Learning Maya?5: Mel Fundamentals [With CD]

"This book...is long overdue, and something that Maya users will undoubtedly welcome with open text editors" --Joaquin Kino Gil, CreativeCOW.net Learning Maya 5: MEL Fundamentals is you key to harnessing the full power of Maya, and you don't have to be a programmer to learn. MEL (Maya Embedded Language) is the scripting language used by Maya and is the foundation of the Maya User Interface and of many of its tools. Knowing MEL will permit you to customize the Maya UI, automate repetitive tasks, modify existing tools, and even create your own tools. Learning Maya 5 - MEL Fundatmentals is your key to solving production challenges creatively and efficiently. This book is written for the artist, so don't be intimidated if you have no prior programming experience. Features: Starting from an introductory level, this book will allow you to explore advanced concepts in a comfortable format. Each topic is explored in both theory and practice so that you'll not only understand the concepts presented, you'll be able to complete easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorials to ensure that you master them. You'll benefit from sample scripts and examples that will prove invaluable to you as your Maya skills increase. In addition, you'll take advantage of valuable chapter-by-chapter overviews provided in QuickTime(r) format on CD-ROM. Offered by Glen Chang, and Alias-Wavefront(TM) Certified Instructor, these helpful movies will allow you to gain additional insight as you work through the book. With this book you will: * Explore MEL's role in Maya * Customize the Maya User Interface with MEL. * Understand Maya's architecture, Nodes, and Attributes * Learn MEL commands and syntax. * Explore variables and expressions. * Write conditional and looking statements. * Learn scripting and procedures. * Get advanced scripting examples. * Create UI windows, layouts and tools. And much more...