Click the visible surface.
Use the shot itself. No locator setup and no focus-distance guesswork.
Maya 2026 · Arnold + Redshift
Click the shot into focus.
Pick any visible surface in the Maya viewport. Focus Picker writes the camera distance, then keeps depth of field, focal length, and renderer-specific lens controls within reach.
v1.2 / Windows / compact PySide6 panel
One viewport clickRay-casts the visible surface.
Auto modeFollows Maya's active renderer.
Two-way syncCamera edits return to the panel.
One undo stepScrubs stay grouped in Maya.
Viewport workflow
Surface in. Distance out.
Press Pick focus in viewport, then click the point that should read sharp. The active camera gets the measured focus distance from the real viewport ray.
Focus distance updates.
Arnold or Redshift receives the value through the camera controls it already uses.
Compact controls
Enough control. Nothing buried.
Auto, Arnold, and Redshift share the same panel. Only the renderer-specific aperture control changes: aperture radius for Arnold, F-stop for Redshift.
01Renderer + cameraFollow Maya automatically, choose a renderer directly, then switch, create, delete, or refresh cameras.
02Focus distanceType a value, use the arrow controls, scrub it with the label, or set it from the viewport.
03Depth of fieldTurn camera DOF on or off without leaving the panel.
04Lens valuesAdjust focal length plus Arnold aperture or Redshift F-stop. Changes remain undoable.
Current release
Small install. Ready for Maya.
The download has one self-contained plugin folder and a one-page PDF. Copy the folder into Maya's scripts directory, then add the shelf button.
- Version
- Focus Picker 1.2
- Host
- Autodesk Maya 2026
- Renderers
- Arnold and Redshift
- Platform
- Windows 10 / 11
- Included
- Plugin folder + installation PDF
- Price
- Free
Before you install it.
Does Focus Picker work with Arnold and Redshift?
Yes. Choose Arnold or Redshift directly, or leave the renderer on Auto so the panel follows Maya's current renderer.
What changes between the two renderers?
The core workflow stays the same. Arnold exposes aperture radius; Redshift exposes camera F-stop.
Can I edit values without using the viewport picker?
Yes. Distance, focal length, aperture, and F-stop accept typed values, arrow steps, and Maya-style label scrubbing.
Will the panel track camera edits made elsewhere?
Yes. Focus Picker watches the selected camera and updates its controls when supported camera attributes change.
Free Maya camera tool
Pick the surface. Keep working.
Focus Picker turns a viewport click into the camera distance you need, with Arnold and Redshift lens controls beside it.
Get Focus Picker on Gumroad