Book Image

Maya Programming with Python Cookbook

By : Adrian Herbez
Book Image

Maya Programming with Python Cookbook

By: Adrian Herbez

Overview of this book

Maya is a 3D graphics and animation software, used to develop interactive 3D applications and games with stupendous visual effects. The Maya Programming with Python Cookbook is all about creating fast, powerful automation systems with minimum coding using Maya Python. With the help of insightful and essential recipes, this book will help you improve your modelling skills. Expand your development options and overcome scripting problems encountered whilst developing code in Maya. Right from the beginning, get solutions to complex development concerns faced when implementing as parts of build.

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Maya Programming with Python Cookbook
Adrian Herbez
Jul, 2016 | 266 pages
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Table of Contents (17 chapters)
Maya Programming with Python Cookbook
Maya Programming with Python Cookbook
Credits
Credits
About the Author
About the Author
About the Reviewer
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Preface
Free Chapter
1
Getting Started with Maya
Getting Started with Maya
Introduction
Using the script editor to investigate functionality
Running code from the script editor
Importing Maya's built-in Python functionality
Accessing documentation for a specific command
Understanding Create, Query, and Edit flags
Adding custom folders to your script path
Writing and running an external script
Calling a MEL script with Python
2
Creating User Interfaces
Creating User Interfaces
Introduction
Making a basic window
Simple controls – making a button
Retrieving input from controls
Using classes to organize UI logic
Using nested layouts
Using tabs and scrolling
Adding menus to your UIs
3
Working with Geometry
Working with Geometry
Introduction
Working with selected objects and checking node type
Accessing geometric data in polygonal models
Accessing geometric data in NURBS objects
Creating curves
Creating new polygonal faces
Creating new modifiers (noise)
Creating novel primitives (tetrahedron)
4
Giving Things a Coat of Paint – UVs and Materials
Giving Things a Coat of Paint – UVs and Materials
Introduction
Querying UV data
Laying out UVs with Python
Creating shading networks with code
Applying shaders to objects
Using shading nodes for non-shading tasks
5
Adding Controls – Scripting for Rigging
Adding Controls – Scripting for Rigging
Introduction
Creating skeletons with script
Setting up set-driven key relationships with script
Adding custom attributes and locking and hiding attributes
Setting up inverse kinematics (IK) with script
6
Making Things Move – Scripting for Animation
Making Things Move – Scripting for Animation
Introduction
Querying animation data
Working with animation layers
Copying animation from one object to another
Setting keyframes
Creating expressions via script
7
Scripting for Rendering
Scripting for Rendering
Introduction
Creating and editing lights
Creating GUI to control all lights
Creating cameras from code
Rendering a sprite sheet
8
Working with File Input/Output
Working with File Input/Output
Introduction
Using the fileDialog2 command to navigate the file system
Reading text files
Writing text files
Writing binary data
Reading binary data
Reading multiple types of files
9
Communicating with the Web
Communicating with the Web
Introduction
Opening a web page from script
Grabbing data from a server
Working with XML data
Working with JSON data
Sending POST data to a web server from Maya
10
Advanced Topics
Advanced Topics
Introduction
Wrapping Python functionality in MEL
Creating custom tools using contexts
Using script jobs to trigger custom functionality
Using script nodes to embed code in scenes
Combining script jobs and script nodes
Index
Index

Chapter 10. Advanced Topics

In this chapter, we'll look at the following few advanced topics that can be used to take your scripts farther:

  • Wrapping Python functionality in MEL

  • Creating custom tools using contexts

  • Using script jobs to trigger custom functionality

  • Using script nodes to embed code in scenes

  • Combining script jobs and script nodes

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