MEL Scripting for Maya Animators, 2nd Edition

Trying to learn Maya programming from the documentation can be daunting whether or not you are a programmer. The first edition of MEL Scripting for Maya Animators earned the reputation as the best introductory book on MEL, Maya’s scripting language. Now fully revised and updated, the second edition also includes new features, such as a discussion of global procedures, new chapters on fixing programming bottlenecks, advanced user interface techniques, and optimizing character rigs. New chapters on utility nodes and Maya’s Web Panel feature provide new ideas on how to use MEL in applications.

This new edition has kept the popular style of the first edition that offered very clear explanations of programming concepts to those without programming experience. A generous collection of code examples and Maya scene files is included on the companion Web site. This is a book for animators, artists, game developers, visual effects developers, and technical directors who want to learn the fundamentals of Maya, how to automate tasks, personalize user interfaces, build custom tools, and solve problems with MEL.

• Fully updated with several new chapters.
• Profusely illustrated and includes a companion Web site with numerous code examples and scene files.
• The authors bring their extensive experience in professional production studios to provide expert guidance.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Maya Under the Hood
Chapter 2. The Basics of MEL Commands
Chapter 3. Using Expressions
Chapter 4. Controlling Particles with Expressions
Chapter 5. Problem Solving with MEL Scripting
Chapter 6. Variables and Data Types
Chapter 7. Using MEL Commands
Chapter 8. Manipulating Nodes in MEL
Chapter 9. Controlling the Flow of Execution
Chapter 10. Procedures and Functions
Chapter 11. Naming Nodes, Scripts, and Variables
Chapter 12. Designing MEL User Interfaces
Chapter 13. Simple MEL User Interfaces
Chapter 14. Custom Dialog Boxes
Chapter 15. Making Advanced Dialog Boxes with formLayout
Chapter 16. Making Advanced Dialog Boxes with Web Panels
Chapter 17. Improving Performance With Utility Nodes
Chapter 18. Installing MEL Scripts
Chapter 19. Examples Using MEL with Particle Dynamics
Chapter 20. Examples Using MEL with Solid Body Dynamics
Chapter 21. Example of a Simple Crowd System
Chapter 22. Examples Using MEL in Character Rigging