MEL Scripting for Maya Animators (Second Edition)
Год издания: 2005
Автор: Mark R. Wilkins, Chris Kazmier, Stephan Osterburg
Жанр или тематика: Maya
Издательство: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers
ISBN: 0-12-088793-2
Серия: The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics
Язык: Английский
Формат: PDF
Качество: Издательский макет или текст (eBook)
Количество страниц: 547
Интерактивное оглавление: Нет
Описание:
MEL Scripting for Maya Animators is the first comprehensive textbook on Maya expressions and the MEL scripting language written especially for the beginning animator or technical director.
The power of MEL for customizing Maya and automating time-consuming tasks has attracted almost all of the top animation and visual effects studios to Maya as their core tool in producing 3D animation. Now, you can learn to master that power even if you have little or no programming experience!
MEL Scripting for Maya Animators begins with an introduction to how Maya functions "under the hood," and proceeds through a series of examples to walk through the capabilities of Maya's expressions and MEL scripting. Next, the book provides an in-depth discussion of the MEL language and how to automate common tasks, and then shows how to build useful graphic user interfaces for your scripts.
Throughout the book's discussion of MEL, MEL Scripting for Maya Animators discusses the strategies that those new to programming must learn to think about programming problems in such a way that solving them becomes easy. At the same time, the book provides many useful tips and approaches that will be of interest even to those who already have programmed in MEL.
Finally, MEL Scripting for Maya Animators presents a wide range of specific examples of how MEL and expressions can be used in controlling dynamics, rigging characters, and even building a simple system for crowd behavior.
About the Authors
Mark R. Wilkins is a technical director at DreamWorks Animation SKG, where he helped develop a production pipeline using Maya for effects and character animation. Mark also provides training and technical assistance to animators using Maya. He previously worked at Walt Disney Feature Animation in a variety of positions including software engineer and scene setup supervisor. He has contributed to a number of films, including Dinosaur, Mission: Impossible 2, Minority Report, and Madagascar. Mark holds a degree in physics from Harvey Mudd College.
Chris Kazmier is a senior technical director at Sony Pictures Imageworks, where he creates computer-generated effects for live-action films. He has worked on projects ranging from The Haunted Mansion to Sony’s first all 3D feature animation Open Season. Previously, Chris worked at DreamWorks on Sinbad and at PDI/DreamWorks on the Intel Aliens ad campaign. Credits also include Fox Animation Studio’s Titan AE and Anastasia.
Оглавление
Preface
Special Acknowledgement
Chapter 1 – Maya Under the Hood
In this chapter you will learn
Why Look Under the Hood?
The Dependency Graph, Attributes, and Connections
Example 1: Using the Hypergraph to Explore the Dependency Graph
Transform Hierarchy and Parent/Child Relationships
Examining the Hierarchy
Transform and Shape Nodes
Example 2: Exploring Transform and Shape Nodes, Instancing, and History
MEL and Maya's User Interface
What to Remember about How Maya Works Behind the Scenes
Chapter 2 – The Basics of MEL Commands
In this chapter you will learn
Can I Use MEL Without Scripting?
Command Line and Command Feedback Line
Command Shell
Script Editor
Script Editor versus Command Shell
Script Editor's Messages as MEL Code
Making Shelf Buttons for a MEL Script
Saving a MEL Script
Seductive Dangers of the Status Message Area
The whatIs Command
Basic Structure of MEL Commands
Where to Find Information About Maya and MEL on the Internet
What to Remember About How to Use MEL Without Writing Scripts
Chapter 3 – Using Expressions
In this chapter you will learn
What Is an Expression?
How Does an Expression Work?
Equals Sign: Equality and Assignment
How Maya Implements Expressions
Is Maya's Expression Language the Same as MEL?
When (and When Not) to Use an Expression
Defining Relationships Between Attributes
What Is Operator Precedence?
Walkthrough of Maya's Expression Language
Example 1: Eyes
What to Remember About Using Expressions
Chapter 4 – Controlling Particles with Expressions
In this chapter you will learn
Two Kinds of Particle Object Attributes: Per Object and Per Particle
All About Vectors
Two Kinds of Expressions: Ordinary and Particle
Example 1: Ordinary Expressions and a Newton Field
Example 2: Simple Particle Expression
A Few Hints for Efficient Particle Expressions
Example 3: Helical Particles Around a Curve
What to Remember about Particle Expressions in Maya
Chapter 5 – Problem Solving with MEL Scripting
In this chapter you will learn
MEL's Role in Maya: Building Scenes
Strategies for Planning MEL Applications
The Simplest User Interface
Creating, Editing, and Querying Nodes in MEL
Adding, Setting, and Getting Values of Attributes in MEL
Connecting Attributes in MEL
Creating and Connecting Expression Nodes in MEL
Example 1: Using MEL to Automate Setup for Spiral Particles
What to Remember About Writing MEL Scripts
Chapter 6 – Variables and Data Types
In this chapter you will learn
Declaring Variables (and Not Declaring Them)
Environment Variables
MEL Statements and Type Checking
Simple and Aggregate Data Types
What to Remember About Variables and Data Types in MEL
Chapter 7 – Using MEL Commands
In this chapter you will learn
What Is a MEL Command?
