Plug-in Manager

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.

A plug-in is a module that extends Maya’s capabilities. File translators are plug-ins you use to import and export various file formats. You can create or purchase specialty plug-ins to customize Maya for a specific job.

Some features that can be added through plug-ins are:

See also List of plug-ins included with Maya. as well as Troubleshoot missing plug-ins.

Apply To All
  • When the Apply To All/Loaded box is checked, all the plug-ins are batch loaded for the current session.
  • When the Apply To All/Auto load box is checked, all the plug-ins are automatically batch loaded the next time you start Maya.

Unchecking the Apply To All boxes will batch unload the plug-ins.

Note: Each plugin directory has its own Apply To All; the Apply To All will only apply to the plugins in the current plugin directory. You will have to check the Apply To All for each plugin directory if you want all the plugins to be loaded.
Loaded

When on, the plug-in loads for the current Maya session.

Auto load

When on, the plug-in automatically loads the next time you start Maya.

Information icons

To view information about a particular plug-in, load it, then click the i icon beside the plug-in to open the Plug-in Information window.

Plug-in Information window

This window opens when you click the icon next to a plug-in name in the Plug-In Manager.

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

The following information displays for a selected plug-in:

Name

The name of the plug-in. On Linux, plug-ins have the extension .so. On Windows, plug-ins 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/maya<version>/bin/plug-ins
  • On Windows, the default plug-in location is: drive:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya<version>\bin\plug-ins
  • On Mac OS X, the default locations are: /Applications/Autodesk/maya<version>/Maya.app/Contents/MacOS/plug-ins and /Users/Shared/Autodesk/maya/<version>

    Maya checks 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 2016.

Service packs are compatible with their major version and vice versa. For example, a plug-in compiled for Maya 2016 works with a Maya 2016 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.

Related topics

Parent topic: Plug-ins