Getting started with maya

Remarks#

This documentation covers coding for Autodesk Maya. It’s not meant for end-users of the Maya software. (To find out how to model or animate in Maya, try Autodesk’s introductory videos or an end-user site like CGSociety.)

Languages

Maya supports 3 programming languages: MEL, its built-in scripting language; C++, which is used for plugins; and Python which is common for integration jobs but can also create plugins using a wrapped version of the C++ API

Installation

Maya supports 3 main programming environments. Each has different setup requirements.

MEL

MEL scripting language is included with the Maya application. Enabled by default, users can test MEL in the script listener window in a running copy of Maya.

MEL files are text files with the extension .mel. They can be loaded into a running Maya session using the source command in the listener or in another MEL script. Maya maintains a list of source directories and will search for a requested MEL script in all directories until it finds an appropriately named file.

There are number of methods for setting up the script path; see the Autodesk documentation for more details.

Python

Maya includes an embedded Python intepreter. MEL commands are available from Python in the maya.cmds Python module, so a command like polyCube -n "new_cube" is available in Python as maya.cmds.polyCube(n='new_cube'). The listener window includes a Python tab which allows users to enter Python commands interactively.

Maya python can import modules using the python import directive. Maya will look for Python files in a number of locations, configured in the Maya application, using environment variable or amaya.env file. The Autodesk documentation covers the basics of placing python files where Maya can see and import them.

C++

Maya exposes its API to C++. Developers can compile plugins which Maya will recognize at startup.

Developing C++ plugins for Maya requires the Maya Devkit. Download the version appropriate to your platform and follow the included instructions to set up the build environment.

Simple Python example

Open the Maya listener with the button at the lower right corner of the help line. This opens the script listener.

Create a Python tab from the tab bar.

Here’s a very basic script that will print out the positions of the cameras in a default scene. Enter this into the listener:

import maya.cmds as cmds          
cameras = cmds.ls(type ='camera')  
for each_camera in cameras:
    parent = cmds.listRelatives(each_camera, parent=True)
    position = cmds.xform(parent, q=True, translation=True)
    print each_camera, "is at", position

Select the script an execute it with CTRL+enter;

Here’s another simple example that generates a random collection of cubes. It uses the python random module to generate random values.

import maya.cmds as cmds
import random
         
for n in range(25):
    cube, cubeShape = cmds.polyCube()
    x = random.randrange(-50, 50)
    y = random.randrange(-50, 50)
    z = random.randrange(-50, 50)
    cmds.xform(cube, t = (x,y,z))

Hello world

Printing “hello world” on several languages on Maya on the console (Script Editor).

MEL

On a MEL tab on the Script Editor, or the command line bar, selecting MEL:

print ("hello world");

And hit play on the script editor or enter key on the command line.

PYTHON

On a Python tab on the Script Editor, or the command line bar, selecting Python:

print "hello world"

And hit play on the script editor or enter key on the command line.