Extension Pack for MARI

A variety of Extension Pack tools can be controlled via Environment Variables. Below is a list of Environment Variables, Extension Pack will read.

If you are unsure how to use an Environment Variable you can find the usage steps here

• Licensing
• Internet License Connection Time Out
• Splash Screen
• Internet Splash Screen Connection Time Out
• Hotkey Conflict Resolve Dialog
• Offline Help
• Lock Mari Main Window
• Prevent TDR Check
• Error Logging
• Material Templates
• Project Templates
• 'Add Channels from Node' Presets
• Preset Browser Shared Shelf Tabs
• Icon Shelf Shared Shelf Tabs
• Substance Baker Bridge
• HDRI Import to Shelf
• Ramp Editor - Color Pick Black Screen Fix

• Licensing

Extension Pack can be licensed for multiple users using an Environment Variable pointing to a (floating) license file.

A license file can be generated after successful activation via the Licensing Dialog in the Help menu.

• MARI_EP_LICENSE_FILE_PATH

If you are experiencing SSL Errors during Licensing, it is possible to disable the SSL requirements using the Environment Variable

• MARI_EP_NO_SSL

Extension Pack will try to verify your license via a License Server. The Environment Variable below determines the Number of Seconds, before

the Connection times out. By default Extension Pack will wait 4 seconds for a License Server response.

Setting a higher value can help when you have a slow connection, setting a  lower value can reduce Time it takes to load Extension Pack.

Minimum Value is 1.

• MARI_EP_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT

• Splash Screen

You can prevent Extension Pack's Splash Screen from appearing by setting the following Environment variable to "true" or "1"

• MARI_EP_NO_SPLASH_SCREEN

• Splash Screen
  
  

Extension Pack's Splash Screen will try to load content from the web. If you have a slow connection you might want to increase the default timeout.

By default the Connection timeout is set to 0.5 seconds. To force the Splash Screen into Offline Mode set it to 0.0 which can speed up load times of Extension Pack.

The setting can also be defined in the Mari Preferences Misc Tab "/Internet/Splash Screen Time Out"  Setting.
If an Environment Variable is set, the Environment Variable will override the Preference Setting

• MARI_EP_SPLASHSCREEN_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT

Extension Pack might show a Dialog after the Splash Screen, prompting the User to resolve some Hotkey conflicts. You can prevent this dialog from appearing (even if there are conflicts)

 by setting the following Environment variable to "true" or "1"

• MARI_EP_NO_SHORTCUT_RESOLVER

• Localize Help Files

Extension Pack allows for its Online Help to be localized to your network or disc.

For detailed instructions on how to do this follow the link above.

Several Environment Variables are available to facilitate the process:

• MARI_EP_HELP_LOCATION 

.. specifies the Location of the Mari Extension Pack Help Folder on disc. 

You will need to turn off the PREVENT_LOCAL_HELP_SERVING flag as described in the Localize Help Files Topic, for this to work

• MARI_EP_HELP_PORT 

.. specifies a local Port for Extension Pack's Local Web Server for serving offline helps files. Defaults to "8080".
   Can be a string or integer.

• MARI_EP_HELP_LOCAL_WEBSERVER_FILE

.. allows you to specify a custom file that should be executed to launch the local webserver, instead of Extension Pack's default

• MARI_EP_HELP_LAUNCH_COMMAND

.. allows you to specify a custom launch executable or executable path that will be used to launch the Webserver File. Defaults to python.

Mari's Main WIndow will be responsive already even before Mari Extension Pack fully loaded. This can lead to Users opening Projects that require Extension Pack before it is fully initialized.

You can prevent this by locking the Mari Application Window during Extension Pack Load. This can be achieved by setting the environment variable

• MARI_EP_DISABLE_MAIN_WINDOW_DURING_LOAD

Extension Pack on Startup will check your Windows Registry for Settings related to Display Driver Timeouts called 'TDR Value'.

To prevent this TDR Check from happening permanently an Environment Variable can be set to 'True' (alternative: 1) or 'False' (alternative: 0)

• MARI_EP_PREVENT_TDR_CHECK

Extension Pack registers exception hooks to Mari, in order to log any python errors caused by Extension Pack into dedicated log files.

