Displaying the Current Frame in the Animation Viewport
When animating in Maya, it's sometimes useful to have a frame counter visible directly in the viewport 🎬. This is achieved by creating a HUD (Heads-Up Display) that shows the current frame while you work, without relying solely on the animation panel.
How to Set It Up with MEL
To create a simple HUD in MEL, use the following command:
headsUpDisplay -section 1 -block 0 -label "Frame" -command "currentTime -q" -allowOverlap true frameHUD;
This command creates a HUD in section 1 displaying the current frame. To remove it, simply use:
headsUpDisplay -remove frameHUD;
How to Set It Up with Python
If you prefer Python, the equivalent would be:
import maya.cmds as cmds
cmds.headsUpDisplay('frameHUD', section=1, block=0, label='Frame', command='cmds.currentTime(q=True)', allowOverlap=True)
The HUD will update automatically as you move along the timeline. You can change the section to move it to another corner or adjust additional attributes like size and color.
Practical Tips
- Don't confuse this HUD with the animation panel's time; it's only an additional display.
- Make sure you don't have duplicate active scripts, as they could display incorrect values.
- Use HUDs for other useful data as well, such as FPS, camera information, or key attributes.
Conclusion
Creating a frame HUD in Maya improves your animation workflow, allowing you to see information in real-time directly in the viewport. With MEL or Python you can customize it and keep it always at hand for more precise and efficient animations 🎯.