Mel Scripting for Maya Animators

Informationen zum Autor 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 . Klappentext Maya artists and animators face complex problems that are not easily solved with the built-in capabilities of the program. MEL (Maya Embedded Language)! the scripting language included with Maya! enables users to automate and customize their work. Programming in MEL is often the first programming task of any kind attempted by an artist or animator. However! learning to program is hard for many artists! and it is very hard to learn how to program MEL by just reading the Maya documentation. In the first edition of MEL Scripting for Maya Animators! Mark Wilkins and Chris Kazmier provided very clear explanations of basic programming concepts to an audience without programming experience. That book earned the reputation as the best introductory book on MEL. Since that edition! Maya has released two new major version upgrades and its user base has continued to grow. Now in a second edition! the book is fully updated to Maya 6 and includes a number of brand new features! such as a discussion of global procedures! new chapters on fixing programming bottlenecks! advanced user interface techniques! and optimizing character rigs. Zusammenfassung Suitable for those who want to learn the fundamentals of Maya! how to automate tasks! personalize user interfaces! build custom tools and solve problems with MEL! this work features chapters on fixing programming bottlenecks! advanced user interface techniques and optimizing character rigs. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface;Special Acknowledgment; 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 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; Index ...

List of contents

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

Report

"Reading and following the lessons of this book provides one of the best ways for a casual Maya user to elevate their skills to a professional level. The fundamental techniques developed in MEL Scripting for Maya Animators are critical for visual effects artists to learn." --Scott Stokdyk, Visual Effects Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks
"While the first edition opened the doors to MEL scripting for interested Maya users, this expanded and updated second edition delves deeper into important programming concepts, and new features in Maya released since the original edition. No longer just for the first steps in MEL programming, this edition takes the reader into the depths of advanced topics such as user interface layout and web panels that are sure to make this book a frequently used and a welcome addition to any technical director's bookshelf." --Doug Cooper, Visual Effects Supervisor, DreamWorks Animation
"MEL Scripting for Maya Animators is the set of keys you need to get under the hood of Maya. The book is well written for both technical and non-technical animators. It is an essential tool in making sophisticated animation not only possible but also practical." --Henry LaBounta, Senior Art Director, Electronic Arts
"This new edition is - as was the first edition - the very best of an extremely small number of books that even attempt to cover the subject of scripting animation. The authors take great pains to explain where pertinent features, graphs, and editors are found, and to paint a picture of the interconnectivity of Maya's various networked nodes.
If you're just getting started or are advanced enough to want the second edition's beefed up content, there's an empty spot for this book next to your monitor right now. But make sure there is enough space for a few pads of sticky notes and a couple of highlighting markers. You'll want to ink this one up." --Game Developer, December 2005

Product details

• Authors: Chris Kazmier, Chris (Sony Pictures Imageworks Kazmier, Kazmier Chris, Mark Wilkins, Mark R. Wilkins, Mark R. (Dreamworks Animation Skg Wilkins, Mark R. Kazmier Wilkins, Wilkins Mark R.
• Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.08.2005
• EAN: 9780120887934
• ISBN: 978-0-12-088793-4
• No. of pages: 552
• Series: Morgan Kaufmann Series in Comp; The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics; Morgan Kaufmann Series in Comp
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > IT, data processing > Application software; Digital Animation, COMPUTERS / Design, Graphics & Media / Video & Animation