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Practical Maya Programming with Python
""Practical Maya Programming with Python"" is a practical tutorial packed with plenty of examples and sample projects which guides you through building reusable, independent modules and handling unexpected errors. If you are a developer looking to build a powerful system using Python and Maya's capabilities, then this book is for you. Practical Maya Programming with Python is perfect for intermediate users with basic experience in Python and Maya who want to better their knowledge and skills.
- GenresProgramming
352 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2014
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20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 9, 2014
I cannot agree more with the book's opening remark: "Unleash the power of Python in Maya and unlock your creativity". Python and Maya combined is an awesome sauce!
I probably should repeat many publications here stating that Python itself grew into more than just a programming language with "batteries included", it is now even an ecosystem powering frameworks or Big Data and more. Here it is at work to drive fantastic 3D UIs (User Interfaces). Yes, as a software and database developer I confess those who use Python enjoy an incredible productivity. Perhaps knowing Python is enough to code from web apps, mobile or not to doing data analysis, on any OS. OK, perhaps enough on Python, more on the book itself:
Fun and easy to read, it is full of helpful and insightful examples, good graphics that looked right on my mobile device and laptop, by the way, the author sure is a subject matter expert in many more areas than just UIs and Python. Importantly, the author makes clear distinctions between tooling and libraries used to drive Maya.
Robert also falls into the category of authors that outline the material in an digestible yet comprehensive manner, this book I'd say one of the very good ones.
Again, Maya itself benefits from Python, the book covers in great details on how to automate Maya.
The other few notes I have to share would be that this book is for those who already have some or most core skills in both Python and Maya and want to expand into doing some more advanced, if not World Class level software. Look no further than this material.
On another note, the book seems concentrating 60% on Python and the rest on Maya, oddly yet, it seems Maya has no free software versions which is a big miss for me reviewing this book.
Five stars out of five.
I probably should repeat many publications here stating that Python itself grew into more than just a programming language with "batteries included", it is now even an ecosystem powering frameworks or Big Data and more. Here it is at work to drive fantastic 3D UIs (User Interfaces). Yes, as a software and database developer I confess those who use Python enjoy an incredible productivity. Perhaps knowing Python is enough to code from web apps, mobile or not to doing data analysis, on any OS. OK, perhaps enough on Python, more on the book itself:
Fun and easy to read, it is full of helpful and insightful examples, good graphics that looked right on my mobile device and laptop, by the way, the author sure is a subject matter expert in many more areas than just UIs and Python. Importantly, the author makes clear distinctions between tooling and libraries used to drive Maya.
Robert also falls into the category of authors that outline the material in an digestible yet comprehensive manner, this book I'd say one of the very good ones.
Again, Maya itself benefits from Python, the book covers in great details on how to automate Maya.
The other few notes I have to share would be that this book is for those who already have some or most core skills in both Python and Maya and want to expand into doing some more advanced, if not World Class level software. Look no further than this material.
On another note, the book seems concentrating 60% on Python and the rest on Maya, oddly yet, it seems Maya has no free software versions which is a big miss for me reviewing this book.
Five stars out of five.
August 22, 2014
Review - "Practical Maya Programming with Python" - Robert Galanakis
Some basic experience with Python and Maya is expected. This book does not cover those most primitive topics that are inevitably learned through introductory Maya and Python use. The first chapter explores how Maya and Python work individually and together to create a powerful programming and scripting environment. It covers some of the key technical underpinnings for the rest of the book. Next we learn about writing practical Maya Python with PyMEL by investigating the important concept of composability. Next we learn about errors and creating an error handler. We then learn how to leverage decoraters and context managers in maya. Then we dive into creating GUIs for maya and subsequently explore ways to control Maya in a totally automated fashion so that it can be scripted to perform complex tasks orchestrated from outside of Maya itself. We then learn about the Maya Api and creating Maya plugins. We conclude by understanding open source and how to leverage the python community.
This book is not a reference. It is not a cookbook, and it is not a comprehensive guide to Maya's Python API. It is a book that will teach you how to write better Python code for use inside of Maya. It will unearth interesting ways of using Maya and Python to create amazing things that wouldn't be possible otherwise.
Get the book here: http://www.packtpub.com/practical-may...
Some basic experience with Python and Maya is expected. This book does not cover those most primitive topics that are inevitably learned through introductory Maya and Python use. The first chapter explores how Maya and Python work individually and together to create a powerful programming and scripting environment. It covers some of the key technical underpinnings for the rest of the book. Next we learn about writing practical Maya Python with PyMEL by investigating the important concept of composability. Next we learn about errors and creating an error handler. We then learn how to leverage decoraters and context managers in maya. Then we dive into creating GUIs for maya and subsequently explore ways to control Maya in a totally automated fashion so that it can be scripted to perform complex tasks orchestrated from outside of Maya itself. We then learn about the Maya Api and creating Maya plugins. We conclude by understanding open source and how to leverage the python community.
This book is not a reference. It is not a cookbook, and it is not a comprehensive guide to Maya's Python API. It is a book that will teach you how to write better Python code for use inside of Maya. It will unearth interesting ways of using Maya and Python to create amazing things that wouldn't be possible otherwise.
Get the book here: http://www.packtpub.com/practical-may...
September 29, 2014
Having wanted to learn Python Programming for as long as it has been supported in Maya, this book has been a great revelation. With my moderate MEL experience, I was able to quickly pick up the different topics and begin to enjoy the awesomeness that is PyMEL. This book focuses on PyMEL more than any of the Python-for-Maya material I have come across and goes deep enough for me to start using it in ways I hadn't even anticipated.. Expect to learn new ways of organizing code that make your scripts efficient and highly reusable.
The book is packed with so much useful information from proper UI design to learning how to leverage and control Maya from outside the program. I particularly enjoyed the joint hierarchy conversion and character creator sections. The Maya API section is worth the price of admission alone. The author includes a best practices section that is sure to streamline the way you write code and make it more readable.
This book will definitely benefit both noobs and experts alike. It does assume some previous Maya knowledge, but even with basic MEL experience, it expertly introduces you to Python/PyMEL as the powerful programming framework that it is. For anyone wanting to get into Technical Direction or any form of technical role in production this text is essential.
The book is packed with so much useful information from proper UI design to learning how to leverage and control Maya from outside the program. I particularly enjoyed the joint hierarchy conversion and character creator sections. The Maya API section is worth the price of admission alone. The author includes a best practices section that is sure to streamline the way you write code and make it more readable.
This book will definitely benefit both noobs and experts alike. It does assume some previous Maya knowledge, but even with basic MEL experience, it expertly introduces you to Python/PyMEL as the powerful programming framework that it is. For anyone wanting to get into Technical Direction or any form of technical role in production this text is essential.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews