What this book covers

Chapter 1, Getting Started with Maya, covers the basics of using Maya's script editor and getting set up to write scripts of your own. It also covers the differences between Maya Embedded Language (MEL) and Python. The basic parts of Maya's built-in commands are covered, along with the different modes (create, query, and edit) in which they can be invoked.

Chapter 2, Creating User Interfaces, introduces the reader to creating user interfaces for their scripts. It covers creating windows, adding layouts, and filling them with controls. Nested layouts and custom menus are also explained.

Chapter 3, Working with Geometry, covers using Python to work with geometric data. It starts with how to retrieve information about models, both polygonal and NURBS. It also covers creating new curves and new faces, as well as manipulating existing data to deform a model.

Chapter 4, Giving Things a Coat of Paint – UVs and Materials, deals with getting models ready for rendering, both working with UV data as well as creating and applying shading networks.

Chapter 5, Adding Controls – Scripting for Rigging, covers topics related to using scripting for rigging, including how to create bones and edit their properties. It also covers how to create set-driven key relationships and how to set up inverse kinematics (IK).

Chapter 6, Making Things Move – Scripting for Animation, deals with querying and setting keyframe data to create and modify animation. It also covers copying keyframes from one object to another and using code to create custom expressions.

Chapter 7, Scripting for Rendering, covers topics related to actually generating frames. The examples show how to create lights and cameras, and how to render images. It also covers using the Python Imaging Library (PIL) to combine images after they've been rendered.

Chapter 8, Working with File Input/Output, covers the topics needed to build larger toolchains by importing and exporting custom data. Reading and writing both text-based and binary formats is covered.

Chapter 9, Communicating with the Web, covers how to retrieve information from the Web for use in Maya. The parsing of both XML and JSON data is covered, as well as sending POST data to a website.

Chapter 10, Advanced Topics, covers several more advanced topics, including script jobs and script nodes. It also covers how to create a custom context to make scripts that work more like Maya's built-in tools.