A skin weights component editor inspired from Softimage.

Interface

Interface using the table view

Interface using the list view

Features

Editable table and list views to quickly set weights with selected components (verts, edges, faces)
Buttons with preset values to add, subtract, scale, or set weights (buttons are customizable)
Quickly lock or unlock selected influences by pressing space
Influence list on the side
Displays weights in different color themes
Weight utilities to prune, smooth, mirror, and copy/paste vertex weights
Weights can be exported to a file
Weights can be imported via point order, or by world space positions of the mesh's vertices. Weights can also import onto selected vertices, so you can maintain existing skin weights outside of the selection.
Button to flood full weights to the vertex's closest influence for quick blocking
All operations support undo/redo
Temporary hotkeys that can be re-assigned

import_weights.mp4

Exporting weights then importing them onto a different object via world positions

import_weights_on_selection.mp4

Importing weights onto selected vertices

Supported versions

In short, Maya 2017 and above is supported.
Release v2.0.0 was heavily used in production in Maya 2018 Extension 4.
It was also rewritten to work with Python 3 so it will run on Maya 2022.

For earlier versions of Maya using PySide (Qt4), only release v1.0.0 will work as future releases will only support PySide2 (Qt5).

Installation

Open up a session of Maya
Drag and drop the installer file DRAG_AND_DROP_INSTALLER.py into the viewport. Please do not move this file, it uses relative paths to copy over the files.
Follow the instructions to complete the installation.

If you prefer to manually install it then simply copy the weights_editor_tool directory to wherever your Python path is pointing to.

After installation you can immediately launch the tool by executing in the script editor:

from weights_editor_tool import weights_editor
weights_editor.run()

Dependencies

This tool doesn't require any extra libraries and uses all native modules that ship with Maya.

An optional plugin is needed to perform a smooth with all influences.
By default this feature will be disabled if the plugin is not loaded.

The plugin is smoothSkinClusterWeight by Ingo Clemens.
It's fantastic, free, and you can download it here.

Reporting a bug

If you run into any errors during installation or using the tool itself, then please create a new issue from this repository.

Please include the following:

Your operating system (Windows, Linux, Mac)
Your version of Maya
If possible, open up the script editor and copy & paste the error message.
If possible, include a screenshot showing the error.
Include any steps that will reproduce the error.

Requests and new features

If you have any ideas to improve this tool then feel free to send any suggestions!

Credits and thanks

Enrique Caballero and John Lienard for pushing me to make this.
Ingo Clemens (Brave Rabbit) for his smoothSkinClusterWeight plugin.
Tyler Thornock for his tutorial on a faster approach to get/set skin weights.

theRussetPotato / weights_editor