MH_Toos  SOFTWARE

MH__TOOLS software & Utilities

As a Technical Director in the CGI industry, I build Python tools to automate workflows and solve problems every day — and I love doing it. Outside of film, series and game production work, I keep that same energy going into other interests I’m passionate about, from Astrophotography and Macro Photography to practical CGI and VFX utilities.

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All software on my site is free to download and use, and shared under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. 

If you find my tools useful, you are welcome to buy me a coffee. 

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A Narrowband HOO Palette image of the faint emission nebula Sharpless 308 (also cataloged as Sh2-308, RCW 11, and LBN 1052). Sh2-308 is an emission nebula and HII region located near the center of the constellation Canis Major, composed of ionised Hydrogen. It is about 8 degrees south of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. The nebula is bubble-like, surrounding a Wolf-Rayet star named EZ Canis Majoris. This star is in the brief, pre-supernova phase of its stellar evolution. About this image: This image is the result of photographing over from the Southern Hemisphere, over several nights as the weather permitted (from dark rural skies to my Pier at home). Deep Sky Objects like this is a challenge, as it pushes the limits of my modest Telescope gear (especially my mount). Technical Info: 24 x 600 sec. 7nm Hydrogen-Alpha (Ha). 24 x 600 sec. 6.5nm Doubly Ionized Oxygen (OIII). William Optics Star 71mm f/4.9 Imaging APO Refractor. Sensor cooled to -15°C on my QHY163M. Calibration frames: Bias, Darks and Flats. SGP Mosaic and Framing Wizard. Astrometry.net ANSVR Solver via SGP. Pre-Processing and Linear workflow in PixInsight, and finished in Photoshop. Martin - [Home Page] [Photography Showcase] [Flickr Profile] [Facebook] [Twitter] [My Science & Physics Page]

A

AstroPhotography

Astronomy & Astrophotography.

When we consider cutting this apple pie, but down beyond a single atom, we confront the infinity of the very small. And when we look up at the night sky, we confront an infinity of the very large. These infinities are among the most awesome of human ideas." — Carl Sagan, Cosmos.

Astrophotography

MH_ASTRO_TOOLS SUITE

Exposure Calculator
Calculates recommended exposure time for deep-sky imaging using telescope/lens parameters, sensor specs, sky quality (Bortle), binning, and filter bandwidth. Includes planning estimates such as field of view, pixel scale, and limiting magnitude.

UTC / GPS / Weather
Displays local time and UTC, supports location entry (manual or online fetch), and provides useful planning data for sessions (timing, basic observing conditions, etc.).

500 Rule Calculator
Estimates the maximum shutter speed for tripod-based nightscape photography before star trailing becomes noticeable, using focal length and sensor crop factor.

Night Vision Red Screen (Overlay)
A red-tinted click-through overlay with adjustable contrast/black level, red intensity/brightness, and opacity—useful across the entire desktop.

Night Vision Scientific Calculator
A night-mode calculator with Regular and Scientific modes plus a memory panel for quick reuse of results.


mh_Astro_Tools_Launcher GUI.
mh_Astrophotography_Tools_Suite.
Download mh_Astro_Tools Zip
Download mh_Astro_Tools from GitHub

Windows x64 Version. 

Download mh_Astro_Tools Installer from my site or from the official Release page on GitHub.

Installer Size: ZIP 65.5 MB.

Manuals are included with the install.

Nikon 10x CFI Plan in PB-6 Bellows.

MACRO & MICRO

MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY

Macro & Photomicrography.

When we consider cutting this apple pie, but down beyond a single atom, we confront the infinity of the very small. And when we look up at the night sky, we confront an infinity of the very large. These infinities are among the most awesome of human ideas." — Carl Sagan, Cosmos.

