Media Tools

Media Tools is a Maya playblast, reference and review player for animators. It gives you responsive real-time playback with audio, fast scrubbing, and Maya timeline sync, without leaving Maya or opening a separate video app.

Real-time playback with audio
Scrubbing with audio and frame-by-frame stepping
Maya timeline sync
Pop-out views instead of image planes
Playblast creation, import reference, mini-edits and version comparison
Simple non-destructive clip adjustments
Export for sharing outside Maya

Interface

Panel
Browser	Find, organize, record, and import media.
Viewer	Play, scrub, and review the selected clip or playlist.
Clip Editor	Non-destructive timing, framing, crop, stabilization, and sync edits.
Playlist Editor	Assemble clips into a review sequence.

Panels can be resized to suit your workflow.

Playback

Select a clip to load it in the Viewer. Dragging the timeline updates the video immediately with audio.

Controls include play/pause, scrubbing, frame stepping, looping, In/Out points, timeline markers, syncing, and volume.

Scene and Library

Scene / Library Tab	Clip Actions
	Check the Media tab to see media tied to the open Maya scene. Thes items are saved with the scene and restored when reopened. This and everything else is in the Library tab.
	Check here for various clip actions.

Playblast and Import

Playblast captures the current Maya viewport. Choose a resolution from the menu, with optional Motion Blur and Picture in Picture. The result is added to the current Scene automatically, ready to review.

Playblast Options

Motion Blur, Turn on/off motion blur (0.5 shutter, frame centered, x10 samples)
PIP, any clip in your scene marked as PIP will be used to generate an extra picture-in-picture version
Resolution, set your playblast resolution here

Import adds existing video files, such as reference, which play back with the same tools as playblasts.

Maya Timeline Sync

With Sync on, the Maya timeline and the video stay linked. Click the Sync button to connect the current maya and clip frames.

Instead of Image Planes you can have as many of these as you like in your scene.

Clip Properties

Lightweight, non-destructive adjustments for review. Make your changes and see your edits live, no rendering needed.

Section	Description
	Timing In frame, Out frame, frame rate, playback speed.
	Transform Zoom, horizontal position, vertical position, mirroring.
	Crop Aspect ratio override or custom crop. Crop Edit adjusts directly in the Viewer.
	Overlay Add notes that appear in corners of the image. Useful for client submissions.
	Stabilize Keyed stabilization points for cleaning up handheld or moving reference.
	Sync Some settings around how the clip can be syncronized to the maya timeline.

Stabilization

Simple stabilization can be added using keyed stabilization points.

This can be useful for cleaning up handheld or moving reference footage before animation review.

Playlists

Drag clips from the Browser into the Playlist Editor to build a sequence. Clips can be reordered, trimmed, cut, removed, and adjusted individually, then played back as one continious clip. Pop out views, and syncing works in the same way as individual clips.

Playlist Tips

Replace, Drag and drop a clip into the center of an item on the timeline to replace a clip. Helpful for updating a context edit with new animation.

Right Click, Check the right click menu for a few extra tools.

Picture in Picture

Mark Scene media for Picture in Picture to show reference or another version alongside the main animation. It can be used when creating playblasts and when exporting.

Import reference video
Set Sync Frame
Optionally use a Pop out View while working
Assign as a PIP source in your Scene tab
Enable PIP in your playblast settings
Click Playblast

Export

Export review setups as standalone video files:

Export Media
Render Playlist to Clip
Grid Export
Picture in Picture Export