Deploy the customised pipeline within studio

Before we can start using our custom pipeline, we want to make sure Maya can be launched using our customised framework through Connect.

Create and activate an virtual environment

To be able to build the framework integrations, we need to create a Python 3.7.12 virtual environment:

  1. Download Python 3.7.12 (https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3712/)

  2. Open a shell/DOS box and install virtual env: pip install virtualenv

  3. Create the virtual environment: virtualenv venv_3712

  4. Activate it: venv_py3712\Scripts\activate

Build the integrations

We build each integration using this virtual env:

$ cd mypipeline\ftrack-connect-pipeline-definition
$ python setup.py build_plugin

We repeat this for the ftrack-connect-pipeline-maya repository.

The built plugin will end up in the build/ folder.

Install the integrations on another machine

Before we deploy centrally, we advise testing integrations on a separate machine, and iron out eventual bugs with rigorous testing.

Copy the integrations from each build/ folder to the Connect default plug-in search path, overwriting the existing plugins:

  1. Windows: C:Documents and Settings<User>Application DataLocal Settingsftrackftrack-connect-plugins

  2. Linux: ~/.local/share/ftrack-connect-plugins

  3. OSX: ~/Library/Application Support/ftrack-connect-plugins

Also copy the custom folder structure, custom-location-plugin folder.

Restart ftrack Connect and verify that all plugins are installed, including ftrack-application-launcher, ftrack-connect-pipeline-qt, ftrack-connect-application-launcher-widget.

Launch Maya on an animation task, verify the publish and load functions together with the task status set tool.

Deploy the integrations studio wide

Here we make sure all on-prem workstations load the same centrally deployed integrations:

  1. Pick a folder on the network (e.g. \\server\share\PIPELINE\connect)

  2. Move all integrations from local test deploy to this folder.

  3. Move the custom location plug-in to a separate folder (e.g. \\server\share\PIPELINE\api)

  4. Setup FTRACK_CONNECT_PLUGIN_PATH to point to these folders (e.g. FTRACK_CONNECT_PLUGIN_PATH=\\server\share\PIPELINE\connect;\\server\share\PIPELINE\api)

  5. Set FTRACK_EVENT_PLUGIN_PATH to point to the custom location structure this enables our custom folder structure within all API sessions (e.g. FTRACK_EVENT_PLUGIN_PATH=\\server\share\PIPELINE\api).

Important

Make sure that the default builds of your customised integration plugins are removed from Connect installed at workstations across your studio (see local folders above), otherwise they will collide.