Plug-in Manager

Related topics

• Supported file formats
• Load or unload Maya plug-ins

The Plug-in Manager identifies which plug-ins are loaded into Maya. If you have a plug-in that you use frequently, you can make sure it is always there. The Plug-in Manager automatically scans all the directories in the plug-in path and lists available plug-in features.

loaded

Turn on loaded to load the plug-in for the current Maya session.

auto load

Turn on auto load to load the plug-in so that the next time you start Maya the plug-in loads automatically.

Information window

To view information about a particular plug-in, you must first load it, then click the i button beside the plug-in.

Maya caches the list of current plug-ins. If you have added a new plug-in, click Refresh to update any changes.

Maya displays the following information for a selected plug-in:

Name

The name of the plug-in. On Linux, plug-ins have the extension .so. On Windows, they have the extension .mll. On Mac OS X, the extension is .lib.

Path

The location of the file. On Linux, the default plug-in location is:

/usr/autodesk/maya2013/bin/plug-ins

On Windows, the default plug-in location is:

drive:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2013\bin\plug-ins

On Mac OS X, the default locations are:

/Applications/Autodesk/maya2013/Maya.app/Contents/MacOS/plug-ins

and

/Users/Shared/Autodesk/maya/2013

Maya will check both of these locations for valid plug-ins.

Vendor

The manufacturer of the plug-in.

Plug-in Version

The version number of the plug-in.

For API Version

The version of the Maya API (Application Programmer Interface) the plug-in was compiled for.

Note

You cannot load a plug-in for any version of Maya that predates or post-dates the version it was compiled for. That is, if a plug-in was created for Maya 2011, it will not work with Maya 2013. Service packs are compatible with their major version and vice versa; for example, a plug-in compiled for Maya 2012 works with Maya 2012 Service Pack.

Auto Load

Indicates whether the plug-in has been marked for auto load.

Is Loaded

Indicates whether the plug-in is loaded.

Plug-in Features

Displays a list of the features added by the plug-in (for example, commands, dependency nodes, file translators).

To display additional plug-ins, click the triangle to open the Other Registered Plug-ins section.

List of plug-ins included with Maya

The following is a list of default plug-ins that are included with Maya.

AbcExport.mll

Lets you export all or selected objects and animations to Alembic cache files and saves them in the cache\alembic folder of the current Maya project. See Pipeline caching overview.

AbcImport.mll

Lets you load data from an Alembic cache file into a Maya scene. See Pipeline caching overview.

animImportExport.mll

Lets you import or export anim curves to the API clipboard. For more information, see Animation curves in the Maya documentation archive. See Maya documentation archive for more information.

ArubaTessellator.mll

Lets you tessellate NURBS in Viewport 2.0. It provides better performance than the tessellation for the default viewport, especially for trimmed surfaces. See Visualize interactively in Viewport 2.0 in Extension for Maya 2013.

atomImportExport.mll

Lets you import and export animation using the ATOM (Animation Transfer Object Model) file format in Maya. See ATOM animation file format.

AutodeskPacketFile.mll

Allows Maya to recognize the Autodesk Packet File (.apf) file extension.

bullet.mll

Lets you use MayaBullet's physics engine for dynamic simulations that include interacting soft body and rigid body objects, as well as constrained collision objects. See MayaBullet physics simulation plug-in.

cgfxShader.mll

Lets you create hardware shaders. See CgFX shaders.

cleanPerFaceAssignment.mll

Does the following:

• Traces material connections.
• If multiple connections to one material are found, it combines them.
• Changes the assignment order.
• Returns a string array that can be executed as a MEL command.

clearcoat.mll

Lets you apply fresnel reflections to shaders. See Clear Coat.

DCExport.mll

Lets you use the Direct Connect exporter. Use this plug-in for the exporting of files.

ddsFloatReader.mll

Reads either half (16-bit) or IEEE 32-bit floating point .dds images. See Display a high dynamic range image.

decomposeMatrix.mll

Converts MMatrix into individual transformation matrix components. By default, solves assuming pivots and pivot translates are 0.

dgProfiler.mll

Lets you open the DG Profiler. This tool generates profiling data for all nodes included in the dependency graph. Use the Profiling menu to export the data into a spreadsheet for further analysis. See DG Profiler.

DirectConnect.mll

Enables file compatibility with Autodesk CAD products. Use this plug-in for the importing of files. For more information, see Maya Translators in the Maya documentation archive. See Maya documentation archive for more information.

dx11Shader.mll

Lets you display your own HLSL shaders in Maya. When you run Viewport 2.0 in DirectX 11 mode, this plug-in lets you create a DirectX 11 Shader and then load your custom HLSL shader file. See Using DirectX 11 with Viewport 2.0.

fbxmaya.mll

Allows Maya to recognize the FBX (.fbx) file extension. For more information, see FBX file translator.

fltTranslator.mll

Enables file compatibility with OpenFlight. For more information, see Maya Open Flight Importer/Exporter in the Maya documentation archive. See Maya documentation archive for more information.

