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@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
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# Content Guide
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+You can follow on of these guide to get up and running:
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+
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+[Multiplayer sample (MPS) project for the Open 3D Engine](https://github.com/o3de/o3de-multiplayersample)
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+
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+[O3DE multiplayer sample assets](https://github.com/o3de/o3de-multiplayersample-assets) (this guides parent repo)
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+
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+Or you could work with these assets in your own game project.
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+
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Each Asset Gem is portable, and can be enabled for use with any game project. From the standpoint of creating content for a Gem, each Asset Gem is it's own mini-project root.
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With DCC tools, it's often beneficial to teams to utilize relative paths for things like asset references, such as texture paths. This makes something like an encapsulated Gem more portable; moved across projects, amongst teams and individuals, etc. This means that the Gem could be cloned anywhere locally (nested folder structure, even different drive letters) and not break reference paths when opened on someone else's machine.
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@@ -8,7 +16,7 @@ Blender works with relative paths, with the current scene file as the root. Maya
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## Maya
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-Maya does allow you to [Organize Files into Projects](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2019/ENU/Maya-ManagingScenes/files/GUID-9CE78B5A-7E9F-45E6-AB6D-66795E5656F4-htm.html), and utilize the project root to enable relative paths. Essentially, the project root is marked by a workspace.mel file, a file that also contains project folder rules. This can be extremely useful, and it what makes portability work. You'll notice, these gems contain this file at the root of each Gem.
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+Maya does allow you to [Organize Files into Projects](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2019/ENU/Maya-ManagingScenes/files/GUID-9CE78B5A-7E9F-45E6-AB6D-66795E5656F4-htm.html), and utilize the project root to enable relative paths. Essentially, the project root is marked by a `workspace.mel` file, a file that also contains project folder rules. This can be extremely useful, and it what makes portability work. You'll notice, these gems contain this file at the root of each Gem.
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@@ -16,4 +24,105 @@ There are several ways you could go about correctly utilizing this feature.
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### O3DE Bootstrapping
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-The O3DE [DccScriptingInterface Gem](https://github.com/o3de/o3de/tree/development/Gems/AtomLyIntegration/TechnicalArt/DccScriptingInterface) provides patterns for configuration and settings, launching, and boostrapping DCC tools like Maya with O3DE capabilities. If you enable this Gem for your project, you can for instance start Maya from a Editor menu (this Gem is already enabled in the [MPS-Asset-Test project](C:\depot\MPS_assets\o3de-multiplayersample-assets\Project)).
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+The O3DE [DccScriptingInterface Gem](https://github.com/o3de/o3de/tree/development/Gems/AtomLyIntegration/TechnicalArt/DccScriptingInterface) (aka DCCsi) provides patterns for configuration and settings, launching, and boostrapping DCC tools like Maya with O3DE capabilities. If you enable this Gem for your project, you can for instance start Maya from a Editor menu (this Gem is already enabled in the [MPS-Asset-Test project](C:\depot\MPS_assets\o3de-multiplayersample-assets\Project)). You can also start DCC apps like Maya externally but will utilize the O3DE bootstrapping, for Asset Gems this is currently the best approach, with managed boot we can set the Asset Gem as the Maya project (and use it's `workspace.mel`)
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+
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+Note: the following only needs to be reviewed and set up once, so the information is retained in this guide for educational and troubleshooting purposes. Have a technical artist help you get set up the first time, if you encounter any trouble ping the [Discord o3de #general-support](https://discord.com/channels/805939474655346758/869974333009854464) or the [#technical-artits](https://discord.com/channels/805939474655346758/842110573625081876) group chats. If you are all set up, just jump ahead to the section below titled **Launch Maya**.
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+
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+#### Env .bat files
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+
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+In each Asset Gem, you'll find a Launch_Maya.bat, such as:
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+
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+`o3de-multiplayersample-assets\Gems\level_art_mps\Tools\Launch_Maya.bat`
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+
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+On windows, a double-click of that will launch Maya2023 with O3DE bootstrapping, during boot this will manage setting the project root.
