Snapshot Capture

Overview

Snapshot Capture is a tool for capturing images from Maya’s viewport. It features the following three modes:

It also includes an Annotation Editor feature that allows you to add arrows, shapes, and other annotations to captured images.

How to Launch

Launch the tool from the dedicated menu or using the following command:

import faketools.tools.common.snapshot_capture.ui
faketools.tools.common.snapshot_capture.ui.show_ui()

Basic Usage

Viewport Operations

The tool window has an embedded model panel (viewport). You can rotate, pan, and zoom the camera just like a standard Maya viewport.

Switching Cameras

You can switch the displayed camera from the Camera menu in the menu bar.

Isolate Select

You can display only selected objects in the viewport from the Isolate menu in the menu bar.

Note: Since Maya’s standard Show > Isolate Select menu doesn’t work in embedded viewports, this custom menu provides equivalent functionality.

Display

You can control which elements are displayed in the viewport from the Display menu in the menu bar.

Note: Selecting Mesh, Geometry, Joint, or Controller will hide all other display elements and show only the selected elements. HUD and Grid are checkbox-style toggles that can be switched without affecting other display settings.

Resolution Settings

You can set the output image resolution in the lower toolbar.

1. Width/Height input fields: Enter any resolution directly
2. Preset button (▼): Select from the following presets:
   • 1920x1080 (Full HD)
   • 1280x720 (HD)
   • 800x600
   • 640x480 (VGA)
   • 640x360
   • 512x512
   • 320x240
   • 256x256
   • 128x128
3. Set button (→|): Apply the entered resolution to the viewport

PNG Mode

Capture the current frame as a PNG image.

How to Use

1. Select PNG from the mode selector
2. Set the background color if needed (see below)
3. Do one of the following:
   • Save button : Opens a file dialog to save as a PNG file
   • Copy button : Copies the image to clipboard

Edit in External App

Right-click the Copy button to display a context menu.

• Edit in External App: Opens the captured image in the OS default image application

This feature saves the captured image as a temporary file and immediately opens it in an external application (Windows Photos, Paint, etc.). Useful for quick editing or previewing.

Note: This feature is currently available only on Windows.

Background Color Settings

Click the BG button to open a color picker and select a background color.

Option Menu

The following settings are available from the option button:

GIF Mode

Capture the timeline playback range as an animated GIF or MP4.

How to Use

1. Select GIF from the mode selector
2. Set the start and end frames in Maya’s timeline
3. Set background color and options as needed
4. Click the Save button to save the file

Options

The following settings are available from the option menu:

Saving as MP4

If FFmpeg is installed, you can select .mp4 format in the file dialog to save.

MP4 Quality Settings

You can select MP4 quality from the Quality submenu in the option menu.

Note: MP4 export requires FFmpeg. Add FFmpeg to PATH or place it in a common installation location (e.g., C:\ffmpeg\bin).

Rec Mode

Record the viewport in real-time and save as GIF or MP4. Mouse cursor and keyboard input overlay display is also available.

How to Use

1. Select Rec from the mode selector
2. Configure recording settings from the option menu (see below)
3. Click the Record button to start recording
4. Recording starts after the countdown
5. Click the Stop button to stop recording
6. A file dialog opens to save as GIF or MP4

Canceling During Countdown

Click the button during the countdown to cancel recording.

Options

The following settings are available from the option menu:

Different indicators are displayed for left-click, right-click, and middle-click.

Annotation Editor

In PNG mode, you can add annotations (arrows, shapes, etc.) to captured images.

Launching the Annotation Editor

After capturing an image in PNG mode, enable the Edit Annotations option, then click the Save button to launch the annotation editor.

Toolbar

The annotation editor toolbar has the following features:

Drawing Tools

Click each icon to open a popup menu to select a drawing tool.

Tool	Icon	Description
Select		Select annotations, drag to move, Ctrl+middle wheel to scale
Freehand		Draw freehand lines
Line		Draw a straight line
Arrow		Draw an arrow
Rectangle		Draw a rectangle
Ellipse		Draw a circle or ellipse
Number		Draw a numbered circle (auto-increments)
Text		Add text

Select Tool

When the select tool is active, click on an annotation to select it. The following operations are available for selected annotations:

• Move: Drag to move position
• Scale: Hold Ctrl and scroll middle wheel to enlarge/shrink
• Multiple selection: Drag to select multiple items
• Delete: Press Delete / Backspace to delete

Selection state

Text Tool

When the text tool is active, click on the image to display the text input dialog.

Press Enter to insert a new line. Press Ctrl + Enter to confirm the text.

Color Selection

You can select from 5 preset colors (red, yellow, green, white, black) and a custom color button.

• Preset colors: Click to select
• Custom color (BG): Click to select, right-click to open color picker and change color

Line Width Selection

Select from 3 presets (thin, medium, thick).

Action Buttons

Button	Icon	Description
Undo		Undo the last action
Delete		Delete selected annotation
Clear All		Delete all annotations

Footer Buttons

Button	Icon	Description
Save		Save the annotated image as a PNG file
Copy		Copy the annotated image to clipboard
Cancel		Close the annotation editor (without saving or copying)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Settings Persistence

The color and line width selected in the annotation editor are automatically saved and restored on the next launch.

Settings Persistence

The following settings are automatically saved when closing the window:

• Selected mode
• Resolution (width/height)
• Background color
• Transparency setting
• FPS
• Loop setting
• MP4 quality setting
• Delay/Trim settings
• Cursor/Click/Key display settings
• Annotation editor color/line width settings

These settings are restored on the next launch.

About Save Location

• On first save, the tool’s dedicated data directory is used as the default save location
• Once a file is saved, the last saved directory is remembered within the same session

Notes

• In GIF mode, up to 500 frames can be captured
• Rec mode recording uses screen capture of the viewport, so other windows overlapping the viewport may be included in the capture
• High resolution and high frame rate recording increases memory usage
• FFmpeg must be installed on your system to save in MP4 format
• This tool requires the PIL (Pillow) library

Optional Dependencies

The following libraries provide additional features and performance improvements when installed. They are not required, and the tool will automatically fall back to alternative methods if they are not available.

Installation

pip install mss aggdraw

Note: aggdraw may require compilation on environments without pre-built wheels.