Fur.mll

Enables the Fur menu in the Rendering menu set.

ge2Export.mll

Lets you export scenes in the GE2 file format. For more information, see Game Exchange 2 Translator in the Maya documentation archive. See Maya documentation archive for more information.

gpuCache.mll

Lets you import and export Maya objects and animations to a GPU-optimized Alembic cache file. See Pipeline caching overview.

hlslShader.mll

Lets you use the HLSL Shader material. For more information, see Work with HLSL shaders.

Iges.mll

Enables file compatibility with IGES. For more information, see IGES Translator plug-in in the Maya documentation archive. See Maya documentation archive for more information.

ik2Bsolver.mll

Enables the 2 bone IK solver. For more information, see IK solvers.

ikSpringSolver.mll

Enables the IK spring solver. For more information, see IK Spring Solver Attributes.

matrixNodes.mll

Enables matrix utility nodes that convert and operate on transformation matrices. For example, use matrix utility nodes to calculate the inverse of a matrix or to separate matrix into translate, rotate, scale, and shear components. See Utilities.

mayaCharacterization.mll

Enables the functionality of the Definition tab. See Definition tab overview.

mayaHIK.mll

Enables the core functionality of HumanIK in the Character Controls. See Character Controls overview.

MayaMuscle.mll

Enables the Maya Muscle plug-in and loads the Muscle menu in all menu sets.

MayaToAlias.mll

Uses OpenMaya API to retrieve scene data, then exports using OpenModel. For more information, see MayaToAlias export plug-in in the Maya documentation archive. See Maya documentation archive for more information.

Mayatomr.mll

Lets you access mental ray for maya functionality, including .mi export, batch rendering, preview rendering, network rendering, and shader management.

melProfiler.mll

Lets you open the MEL Profiler. This profiling system monitors tool usage and records the metrics needed to identify bottlenecks. Additionally, the profiling data allows for rapid and easy diagnosis of MEL toolsets. See MEL Profiler.

nearestPointOnMesh.mll

Lets you access the closestPointOnMesh node.

objExport.mll

Allows Maya to export scenes to the Object (.obj) file extension.

OneClick.mll

Lets you send information between Maya and 3ds Max, Softimage, MotionBuilder, and Mudbox. See Send objects to other Autodesk applications.

OpenEXRLoader.mll

Enables file compatibility with OpenEXR. For more information, see Display a high dynamic range image.

openInventor.mll

Enables file compatibility with Inventor and ivray.

quatNodes.mll

Enables quaternion utility nodes. For example, use quaternion add, conjugate, invert, and normalize nodes to manipulate and operate on quaternions. Conversion nodes are also provided to change quaternions to alternate rotation representations, such as Euler angles. See Animated rotation in Maya.

retargeterNodes.py

Lets you retarget HumanIK animation to and from custom Maya rigs (non-HumanIK rigs). See Custom Rig tab overview.

ribExport.mll

Allows Maya to export scenes to the RIBexport (.RIB) format. For more information, see RenderMan (RIB) export plug-in in the Maya documentation archive. See Maya documentation archive for more information.

rotateHelper.mll

Lets you access the rotateHelper node.

rtgExport.mll

Lets you output Maya scene information generically. For more information, see RTG Utility and File Format in the Maya documentation archive. See Maya documentation archive for more information.

sceneAssembly.mll

Lets you use Scene Assembly nodes and representations in your Maya workflows. See Scene Assembly.

stereoCamera.mll

Lets you use the stereoscopic camera type. For more information, see Using a stereoscopic camera.

stlImport.mll

Lets you import STL files.

studioImport.mll

Lets you import Alias^® Studio^® wire files. For more information, see StudioImport Plug-in and Translator in the Maya documentation archive. See Maya documentation archive for more information.

Substance.mll

Provides textures you can use to add a variety of effects to your scene. For example, add lawn, gravel, wood or metal textures. See Substance textures for a list of available textures and their respective swatches.

tiffFloatReader.mll

Reads IEEE 32-bit floating point .tif images. For more information, see Display a high dynamic range image.

VectorRender.mll

Enables Maya’s Vector renderer. For more information, see Maya Vector renderer.

vrml2Export.mll

Lets you export scenes to the VRML2 format. For more information, see VRML2 Translator in the Maya documentation archive. See Maya documentation archive for more information.