M2U Export Helper

A lightweight Maya tool for validating and exporting Unreal-ready FBX assets.

Validate first. Export cleaner.

Overview

M2U Export Helper is a portfolio-focused Maya pipeline tool built for validating and exporting single Unreal-ready FBX assets directly from Autodesk Maya.

The goal of the tool is to help catch common asset issues before export, reduce manual checking, and provide a cleaner artist-facing workflow through validation, export gating, and JSON reporting.

It is designed for practical use by individual artists, students, small teams, and studios that want a simple Maya shelf-based validation/export helper.

What the tool does

M2U Export Helper lets you:

• validate one selected Maya asset before export
• separate issues into blocking errors and non-blocking warnings
• export the asset as FBX only when blocking checks pass
• generate JSON validation and export reports
• launch the tool from a custom Maya shelf button
• optionally use an icon-supported shelf button

Validation coverage

Blocking checks

These checks stop export when they fail:

• Mesh Presence Check
• Name Check
• Freeze Transform Check
• Polycount Check

Non-blocking checks

These checks do not stop export, but are shown as warnings or informational results:

• Scene Unit Check
• Pivot Check
• History Check
• Asset Scale Check

Main features

• single-asset validation
• Unreal-ready FBX export workflow
• blocking vs non-blocking validation logic
• Maya UI workflow
• JSON validation report
• privacy-safer JSON export report
• custom shelf creation
• icon-supported shelf button
• cleaner UI path handling

Included files

Recommended package structure:

M2U_installer.py
M2U_icon.png
README.md

Installation

Open Autodesk Maya.

Go to Script Editor and switch to the Python tab.

Run:

import maya.cmds as cmds
p = cmds.fileDialog2(fileMode=1, caption="Select installer", fileFilter="Python Files (*.py)")
if p:
    exec(open(p[0], encoding="utf-8").read(), globals())
    install_and_launch_from_path(p[0])

When the file picker opens, select:

M2U_installer.py

After that:

• the UI will open
• a custom shelf button will be created
• the tool can be launched later from the shelf

Daily use

1. Open Maya
2. Click the M2U Export shelf button
3. Select one asset
4. Choose an export folder
5. Click Validate Selected
6. Review blocking issues and warnings
7. Click Export Selected if the asset passes blocking checks

Export behavior

The tool exports only when all blocking checks pass.

Warnings do not stop export, but they are still shown in the UI and written to the report output.

Output files

When export runs, the tool creates:

• your_asset_name.fbx
• maya_unreal_v2_3_3_validation_report.json
• maya_unreal_v2_3_3_export_report.json

Screenshots

Privacy note

The UI is designed to avoid exposing full local file paths during normal use.

The export report is written in a more privacy-conscious format and avoids storing full local output paths.

Note that validation data may still include Maya object path information when needed for technical reporting.

Notes

• The tool is designed for one selected asset at a time
• The tool runs inside Autodesk Maya
• FBX export requires Maya's fbxmaya plugin
• If the icon file is missing, the shelf button falls back to a text-only button

Troubleshooting

Shelf button does not appear

Run the installer again and make sure you selected the correct installer file.

Shelf button appears but no icon is shown

Make sure M2U_icon.png is in the same folder as the installer script.

Export does not happen

Run Validate Selected first and check whether the asset has blocking failures.

Mesh test fails on empty groups or locators

This is expected. The tool only exports transforms that contain mesh shapes.

Source and download

This project is published publicly on GitHub so users can view the code and download the tool.

Please download the tool from my official GitHub page.

If you want to share the tool with someone else, please send them to the official GitHub repository instead of re-uploading the files elsewhere.

License / usage terms

This project is publicly visible and source-available on GitHub.

You may:

• use the tool for personal, educational, and internal production use
• use the tool inside a studio or company pipeline, including adding it to employee shelves or internal workstations
• review the source code for learning and evaluation
• download the tool from my official GitHub page

You may not:

• re-upload, mirror, redistribute, or republish the script, icon, package, or modified versions on other websites, repositories, drives, or marketplaces
• sell the tool, bundle it into a paid package, or include it in a commercial asset/tool pack
• use this code, in whole or in part, as the base for another tool, product, or commercial/internal tool release
• copy, adapt, fork, or repurpose the source code to create your own separate tool or derivative release
• remove attribution and present the tool or code as your own work

If someone wants to use the tool, they must download it from my official GitHub page.

For any use outside the permissions listed above, direct permission is required from the author.

Portfolio note

This project is part of my technical art / pipeline tooling portfolio and is intended to demonstrate practical Maya tool development, validation system design, and artist-facing workflow polish.