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Simul8 — Setup, Installation, and Flair Workflow

CGI Motion BOTH All rigs

What Is Simul8?

Simul8 is a Maya plug-in developed by MRMC for 3D move planning, simulation, and solving of MRMC robotic camera systems. It is used in pre-production to:

  • Plan and previz camera moves on accurate 3D MRMC rig models inside Maya
  • Solve axis positions using inverse kinematics (the rigMover node)
  • Check that planned moves stay within each robot's physical axis and acceleration limits
  • Export solved moves as .txt files for direct import into Flair (axis values or carts format)
  • Export sparse keyframes (only the keys you set, per channel) to keep Flair imports clean
  • Animate target distance for remote focus workflows
  • Export rig geometry to Cinema4D, Unreal Engine, or other DCC tools via FBX/USD

Downloads are available from the community S3 archive (see the Software page for version links).

Maya Version Compatibility

Simul8 Version Maya Version Notes
v1.0.5 – v1.1.5 2018, 2019, 2020 Tested. For Maya 2019, see install note below
v1.1.6 2020–2022 Maya 2022 requires Python 2.7 batch file workaround
v2.0.0 2023, 2024 Requires Python 3; PyMel auto-install on first run
v2.1.0 2024 PyMel 1.4.0 / Python 3.7.7
v2.1.1 2025 PyMel 1.4.0 / Python 3.7.7
v3.0.0 2026 New folder structure; do not use on Maya 2025 (exports fail)
v3.1.0 2026 PTR solver added; carts export bug fix

Installation (Windows)

Standard Install

  1. Uninstall any previous version of Simul8 first.
  2. Back up your log and license files:
  3. v1.x and v2.x: in ../maya/<version>/plug-ins/Simul8/scripts/
  4. v3.0.0+: in ../maya/<version>/plug-ins/Simul8/core/
  5. Download the installer from the Software page (Simul8 section).
  6. Run the installer .exe as administrator.
  7. The Simul8 shelf is created automatically in Maya (no manual shelf import needed from v1.1.4+).
  8. A Start Menu link to the YouTube tutorial playlist is created.

Maya 2019 / 2020 — Folder Path Fix

The installer defaults to the Maya 2018 folder. If you are on a newer version:

  • Open File Explorer and navigate to Documents\maya\2018\plug-ins\
  • Move the Simul8 folder (do not copy) to Documents\maya\2019\plug-ins\ or ...\2020\plug-ins\
  • Also move the Simul8.mod file from ...\2018\modules\ to the equivalent 2019 or 2020 modules folder

Maya 2022 — Python 2.7 Workaround (v1.1.6 only)

  1. Install the plug-in as above.
  2. Navigate to the Simul8 scripts folder.
  3. Right-click the included .bat file and choose Run as Administrator.
  4. This sets a Windows environment variable so Maya 2022 defaults to Python 2.7.
  5. Restart Maya.

PyMel Installation (Maya 2023+, Simul8 v2.0.0+)

PyMel is no longer bundled with Maya from version 2023. Simul8 installs it automatically on first load — but Maya must be launched as administrator the first time.

If automatic install fails or Maya won't start after install:

cd "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2025\bin"
mayapy -m pip uninstall pymel
mayapy -m pip install pymel

Or, to install from the bundled .whl file:

  • v2.x: find the .whl in plug-ins/Simul8/PyMel/
  • v3.x: find the .whl in plug-ins/Simul8/third_party/
mayapy -m pip install "path\to\pymel-x.x.x-none-any.whl"

Non-English Windows

On Windows systems where the display language is not English (e.g. Slovak), the default user folder names are localised (Dokumenty instead of Documents). Maya reports an English-style path in its script editor but the .pyc modules cannot be found because the actual path is different. Fix: change the Windows display language to English before installing Simul8.

Linux (CentOS 7 — v1.1.6 beta)

No installer. Manual copy only:

  1. Copy the Simul8 folder to ~/maya/<version>/plug-ins/
  2. Copy the modules folder to ~/maya/<version>/

License Registration

  1. Install and load the plug-in in Maya's Plugin Manager.
  2. Click the Info icon on the Simul8 shelf to open the License window.
  3. Send the displayed machine information to MRMC to receive a license file.
  4. Place the license file in:
  5. v1.x / v2.x: ../maya/<version>/plug-ins/Simul8/scripts/
  6. v3.0.0+: ../maya/<version>/plug-ins/Simul8/core/

If the Info icon produces an error on Windows 11 (WMIC missing):

RuntimeError: CalledProcessError: Command 'wmic csproduct get UUID' returned non-zero exit status 1

Fix:

  1. Open Start > search Optional features.
  2. Click Add an optional feature.
  3. Search WMIC, select it, click Next and install.
  4. Close and reopen Maya, then click the Info icon again.

