Preface

This book is a guide to using the Python scripting language to automate tasks in, and build tools for, Maya. The first two chapters provide an overview of Python scripting in Maya and the basics of UI creation. From there, chapters three through seven each cover a different problem domain, in roughly the same order that they are encountered in real-world projects. We start with modeling, moving through texturing, rigging, animation, and rendering. The last three chapters cover topics needed to flesh out scripts into full tool pipelines, including file input and output and communicating with the world outside of Maya via the Web. In the last chapter, we'll cover a few more advanced topics, such as script nodes and script jobs.

Each chapter provides several examples of how to achieve specific tasks in that domain, will full code listing and explanation. Each example stands on its own, and the reader should feel free to move around within the book as needed.