PlaybackTool

A simple hotkey setup to mimic the playback and scrub functionality of proprietary animation software from the big studios.

Originally written by Joe Holmark then expanded messed with by Daniel Klug.

Usage:

PlaybackTool will play/pause playback with a quick tap. If you press and hold the hotkey, you can also left click and drag to scrub the timeline.

If you tap the toggle key during playback, it will restart playback from the start frame.

If you tap the toggle key any other time, it will flip between the start and end frame of the last scrub or playback.

Installation:

Place the playbackTool.py file in your ~/maya/scripts folder.

3 hotkeys need to be made - PRESS, RELEASE, and Toggle.

The preferred hotkey for PRESS and RELEASE is Space. For the toggle, use shift-space.

#PRESS
import playbackTool
playbackTool.press()

#RELEASE
playbackTool.release()

#Toggle
import playbackTool
playbackTool.toggle()

Current limitation:

• PlaybackTool will not yet register manual clicks or scrubs in the timeline for the toggle functionality to work.
• PlaybackTool flashes in&out of the scrub context when quick-tapping.