr.createColor("Int", "mit");
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setKeyable(false));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setStorable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setReadable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setWritable(true));

	// Create output attributes
	m_OutColor = nAttr.createColor("OutColor", "oc");
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setKeyable(false));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setStorable(false));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setReadable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setWritable(false));

	//strData.create(VRayInputTypeTest::m_OutAPIType);   // Error ???
	m_OutAPIType = tAttr.create("OutAPIType", "oat", MFnData::kString, strData.object());
	CHECK_MSTATUS(tAttr.setStorable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(tAttr.setKeyable(false));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(tAttr.setHidden(true));

	//strData.create(VRayInputTypeTest::m_OutAPIClassification);
	m_OutAPIClassification = tAttr.create("OutAPIClassification", "oac", MFnData::kString, strData.object());
	CHECK_MSTATUS(tAttr.setStorable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(tAttr.setKeyable(false));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(tAttr.setHidden(true));

	// Add the attributes
	CHECK_MSTATUS(addAttribute(m_Int));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(addAttribute(m_OutColor));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(addAttribute(m_OutAPIType));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(addAttribute(m_OutAPIClassification));

	return MS::kSuccess;
}

pluginMain.cpp

#include "defines.h"
#ifdef X64
#define Bits64_
#endif

#include "VRayInputTypeTestNode.h"

#include <maya/MFnPlugin.h>
#include <maya/MGlobal.h>

MStatus initializePlugin(MObject obj)
{ 
	MStatus status;
	MString errStr;
	MFnPlugin plugin(obj, "Seila", "1.0", "Any");

	if (!status) {
		MGlobal::displayInfo("Could not initialize MFnPlugin\n");
		errStr = "Failed to initialize plugin";
		status.perror(errStr);
	}

	// Register the VRayInputTypeTest node
	const MString classification(VRayInputTypeTest::classification);
	status = plugin.registerNode("VRayInputTypeTest", VRayInputTypeTest::id, VRayInputTypeTest::creator, VRayInputTypeTest::initialize, MPxNode::kDependNode, &classification);

	if (!status) {
		errStr = "RegisterNode failed";
		status.perror(errStr);
	}

	return status;
}

MStatus uninitializePlugin(MObject obj)
{
	MStatus status;
	MString errStr;
	MFnPlugin plugin(obj);

	// Deregister the VRayInputTypeTest node
	status = plugin.deregisterNode(VRayInputTypeTest::id);
	if (!status) {
		status.perror("Deregister Node Failed");
	}

	return status;
}

Both plugins are successfully compiled (with just some warning about DLL exporting) and the produced files are named "vray_TexInputTypeTest.dll" and "VRayInputTypeTest.mll". I put both of them in the same folder and set a desc.txt with content like this:

TexInputTypeTest VRayInputTypeTest {
"int"                  number       "Int"                 number       INPUT
""                     texture      "OutColor"            texture      OUTPUT
}

Then set "MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH" environment variable to the path that plugin files reside. I think that's all i have to do to make my shader appear in maya's hypershade but it not. Do i miss anything ? (I also try to compile the blinn material in the maya plugin example folder but it also not work at all)

[vlado]

I think the classification string when registering the Maya node is the only one that matters for the hypershade; none of the other files has any relation to that (they are only needed to tell V-Ray what to do). Further on, I think attribute names in Maya are case-sensitive, you can't just type what you want there. The attribute name for the output classification should be "outApiClassification", for the output type "outApiType", for the output color "outColor" etc - exactly like that.

Next, you need to load the Maya .mll plugin explicitly from Window > Settings/Preferences > Plugin manager (you can set it to auto-load).

Finally, for the recent versions of V-Ray, there's no need to create a Maya .mll plugin for your shader at all; V-Ray can create hypershade nodes on its own. Check the [vraysdk]\docs\maya_sdk.html file, the section on "Automatic generation of shading nodes".

Best regards,
Vlado

[Seila]

Thanks vlado, i can make my shader node visible in hypershade now.

The next thing I want to do is to make my shader node can accept other types of information rather than just texture color, so i add other type of attributes in my maya node:

MObject VRayInputTypeTest::m_TextureFloat;
MObject VRayInputTypeTest::m_TextureMatrix;
MObject VRayInputTypeTest::m_TextureTransform;
MObject VRayInputTypeTest::m_Material;
MObject VRayInputTypeTest::m_Geometry;

...

MStatus VRayInputTypeTest::initialize()
{
	MFnNumericAttribute nAttr;
	MFnTypedAttribute tAttr;
	MFnStringData strData;
	MStatus	stat;

        ...

	m_TextureFloat = nAttr.createColor("TextureFloat", "mtf");
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setKeyable(false));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setStorable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setReadable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setWritable(true));
	
	m_TextureMatrix = nAttr.createColor("TextureMatrix", "mtm");
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setKeyable(false));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setStorable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setReadable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setWritable(true));

	m_TextureTransform = nAttr.createColor("TextureTransform", "mtt");
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setKeyable(false));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setStorable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setReadable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setWritable(true));
	
	m_Material = nAttr.createColor("Material", "mm");
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setKeyable(false));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setStorable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setReadable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setWritable(true));
	
	m_Geometry = nAttr.createColor("Geometry", "mg");
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setKeyable(false));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setStorable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setReadable(true));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(nAttr.setWritable(true));				

        ...

        CHECK_MSTATUS(addAttribute(m_TextureFloat));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(addAttribute(m_TextureMatrix));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(addAttribute(m_TextureTransform));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(addAttribute(m_Material));
	CHECK_MSTATUS(addAttribute(m_Geometry));

        ...

The VRay plugin node also added with the corresponding attributes:

struct TexInputTypeTest_Params: VRayParameterListDesc {
    TexInputTypeTest_Params(void) {
        ...
        addParamTextureFloat("texture_float", 0, -1);
        addParamTextureMatrix("texture_matrix");
	addParamTextureTransform("texture_transform");    // How to make default value of matrix ???
	addParamPlugin("material", EXT_MATERIAL, -1);
	addParamPlugin("geometry", EXT_STATIC_GEOM_SOURCE);
   }
};

struct TexInputTypeTest: VRayTexture {
    TexInputTypeTest(VRayPluginDesc *pluginDesc):VRayTexture(pluginDesc) {
        // Set parameter caches
	paramList->setParamCache("int", &int_val);
	paramList->setParamCache("texture_float", &texture_float);
	paramList->setParamCache("texture_matrix", &texture_matrix);
	paramList->setParamCache("texture_transform", &texture_transform);
	paramList->setParamCache("material", &materiral_Plugin);
	paramList->setParamCache("geometry", &geometry_Plugin);		
       ...
   }
};

And desc.txt as follows:

TexInputTypeTest VRayInputTypeTest {
"int"                         number       "Int"                         number       INPUT
"texture_float"           number       "TextureFloat"            number       INPUT
"texture_matrix"        transform    "TextureMatrix"          transform    INPUT
"texture_transform"    transform    "TextureTransform"    transform    INPUT
"material"                 material      "Material"                  material     INPUT
"geometry"               uvwgen       "Geometry"                plugin       INPUT
""                            texture        "OutColor"                 texture      OUTPUT
}

Although the result node have these attributes in it, it seems they all exposed as texture\color plug such that i can't plug a matrix, material or geometry to corresponding attributes. Does VRay plugin node's inputs are limited to texture\color ? Is it possible to make my shader node to connect with matrix, material ,geometry, volume or light object ? (This is the reason that i want to make corresponding maya node for VRay plugin node, since i suppose auto-generated node just can't recognize output from other type nodes(i.e. mesh or material) without maya node's help)