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+
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+Note: there are many ways O3DE can be configured, versioned engine install, nightly installer build, developer engine fork, etc,, you may need to specify which engine to use for bootstrapping to perform correctly. You can use the following file:
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+
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+`level_art_mps\Tools\Env_Dev.bat`
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+
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+(copy and modify `Env_Dev.bat.template`)
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+
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+###### Engine Root (O3DE_DEV)
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+
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+As a developer working on projects like MPS, I am often building a local engine fork (with changes to engine and project code.) So mapping my engine looks like this (inside of `Env_Dev.bat`):
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+
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+```batch
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+:: set the location of my local fork engine root
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+set O3DE_DEV=C:\depot\o3de-dev
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+```
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+
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+Or if you are using release or nightly installers, the root would be one of these
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+
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+```batch
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+:: root for release installer buid
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+set O3DE_DEV=C:\O3DE\22.05.0
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+
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+:: nightly
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+set O3DE_DEV=C:\O3DE\0.0.0
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+```
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+
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+###### MAYA_PROJECT
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+
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+Environment variables are a useful way to modify the standard path locations and behavior of Maya (a common bootstrapping pattern for many DCC tools.)
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+
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+The `Launch_Maya.bat` calls other .bat files as well, to chain together the environment for launch and boostrapping of Maya. The Gem as the project root path for Maya, is specified by the envar `PATH_O3DE_PROJECT` in this file:
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+
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+`o3de-multiplayersample-assets\Gems\level_art_mps\Tools\Project_Env.bat`
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+
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+###### DccScriptingInterface Gem (DCCsi)
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+
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+The DCCsi itself has the core environment .bat files that are eventually called, when you start `Launch_maya.bat` it will trigger `CALL %~dp0Env_Dev.bat` and then `CALL %~dp0Project_Env.bat`, and then finally call:
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+
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+```batch
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+CALL %O3DE_DEV%\Gems\AtomLyIntegration\TechnicalArt\DccScriptingInterface\Tools\Dev\Windows\Env_DCC_Maya.bat
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+```
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+
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+Our managed `PATH_O3DE_PROJECT` envar, is mapped to the Maya managed envar `MAYA_PROJECT`
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+
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+```batch
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+set MAYA_PROJECT=%PATH_O3DE_PROJECT%
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+```
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+
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+With this envar set at launch, Maya will now search for the `workspace.mel` file, and if it's found will use this as the project root, along with any folder rules specified within the workspace file.
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+
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+###### ENVARS
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+
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+You can use the `Env_Dev.bat` to override other aspects of the environment as well. One example, would be mapping the O3DE binaries folder where executables live. You might ask, "why would I need to do that?" and it comes down to how you are working and your configuration patterns, with an installer build, or as a engine developer. The BIN folder has not only `*.exe`, but `*.dll` files, and compiled python `*.pyd` files that potentially some python script or tool might utilize. If you are [building from source](https://github.com/o3de/o3de.org/blob/main/content/docs/user-guide/build/configure-and-build.md), you specify the build folder and thus may want or need to map that with the DCCsi envars, something like:
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+
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+```batch
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+set "PATH_O3DE_BIN=%O3DE_DEV%\build\bin\profile"
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+```
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+
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+### Launch Maya
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+
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+Double-click the `Launch_Maya.bat` to start Maya with our O3DE environment.
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+
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+#### Maya, Project Window
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+
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+if everything is properly configured, we should be in a rooted workspace.
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+
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+In Maya, you can validate that:
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+
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+ Maya > File > Project Window
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+
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+ 
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+
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+Now when you use an open command, it will conveniently place you in the Assets folder of the current Gem. Beyond making assets more portable (relative file path references), there is a lot of convenience to working **like the industry professionals** with Maya project workspaces. This open dialog also gives you quick access to the root, asset folder (and other folder rules if they were added), and the ability to set the project without leaving the open dialog box.
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+
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+
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+
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+([check out Pipeline2](https://liorbenhorin.gumroad.com/l/pipeline2) an extended project manager for Maya)
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+
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+#### Set Project
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+
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+If you want to work with assets in a different Gem, you can manually switch projects with out restarting Maya.
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+
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+ Maya > File > Set Project
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+
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+Point the file dialog to another location with a `workspace.mel` such as the other Gems in this repo:
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+
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+`o3de-multiplayersample-assets\Gems\character_mps`
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+
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+`o3de-multiplayersample-assets\Gems\kb3d_mps`
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+
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+`...`
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Jonny Galloway
