tentacletk 0.10.21

A multi-application marking menu and UI framework for Maya, 3ds Max, and Blender.

Tentacle: A Python3/qtpy Marking Menu

Tentacle is a Python/qtpy marking menu runtime for DCC applications, built on top of uitk. It currently ships a full slot ecosystem for Maya (tested with Maya 2025), with wrapper entry points for Blender and 3ds Max.

Design

Tentacle runs on top of uitk, which provides:

• Dynamic .ui loading via Switchboard
• Convention-based slot binding (widget_name -> slot method)
• The marking-menu engine (MarkingMenu) and gesture path overlay (Overlay)

Example

The following example demonstrates re-opening the last scene, renaming a material, and selecting geometry by that material.

Structure

Current architecture overview:

flowchart TD
    A["TclMaya<br/>(tentacle/tcl_maya.py)"] --> B["MarkingMenu<br/>(uitk)"]
    B --> C["Switchboard<br/>(uitk)"]
    C --> D["UI Files<br/>(tentacle/ui/*.ui)"]
    C --> E["Slots<br/>(tentacle/slots/maya/*.py)"]
    B --> F["Overlay<br/>(uitk/widgets/marking_menu/overlay.py)"]
    A --> G["MayaUiHandler<br/>(mayatk)"]

Module	Description
tentacle/tcl_maya.py	Maya entry point and default key/button bindings for the marking menu.
tentacle/slots	Slot classes containing command logic (Maya-focused).
tentacle/ui	Dynamic .ui definitions for start menus and submenus.
uitk/widgets/marking_menu/_marking_menu.py	Core marking menu engine (input state, transitions, window handling).
uitk/widgets/marking_menu/overlay.py	Gesture/path overlay used for submenu path continuity and drawing.

Installation

Tentacle can be installed either using pip directly in the command line or by downloading and running mayapy package manager in Windows.

Installation via pip

Install via pip in a command line window using:

path/to/mayapy.exe -m pip install tentacletk

Installation Using Mayapy Package Manager

Alternatively, you can use the mayapy package manager for a streamlined installation process. Download the mayapy package manager from here. (Give your Maya version. Hit 1 to install package. The package name is tentacletk)

Usage

To launch the marking menu:

For Maya, add the following to your userSetup.py:

import pymel.core as pm

def start_tentacle():
    from tentacle import TclMaya
    TclMaya(key_show='Key_F12')  # Use Qt key names, e.g. Key_F12

pm.evalDeferred(start_tentacle)

Menu Wiring (How It Works)

Tentacle uses naming conventions between UI widgets and slot methods:

• UI file names determine menu identity (example: materials.ui, main#startmenu.ui)
• Widget object names map to methods in the matching slots class
  • b005 -> def b005(...)
  • cmb002 -> def cmb002(...)
  • Optional setup hooks: def cmb002_init(widget)
• "Info" buttons (i*) route by accessibleName to submenu UIs

This wiring is handled by uitk Switchboard + MarkingMenu.

Platform Support

• Maya: full menu and slot coverage
• Blender: wrapper class exists (TclBlender), no equivalent slot suite in this repo
• 3ds Max: wrapper class exists (TclMax), no equivalent slot suite in this repo