Structure of a MEL Command
Using MEL Commands in MEL Scripts
Avoid Using MEL Commands in Expressions
What to Remember About Using MEL Commands
Chapter 8 – Manipulating Nodes in MEL
In this chapter you will learn
Using ls Command to Find Nodes by Name or Other Properties
Using select Command to Manage Object Selection
Creating Nodes in a Maya Scene
Finding a Node's Parents and Children
Finding Information on Node Connections
About Maya's Node Types and the DG Node Reference
What to Remember About Managing Nodes in MEL
Chapter 9 – Controlling the Flow of Execution
In this chapter you will learn
Controlling the Flow of Script Execution
Basic Conditional Operations: if-else and switch
Loops
What to Remember About Controlling the Flow of Execution in MEL
Chapter 10 – Procedures and Functions
In this chapter you will learn
Top-Down Design
Example 1: A Trip to the Grocery Store
What are Procedures and Functions?
Example 2: Geometry-Constrained Locators
Example 3: Recursive Antenna
What to Remember About Procedures, Functions, and Top-Down Design in MEL
Chapter 11 – Naming Nodes, Scripts, and Variables
In this chapter you will learn
Why Naming Conventions Are Important
Naming Scripts
Naming Variables
Naming Nodes
Example 1: Adding a Name Prefix to Objects in a Hierarchy
Example 2: Changing Name Prefixes in a Hierarchy
What are Namespaces?
Strategies for Using Namespaces
What to Remember about Naming Scripts, Variables, and Nodes
Chapter 12 – Designing MEL User Interfaces
In this chapter you will learn
What is a User Interface?
What Maya Users Expect to See from a MEL Script
Questions to Answer Before Designing a User Interface
Designing and Testing a User Interface
Structure of a Dialog Box
What to Remember About Designing User Interfaces in MEL
Chapter 13 – Simple MEL User Interfaces
In this chapter you will learn
Collecting Information from Users
Validating User Input: When and Why
Asking for Confirmation with confirmDialog
Asking User for Text String with promptDialog
Asking User to Pick File or Directory with fileDialog
Handling Warnings and Errors with warning and error Commands
Using Regular Expressions and match to Validate Data
How Regular Expressions Work
Validating Integers
Validating Floating-Point Numbers
Validating Object Names (Without Namespaces)
Example 1: Simple Dialogs and Input Validation
What to Remember about Simple MEL User Interfaces and Input Validation
Chapter 14 – Custom Dialog Boxes
In this chapter you will learn
How to Structure a Script that Uses a Custom Dialog Box for Input
Dialog Boxes and Their Contents
Example 1: Making the Example Dialog Box
Common Types of Controls
Common Types of Layouts
Example 2: Dialog Box for Making Geometric Primitives
What to Remember About Building Custom Dialog Boxes in MEL
Chapter 15 – Installing MEL Scripts
In this chapter you will learn
Installing a Script to Make It Available in All Scenes
Installing a Script to Run When Maya Starts
Installing a Script into a Script Node in a Scene
Installing Custom Menus
Managing Button Shelves and Creating Custom Shelf Icons
What to Remember About Installing MEL Scripts
Chapter 16 – Examples Using MEL with Particle Dynamics
Example 1: Introduction to Particle Goals
Example 2: Particle Goals in a Surface
Example 3: Using Goals on Multiple Surfaces
Example 4: Using Goals on Multiple Surfaces, Part 2
Chapter 17 – Examples Using MEL with Solid Body Dynamics
Example 1: Particle Collisions
Example 2: Collision Events
Example 3: Collisions Between Objects in Solid Dynamics
Example 4: Solid Dynamics and Particles
Chapter 18 – Example of a Simple Crowd System
Example 1: Creating a Vehicle
Example 2: Vehicle Interaction
Example 3: Vehicle Environment
Example 4: Fine Tuning and Completing the Script
Full Script Reference: crowdSystem.mel
Chapter 19 – Examples Using MEL in Character Rigging
Example 1: Character Controls
Example 2: Building a Character User Interface
Full Text of mrBlahControls.mel
Appendix A – A MEL Script Design Checklist
Specifying the Problem
Implementing the Main Script
Implementing the User Interface
Доп. информация: В раздачу включены оригинальные архивы примеров с
официального сайта книги, который на момент создания релиза все еще жив.
Об архиве примеров
These compressed archives contain the scripts used in the book. When a script file is named Chapter<number>.mel, you should work through the example in the chapter using the .mel file as reference only.
The other scripts can be executed in full using the Script Editor's "Source Script..." command, though you may have to work through certain steps prior to executing the scripts to see what's depicted in the chapters.
These scripts include all of the corrections made in the errata listed below.