PHOTOMICROGRAPHY

mh_Photomicrography Tool

The Photomicrography & Rail Stacking Tool is a precision utility for macro and photomicrography workflows. It helps calculate magnification, field of view, depth of field, and stacking steps for a wide range of setups — from standard macro lenses to microscope objectives. Built for accuracy and efficiency, it’s suited to both scientific documentation and creative close-up work.


mh_Photomicrography_Tool by Martin P. Heigan.
Coming Soon

Windows Version ZIP & EXE Versions.

Manuals are included with the install.

MHeigan IR LED Macro

CGI|VFX TOOLS

CGI / VFX & MOCAP TOOLS

3D, CGI, VFX, Mocap & Post Post Production Tools

CGI & VFX Tools

A small collection of  tools that can fit into any Studio pipeline, and will come in handy for Freelancers. It simplifies common tasks that 3D Artists deal with every day, like Renaming and Renumbering image sequences, etc.

E:/sitepad_data/ns\MHeigan_Plasma_v01_1600px-nightshade-intensity-DEFAULT-V1.png: plasma

SCIENCE PHYSICS

SCIENCE & PHYSICS

Science & Physics Tools and Utilities.

Interesting tools and utilities for stimulate the mind.

This photo is to commemorate my time working at home on an animated series in 2020. In the early stages of production, it is essential to be on-set or in the Motion Capture Studio to capture the performance of the actors. After these initial stages of an animated series or film, it is easy to work from home for the remainder of a project. All of this is made possible by working with a core team of competent responsible people with the same vision, and a good Producer to keep the communication flowing. There are some challenges, but I don't miss rush hour traffic. All the extra hours that you gain, actually leads to increased productivity. By sharing project recourses in the cloud, and being able to log in to the render farms and servers when needed, finally allows one to work remotley. The dogs also approve! Martin - [Home Page] [Photography Showcase] [eBook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [3D VFX & Mocap] [Science & Physics Page]

OTHER UTILITIES

OTHER UTILITIES

Other Tools and Utilities.

Tools and Utilities that simplify tedious and repetitive tasks.


GALLERY & LINKS

Gallery & Links

A short image compilation and quick links.

Flickr
PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
LinkedIn
IMDB
Contact