License appears corrupt or expired after restarting Maya:

This can happen after switching Autodesk accounts or changing machines. Workaround:

  1. Move the two license text files out of the scripts/core folder to a temporary location.
  2. Rename them.
  3. Move them back and rename them to their correct original names.
  4. Reload the plug-in.

Contact support@mrmoco.com if the issue persists. Licenses are tied to machine UUID (not MAC address) from v2.0.0.

Exporting a Move from Simul8 to Flair

Axis move

  1. Animate the rig in FK mode.
  2. Select the rig root node.
  3. Press the Load Move (export) button on the Simul8 shelf.

The exported .txt file can be imported into Flair directly without needing to set lens offsets.

Carts move (1, 2, or 3-node camera)

  1. Animate the rig.
  2. Select the rig root node.
  3. Shift-select the animated camera.
  4. Choose the carts export mode (1, 2, or 3 node camera) from the shelf.
  5. To export only your keyframes per channel: select only the nodes you've keyframed. Simul8 will export only those frames for each channel.

Sparse keyframe export

From v3.0.0 / v1.1.5+, Simul8 exports keyframes only when they appear in each animation channel. Select only the nodes you've actually keyframed before exporting — this avoids having to filter in Flair after import.

Importing a Simul8 Move into Flair

  1. Bolt system only: In Flair, rename the "Arm" axis to "Angle" before import.
  2. Go to File > CGI Import… (Flair Classic) or File > Move Import (Flair 7).
  3. Click Browse and select the Simul8 .txt file.
  4. Tick "Import as mimic".
  5. For carts moves with track/extend/angle data: choose "From file posns." in the CGI import window to drive master axes from the file.

Lens offset for carts moves:

The target distance from Simul8 arrives in Flair as:

target distance = sqrt((Maya distance + nodal offset + measure optical offset + view offset)² + (measure normal offset)²)

Set your lens offsets in Flair before importing carts to match the Maya scene.

Importing a Move into Simul8

Axis move:

  1. Import the rig in FK mode.
  2. Select the rig root node.
  3. Press the Load Move button on the Simul8 shelf.

Note: axis names in the import file must match the axis names in the rig.

Carts move:

  1. Select the rig root node.
  2. Press the Load Move button on the Simul8 shelf.

Cinebot Mini — Configuring Riser Height

The Cinebot Mini is available with 350mm and 500mm risers. To configure the correct height:

  1. Select the Cinebot Mini rig in Maya.
  2. From the Simul8 shelf sub-menu, choose Export Kinematics.
  3. Open the .kine file in Notepad.
  4. Find and edit the *Height of base mount value to match your riser height.
  5. From the same sub-menu, choose Import Kinematics to apply the change for the current session.
  6. To make the setting persist across sessions: select the rig and press Set Default Kinematics.
  7. To hide the unused riser mesh: open the rig .ma file directly from plug-ins/Simul8/rigModels/, hide the unused riser geometry, and save.

Exporting a Rig to Cinema4D / Other DCC Tools

  1. Select the rig in Maya.
  2. Go to File > Export Selection > FBX.
  3. In the FBX export options, set the Scale unit to Meters.
  4. Import the FBX into Cinema4D.

Setting scale to Meters prevents the Locator scale-100 issue that occurs when the Maya project is set to centimetres.

Known Issues

Symptom Cause Fix
No module named myTools Plug-in files in wrong Maya version folder Move the Simul8 folder to the correct Maya version folder
No module named checkPymel Non-English Windows system language or missing Simul8.mod Change Windows language to English; verify Simul8.mod is in ../maya/<version>/modules/
License shows "corrupt" or "expired" Maya account switch or machine change Rename license files out and back; contact MRMC if persists
WMIC error on license Info button Windows 11 missing WMIC Install WMIC via Optional Features (Start Menu)
PyMel install crashes Maya 2026 Version conflict Install PyMel .whl from Simul8 third_party folder; run Maya as admin first
Maya 2022 won't load Simul8 Default Python 3 interpreter Run the included .bat file as admin to set Python 2.7 variable
CSV header row count mismatch on import Simul8 2.1.0 bug with filtered moves In the import dialog, change the shown value to (expected written value minus header rows). See Simul8 Maya Import Error — CSV Header Row Count
v3.0.0 exports fail on Maya 2025 Binary compiled for Maya 2026 Use Maya 2026 for Simul8 v3.0.0+
COD limitchecker not triggering Bug in v2.0.x Fixed in v2.1.0
Wrong carts values when aux nodes selected Bug in v3.0.0 Fixed in v3.1.0

Forum References

Forum discussion lives at:

Revision History

Date Change Editor
2026-05-29 Initial draft from forum extraction Tom D / Claude Code