The exception hooks can be prevented from being registered by setting the Environment Variable below to 'True' or 1

• MARI_EP_PREVENT_EXCEPTION_LOGGING

• Material Templates

Define the visibility of Material Templates by assigning an Environment Variable to 'True' (alternative: 1) or 'False' (alternative: 0)

• MARI_EP_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE_3DELIGHT
• MARI_EP_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE_BRDF
• MARI_EP_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE_PRINCIPLED
• MARI_EP_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE_VRAY
• MARI_EP_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE_ARNOLD
• MARI_EP_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE_PIXARSURFACE
• MARI_EP_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE_UNREALADVANCED

• Project Templates

The Project Template system allows you to save and and reimport projects (default Nodegraphs/Channel Setups, Light rigs etc.)

• MARI_EP_PROJECT_TEMPLATES

...should point to one or multiple Paths containing Template Folders.

Templates contained in those Folders will be visible to the user in the various Project Template Dialogs;

• MARI_EP_DEFAULT_PROJECT_TEMPLATE

... should point directly to a specific Template Folder. The Template will be automatically imported when the User creates a new Project.

The default Template does not have to be in a folder defined by the other Environment Variable MARI_EP_PROJECT_TEMPLATES

however it is strongly recommended to place the Template to Import into a Location exposed by this Environment Variable to allow

the user to see the recommended Import Template.

• Channels from Node

Automatically add presets to the Channels From Node Tool by pointing this Env Var to a path containing a preset file

• MARI_EP_CHANNELS_FROM_NODE

• Preset Browser

Automatically add shelf tabs linking to folders to the Preser Browser by pointing this Env Var to a path containing shelf presets

• MARI_EP_SMART_MASK_FOLDER

• Image Annotations

Automatically add shelf tabs linking to folders to the Icon Shelf by pointing this Env Var to a path containing shelf presets

• MARI_EP_ICONSHELF_FOLDER

• Substance Baker Bridge

The Substance Baker Bridge allows you to utilize the High Speed Baking Architecture of Substance 3d by Adobe ©

from within Mari.

• SAT_INSTALL_PATH

... should point to the Installation Folder of the Substance Automation Toolkit.

• MARI_EP_SUBSTANCE_BAKER_PRESET_FOLDER

... can be used to automatically add Pipeline Bake Presets to the Substance Baker Bridge

• Environment Map Import

Extension Pack automatically creates an Environment shelf, that gets filled with some standard HDRIs such as

• Mari's Standard HDRIs from its Install directory
• HDRIs from Folders specified in the Preferences / Paths / Envrionments Tab

Extension Pack automatically adds certain paths from other applications (e.g Substance Painter or Substance Designer) to the

Preferences Path tab, so if you have these applications installed, their HDRIs also get added to the Shelf

There are some Environment Variables to control these behaviors

• MARI_EP_PREVENT_MARI_HDRI_LOADING

... if 'True' or '1' Extension Pack will not automatically add Mari's own HDRI's to the Shelf

• MARI_EP_PREVENT_3RDPARTY_HDRIS

... if 'True' or '1' Extension Pack will not automatically add 3rd Party HDRI paths to the Preferences / Paths / Envrionments Tab

• Ramp Editor

The Ramp Editor allows color picking anywhere on Screen (even outside of Mari's Application window). To do this, usually the Operating System's Transparency Management needs to be active.

On older Linux Distros (e.g. CentOS 7) this is not the case, which can result in a black screen when entering color pick mode.

To allow users on older Linux Distros to utilize the color pick features of the Ramp Editor, an alternative algorithm exists ("Legacy Mode"), that does not rely on Window Transparency but takes a Screenshot of the Desktop first.

This option can be turned on in the Ramp Editor Colorspace Settings.

To turn this option on globally, use the Environment Variable below:

• MARI_EP_ALTERNATE_RAMP_PICKING_STYLE

... if "True" or "1" the option will be auto-enabled in the Ramp Editor Colorspace Settings