Maya Playblast Option Vars for "Playblast Display" options for viewport and some examples

maya_query_and_set_playblast_display_option_vars.py

from maya import cmds

# List all optionVars starting with "playblast"
# The ones for the Playblast Display start with "playblastShow"
# And the "playblastOverrideViewport" enables/disables them all together
vars = sorted([var for var in cmds.optionVar(list=True) if var.startswith("playblast")])
for var in vars:
    print var
    
    
# Set an optionVar
cmds.optionVar(intValue=("playblastOverrideViewport", True))

# You can also set multiple at a time
options = {
    "playblastOverrideViewport": True,
    "playblastShowCVs": True,
    "playblastShowCameras": True,
    "playblastShowClipGhosts": True,
    "playblastShowControllers": True,
    "playblastShowDeformers": True,
    "playblastShowDimensions": True,
    "playblastShowDynamicConstraints": True,
    "playblastShowDynamics": True,
    "playblastShowFluids": True,
    "playblastShowFollicles": True,
    "playblastShowGreasePencil": True,
    "playblastShowGrid": True,
    "playblastShowHUD": True,
    "playblastShowHairSystems": True,
    "playblastShowHandles": True,
    "playblastShowHoldOuts": True,
    "playblastShowHulls": True,
    "playblastShowIKHandles": True,
    "playblastShowImagePlane": True,
    "playblastShowJoints": True,
    "playblastShowLights": True,
    "playblastShowLocators": True,
    "playblastShowMotionTrails": True,
    "playblastShowNCloths": True,
    "playblastShowNParticles": True,
    "playblastShowNRigids": True,
    "playblastShowNURBSCurves": True,
    "playblastShowNURBSSurfaces": True,
    "playblastShowOrnaments": True,
    "playblastShowParticleInstancers": True,
    "playblastShowPivots": True,
    "playblastShowPlanes": True,
    "playblastShowPluginShapes": True,
    "playblastShowPolyMeshes": True,
    "playblastShowSelectionHighlighting": True,
    "playblastShowStrokes": True,
    "playblastShowSubdivSurfaces": True,
    "playblastShowTextures": True
}
cmds.optionVar(intValue=options.items())

# Changing the values doesn't automatically update the show menu.
# You can force that with:
from maya import mel
mel.eval("rebuildShowMenu;")

# ----
# Note that there are also "plugin display options" like 'gpuCache'
# for example. Those are stored in the optionVar "playblastShowPluginObjects"
# The option var might not exist - so be aware of that.
if cmds.optionVar(exists="playblastShowPluginObjects"):
    # Note that this is an "EXCLUDE" list. So anything it returns
    # are the filters that are disabled for showing
    exclude = cmds.optionVar(query="playblastShowPluginObjects")
    print exclude
    
# Enabling all plug-ins filters thus is as easy as clearing that optionVar's value
# So use EITHER of the following:
cmds.optionVar(clearArray="playblastShowPluginObjects")
cmds.optionVar(remove="playblastShowPluginObjects")

# And disabling all plug-in filters for showing can be done with
filters = cmds.pluginDisplayFilter(query=True, listFilters=True)
for filter in filters:
    cmds.optionVar(stringValueAppend=("playblastShowPluginObjects", filter))
  

More details on the optionVar command in Maya documentation.
Messing a lot with Maya playblasts? Also look into maya-capture!