Lynda - Up and Running with MEL Scripting in Maya with George Ma

Lynda - Up and Running with MEL Scripting in Maya with George Maestri
1h 48m Intermediate Nov 06, 2014 | Uploaded in Nov 27, 2014 via Webcentara

Subjects: 3D + Animation, Developer, Animation, Games, Visual Effects, Game Development,
Software: Maya


Scripting is a time-saving skill that can mean the difference between a successful project and a dismal failure. This short course provides an introduction to Maya's MEL (Maya Embedded Language) scripting, which can help speed up repetitive tasks, as well as give you access to features that aren't available through the standard Maya interface. It starts with the basics: using the Script Editor and its output to create custom shelf buttons, or shortcuts, for tools and scripts. Then George moves deeper into MEL's syntax, using custom scripts and a little math to build a staircase generator and, as shown in the final chapter, a simple interface with sliders and buttons.
Topics include:

Using the command line and the Script Editor
Grabbing Script Editor output
Creating, loading, and saving buttons
Working with variables and arrays
Using conditionals
Performing calculations with the math, trig, and time functions
Creating and testing a user interface