Introduction to Qt Designer for Maya and Unreal using PyQt

Introduction to PyQt for Maya and Unreal:

PyQt is a set of Python bindings for the Qt application framework developed by Riverbank Computing. Qt is a widely used cross-platform application framework that allows developers to create high-quality user interfaces for their applications. PyQt allows Python developers to easily create GUI applications for Maya and Unreal Engine using Qt’s powerful tools and libraries.

In this tutorial series, we will explore how to use PyQt to create custom user interfaces for Maya and Unreal Engine. We will start by introducing Qt Designer, a graphical tool that allows developers to design and customize user interfaces using drag and drop features. Qt Designer is an integral part of the Qt framework and provides a user-friendly interface for creating complex layouts and widgets.

Before we begin, make sure you have Python installed on your system, as well as PyQt and Qt Designer. You can download PyQt from the Riverbank Computing website (https://www.riverbankcomputing.com/software/pyqt/) and Qt Designer is typically included in the Qt installation package.

01 – Introduction to Qt Designer:

Qt Designer is a powerful tool that allows developers to design and customize user interfaces for their applications. It provides a drag and drop interface for creating layouts, buttons, labels, and other widgets, making it easy to create complex GUIs without writing code manually. Qt Designer also generates XML-based files with .ui extension, which can be easily imported and used in PyQt applications.

To open Qt Designer, simply search for it in your system’s applications menu or run the command “designer” in your terminal. Once open, you will be greeted with a blank canvas where you can start designing your user interface.

The main window of Qt Designer is divided into several sections:

1. Widget Box: This section contains a list of all available widgets that you can drag and drop onto the canvas. Widgets include buttons, labels, text boxes, checkboxes, sliders, and many more.

2. Object Inspector: This section displays a hierarchical view of all the widgets on the canvas. You can use it to select, move, resize, and customize widgets.

3. Property Editor: This section displays the properties of the selected widget. You can customize various properties such as size, color, font, alignment, and more.

4. Signal/Slot Editor: This section allows you to connect signals (events) emitted by widgets to slots (functions) in your Python code. This is how you can make your UI interactive and responsive.

To start designing your user interface, simply drag and drop widgets from the Widget Box onto the canvas. You can resize and move widgets by clicking and dragging their edges. You can also customize widget properties using the Property Editor.

Once you are satisfied with your design, you can save the .ui file by going to File > Save or Save As. This file can be easily imported into your PyQt application using the uic module, which we will cover in future tutorials.

In the next tutorial, we will explore how to use Qt Designer to create a simple user interface for Maya and Unreal Engine. Stay tuned for more PyQt tutorials!