Hi Adam, As a MEL scripter, I resisted the need to learn Python - indeed there seemed to be nothing to gain from writing scripts with a different syntax.
However, I'm writing more and more scripts in Python these days, for two reasons: 1) string handling is much more flexible with Python than with Mel : since you're already used to dealing with strings to query and manipulate your data , you will appreciate that using Python can make your scripts shorter.... 2) I can access the Maya API, and manipulate objects and data in my scene from a script in ways I could only dream about, without having to compile anything! Sure, OOP is a different mindset, but not impossible to master if you're already used to how Maya works - and it sounds like you do. Here are a couple of simple examples of how to use the API in a python script - they show you how to access object properties with the API in Python, that you couldn't otherwise hope to achieve with MEL alone. http://mayastation.typepad.com/maya-station/2009/11/where-is-the-center-of-a-polygon.html http://mayastation.typepad.com/maya-station/2009/11/lock-up-your-sets.html http://mayastation.typepad.com/maya-station/2010/03/references-and-render-layers.html I hope these examples help convince you that you're not that far from your goal. If you have experience writing scripts with MEL, you're closer than you think :) And welcome to the forum, there are lots of helpful people on here. O On 17 April 2010 22:07, wannAPI <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi to all, > > MEL is where I'm sitting at the moment, the Maya API is what I want. > > I have found 'similar' discussions but none matching my own profile, > so I'm coming with the simplest questions for the kindest members. > > From my standing point, I am glad there is something like PyMEL > because python was looking way too redundant to me. And, I don't want > to cope with compiling C++ plugins. > > Therefore, my concern is about the right trajectory to come to unveil > the Maya API with PyMEL. > > My main question is: > > - Can PyMEL be learned alone to do this ? > > > Thanks for your patience ! Off course, if the question was already > answered somewhere you can point me to. > > > Adam > > PS: again I'm not really interested in python but in Maya's API. I'm > not looking for a job in the industry, no concerns regarding the later. > > -- > http://groups.google.com/group/python_inside_maya -- http://groups.google.com/group/python_inside_maya
