MEL Scripting for Maya Animators

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.

"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

• 1. Maya Under the Hood2. The Basics of MEL Commands3. Using Expressions4. Controlling Particles with Expressions5. Problem Solving with MEL Scripting6. Variables and Data Types7. Using MEL Commands8. Manipulating Nodes in MEL9. Controlling the Flow of Execution10. Procedures and Functions11. Naming Nodes, Scripts, and Variables12. Designing MEL User Interfaces13. Simple MEL User Interfaces14. Custom Dialog Boxes15. Making Advanced Dialog Boxes with formLayout16. Making Advanced Dialog Boxes with Web Panels17. Improving Performance With Utility Nodes18. Installing MEL Scripts19. Examples Using MEL with Particle Dynamics20. Examples Using MEL with Solid Body Dynamics21. Example of a Simple Crowd System22. Examples Using MEL in Character Rigging