Hey all, Just wanted to drop a line and get some advice on advancing beyond basic Python scripting and starting to delve into the API. I started digging through the API documentation and quickly realized that C++ almost seems a prerequisite for learning the Python API. So, I bought the C++ Primer Plus from Amazon, then considered whether I should start using it as a doorstop or Yoga block when it arrived. Damn...all I really want to do is to learn to write plugins with Python - okay, so maybe it's not that simple - but is it really necessary to get through 1200 pages of C++ before I feel like I can understand how to utilize the Python API?
So perhaps a little background on where I feel I'm "at" would be useful: I started learning Python about a year ago, and it's the only language I've learned other than MEL (which I started about 1.5 years ago). I have since gotten fairly comfortable using it as a scripting Language inside Maya. I've been working with PyMEL quite a bit over the past 6 months, and feel like I have a handle on basic OOP concepts, though I still feel I haven't had an "ah ha" moment when it comes to knowing when and why to create custom classes, outside of simply packaging and organizing things. That being said, I've been experimenting with them in some character setup scripts I've been writing, so I understand the basic syntax and concepts...it just seems that every time I try and design something more object-oriented, I create more problems and complexity than I alleviate. So that being said, I *would* like to try and start learning about the API and how to create some simple plugins, and feel like maybe seeing and working with Python in this context will help clarify some of OOP design concepts that I'm not quite there with. The problem is that pretty much all of the documentation I've found assumes a C++ background and familiarity with the C++ API. I found Jason Osipia's posts here about the Digital Tutors Python tutorials, and Chad Vernon's excellent answers to his questions (http://www.chadvernon.com/files/doublerNode.html). I still don't feel like I really *understand* what's happening with the creation and initialization functions and how it all ties together with the derrived MPxNode class. I'm going to keep reading through it and trying to wrap my head around it, but after all that, I wanted to throw this out there: Has anyone been able to learn enough about the Maya API without knowing C++ to do something useful with it? Should I resign myself to putting the API off for another year while I slog through the C++ Primer? Or am I just getting hung up on some initial concepts that just take some time to understand? I'm not setting out to create the next mind-blowing plugin, but I think it would be a good skill in my "toolkit" to be able to read through a Python plugin, understand what's going on, and hopefully design some simple nodes, file translators, etc. of my own. I also think it will help me be a better Python scripter, provided I can get past all the C++ roadblocks! If anyone out there has had a similar experience or any advice they'd like to lay on me, I'm all ears :) Best, JP -- http://groups.google.com/group/python_inside_maya To unsubscribe from this group, send email to python_inside_maya+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject.