© Martin P Heigan

  • A Narrowband HOO Palette image of the faint emission nebula Sharpless 308 (also cataloged as Sh2-308, RCW 11, and LBN 1052). Sh2-308 is an emission nebula and HII region located near the center of the constellation Canis Major, composed of ionised Hydrogen. It is about 8 degrees south of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. The nebula is bubble-like, surrounding a Wolf-Rayet star named EZ Canis Majoris. This star is in the brief, pre-supernova phase of its stellar evolution. About this image: This image is the result of photographing over from the Southern Hemisphere, over several nights as the weather permitted (from dark rural skies to my Pier at home). Deep Sky Objects like this is a challenge, as it pushes the limits of my modest Telescope gear (especially my mount). Technical Info: 24 x 600 sec. 7nm Hydrogen-Alpha (Ha). 24 x 600 sec. 6.5nm Doubly Ionized Oxygen (OIII). William Optics Star 71mm f/4.9 Imaging APO Refractor. Sensor cooled to -15°C on my QHY163M. Calibration frames: Bias, Darks and Flats. SGP Mosaic and Framing Wizard. Astrometry.net ANSVR Solver via SGP. Pre-Processing and Linear workflow in PixInsight, and finished in Photoshop. Martin - [Home Page] [Photography Showcase] [Flickr Profile] [Facebook] [Twitter] [My Science & Physics Page]
  • A Dragonfly drying its wings after a rain shower. Martin Heigan mh@icon.co.za http://anti-matter-3d.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/martin_heigan
  • A cropped Bi-Color Narrowband image of NGC 6188, an emission nebula located about 4,000 light-years away in the constellation Ara. About this image: This image is the results of imaging at several occasions and locations during the past year, and it pushes the limits of my current Telescope gear (especially my mount). It makes it very rewarding when you have to work hard for an image, and I definitely plan to add more data to get more of the faint detail. Technical Info: 64 x 600sec. 7nm Hydrogen-Alpha (Ha) and 6.5nm Doubly Ionized Oxygen (OIII) exposures at -25°C on my QHY163M. Astrometry info: Center RA, Dec: 249.643, -48.270 Center RA, hms: 16h 38m 34.224s Center Dec, dms: -48° 16' 12.036" Size: 1.59 x 1.22 deg Radius: 1.003 deg Pixel scale: 3.57 arcsec/pixel Orientation: Up is 262 degrees E of N http://nova.astrometry.net/user_images/2312511#annotated View this image in the <a href="http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/wwtweb/ShowImage.aspx?reverseparity=False&scale=3.572472&name=MHeigan_NGC6188_Dragons_HaOIII_1600px.jpg&imageurl=http://nova.astrometry.net/image/5168307&credits=Astrometry.net+User+(All+Rights+Reserved)&creditsUrl=&ra=250.079742&dec=-47.972060&x=1138.0&y=867.0&rotation=-82.33&thumb=http://nova.astrometry.net/image/5168312"WorldWideTelescope. Martin - [Home Page] [Photography Showcase] [Flickr Profile] [Facebook] [Twitter] [My Science & Physics Page]
  • Experimenting with Astrophotography structure enhancement and sharpening techniques on a Macro photo of my eye. “I... a Universe of atoms, an atom in the Universe.” ― Richard P. Feynman Lighting: Camera mounted Adaptalux Pod Mini with the Lighting Arm-S used as a side light for Iris structure shadowing. Adaptalux Modular Macro Lighting System. Martin - [Home Page] [Photography Showcase] [eBook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [3D VFX & Mocap] [Science & Physics Page]
  • A wide-field Narrowband HOO Palette (R=Ha, G=OIII, B=OIII) image of a portion of the the huge Vela Supernova Remnant (also known as Vela XYZ; Gum 16; SNR G263.9-03.3; 1E 0840.0-4430; RE J083854-430902). The Vela Supernova Remnant is in the Southern constellation Vela. Its source (a Type II Supernova) exploded approximately 11,000–12,300 years ago, at a distance of about 800 light-years away. The association of the Vela Supernova Remnant with the Vela Pulsar, is direct observational evidence of Supernovae form Neutron stars. The Vela Supernova Remnant includes NGC 2736, and it also overlaps with the Puppis Supernova Remnant. Both the Puppis and Vela Remnants are among the largest and brightest features in the X-ray sky. Elements are made at different stages in a star's life-cycle, and spread through the Universe in Supernova explosions. “The Nitrogen in our DNA, the Calcium in our teeth, the Iron in our blood, the Carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” ― Carl Sagan, Cosmos. Technical Info: 4 Panel wide-field Mosaic. Lights/Subs total integration time: 32 hours. 32 x 600 sec. 7nm Hydrogen-Alpha (Ha) per panel. 36 x 600 sec. 6.5nm Doubly Ionized Oxygen (OIII) per panel. William Optics Star 71mm f/4.9 Imaging APO Refractor. Sensor cooled to -20°C on my QHY163M. Calibration frames: Bias, Darks and Flats. SGP Mosaic and Framing Wizard. PlaneWave PlateSolve 2 via SGP. Pre-Processing and Linear workflow in PixInsight, and finished in Photoshop. Astrometry Info: Center RA, Dec: 127.762, -43.909 Center RA, hms: 08h 31m 02.897s Center Dec, dms: -43° 54' 30.752" Size: 1.62 x 1.32 deg Radius: 1.046 deg Pixel scale: 3.65 arcsec/pixel Orientation: Up is 87.3 degrees E of N Martin - [Home Page] [Photography Showcase]
