Using Maya and an Arduino to control a servo

Maya + Python + Arduino + Servo (Part 1) from Dan Thompson on Vimeo.

Maya + Python + Arduino + Servo (Part 2) from Dan Thompson on Vimeo.

I spend my days using a 3D animation package called Maya, and my nights building projects with Arduinos. Daniel Thompson is a visual effects artist who has combined Maya and an Arduino to drive a servomotor. My worlds just collided!

This post covers the scripts he used to do it. He has since built a Maya Python plug-in that is more accurate and can be keyframed. This is the really useful part, as it goes from being a very expensive 3D virtual knob to being a fully animateable animatronic system.
I’d love to see if he can get it working bi-directionally, so that the servo can act as a go-motion controller for Maya.