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Installation

Quick Install​

🧪 This is the fastest way to get Mikan up and running for everyday use.
If you're working in a studio environment and need a more custom setup (e.g. network/server deployment, virtual environments, etc.),
please refer to Full Setup Guide for detailed instructions.

🚀 One-Minute Setup (Windows + Maya)​

  1. Close Maya if it's currently open.
  2. Extract the contents of mikan-main.zip anywhere you like.
    Example: extract to C:\ so that you get C:\mikan-main.
  3. Open Command Prompt and go to your Maya installation folder:
    Example: 
    cd "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2022\bin"
  4. Install Mikan's Maya dependencies using mayapy: 
    mayapy -m pip install -r C:\mikan-main\requirements-maya.txt
  5. Launch Maya.
  6. Pick any shelf tab where you'd like to add the Mikan button.
  7. Open the Script Editor, select the Python tab, and paste this code: 
    import sys
    sys.path.insert(0, r'C:\mikan-main\src')
    from mikan.maya.ui import MikanUI
    MikanUI.start()
  8. In the Script Editor, go to File → Save Script to Shelf...
  9. When prompted, name the shelf button Mikan, then click OK.
  10. You should now see a Mikan button in your chosen shelf tab — click it!
  11. The Mikan UI will appear, docked on the right.

Full Setup Guide​

Clone the repo:

git clone https://gitlab.teamto.fr/teamto-technology/mikan.git
cd mikan
pip install -r requirements.txt

Maya Integration​

Make sure the project folder is in Maya's PYTHONPATH. You can do this by editing your user userSetup.py or setting the environment variable.

Maya Requirements​

Installing Python packages for Maya can be tricky depending on your setup.

There are two main approaches:

1. Install requirements into Maya's built-in Python​

You can try installing the required packages directly into Maya's site-packages, using Maya's bundled Python. This can be done via the command line (adjust path to your version):

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2024\bin\mayapy.exe" -m pip install -r requirements-maya.txt

⚠️ Be careful: this modifies Maya’s internal Python environment and may conflict with other tools.

2. Use a custom Python environment via PYTHONPATH​

Alternatively, install the requirements in a separate Python environment and expose the installed packages to Maya via PYTHONPATH.

:: Create a virtual environment somewhere
python -m venv C:\maya_env
C:\maya_env\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements-maya.txt
deactivate

:: Add the site-packages folder to PYTHONPATH (e.g. in userSetup.py or system environment variables)
set PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;C:\maya_env\Lib\site-packages

This approach is safer and more flexible, especially if you're managing multiple tools.

📝 Note:

  • Adjust paths based on your system setup.
  • Make sure the Python version in your virtual environment matches the one used by Maya (e.g. 3.9 or 3.10).