  • Martin Heigan mh@icon.co.za http://anti-matter-3d.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/martin_heigan [#Beginning of Shooting Data Section] Nikon D200 Focal Length: 60mm Optimize Image: Custom Color Mode: Mode II (Adobe RGB) Long Exposure NR: Off High ISO NR: Off 2007/02/17 16:55:14.3 Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority White Balance: Auto Tone Comp.: Auto RAW (12-bit) Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern AF Mode: AF-S Hue Adjustment: 0° Image Size: Large (3872 x 2592) 1/6 sec - F/22 Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached Saturation: Enhanced Color Exposure Comp.: 0 EV Sharpening: High Lens: 60mm F/2.8 D Sensitivity: ISO 100 Image Comment: Martin Heigan mh@icon.co.za [#End of Shooting Data Section]
  • A macro photograph of the Corona of a Stapelia gariepensis flower from the Richtersveld (Northern Cape, South Africa).
  • A 2 panel wide-field mosaic, of the cosmic dust clouds that cross the rich field of stars of Corona Australis (Latrin for the Southern Crown). Gear: William Optics Star 71mm f/4.9 Imaging APO Refractor Telescope. QHY163M Sensor cooled to -30°C. Technical Card: Integration Time: 18 hours total (9 hours per panel) L = 10 hours total (Binning 1x1) R = 3 hours total (Binning 2x2) G = 3 hous total (Binning 2x2) B = 3 hours total (Binning 2x2) Calibration frames: Bias, Darks & Flats. Image Acquisition: Guiding in Open PHD. Image acquisition in Sequence Generator Pro. Plate Solving in Platesolve 2 via SGP Framing & Mosaic Wizzard. Processing: Pre-Processing and Linear workflow in PixInsight, star seperation with Starnet++ Pi Plug-in, and finished in Photoshop. Martin - [Home Page] [Photography Showcase] [eBook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [3D VFX & Mocap] [Science & Physics Page]
  • Symmetry in Nature. An old macro photo of a 4 petal Stapelia tsomoensis flower, reprocessed 16 years later using some of the Astrophotography techniques. Martin - [Home Page] [Photography Showcase] [eBook] [X] [Facebook] [3D VFX & Mocap] [Science & Physics]
  • A two panel wide-field mosaic of the Blue Horsehead Nebula (IC 4592), a faint reflection nebula in the constellation Scorpius. The nebula is lit by the multiple Star System Nu Scorpii. Gear: William Optics Star 71mm f/4.9 Imaging APO Refractor Telescope. QHY163M Sensor cooled to -20°C. Technical Card: Integration Time: 24 hours total (12 hours / panel) L = 6 hours / panel (Binning 1x1) R = 2 hours / panel (Binning 2x2) G = 2 hours / panel (Binning 2x2) B = 2 hours / panel (Binning 2x2) Calibration frames: Bias, Darks & Flats. Image Acquisition: Guiding in Open PHD. Image acquisition in Sequence Generator Pro. Plate Solving in Platesolve 2 via SGP Framing & Mosaic Wizzard. Processing: Pre-Processing and Linear workflow in PixInsight, and finished in Photoshop. Martin - [Home Page] [Photography Showcase] [eBook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [3D VFX & Mocap] [Science & Physics Page]
  • The Abyss A macro photo of a Huernia clavigera X Huernia pillansii hybrid flower revisited with a twist. This image is part of the Legacy Series. Martin - [Home Page] [Photography Showcase] [eBook] [X] [Facebook] [3D VFX & Mocap] [Science & Physics]
  • Martin Heigan mh@icon.co.za http://anti-matter-3d.com [#Beginning of Shooting Data Section] Nikon D200 Focal Length: 60mm Optimize Image: Custom Color Mode: Mode II (Adobe RGB) Long Exposure NR: Off High ISO NR: Off 2006/07/01 14:03:41.3 Exposure Mode: Programmed Auto White Balance: Auto Tone Comp.: Auto RAW (12-bit) Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern AF Mode: AF-S Hue Adjustment: 0° Image Size: Large (3872 x 2592) 1/180 sec - F/7.1 Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached Saturation: Enhanced Color Exposure Comp.: 0 EV Sharpening: High Lens: 60mm F/2.8 D Sensitivity: ISO 100 Image Comment: Martin Heigan mh@icon.co.za [#End of Shooting Data Section]
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