Start MEL Scripting language 1

From this place you can learn the MEL. You will find video, text and pdf tutorial in the form syllabus so that you can learn MEL as scripting language.

MEL is core language of Maya, Maya is almost written in MEL. Maya User interface has been/can be created MEL. With MEL you can write your own script in Maya, Thus MEL is a scripting language. All tools and panels of interface and all things of interface are scripted in MEL. MEL stands for Maya Embedded Language. Even a MEL scripter can all user interface even scripter can create their own interface in Maya. MEL is expert level job. It needs a little basic understanding of programming. If you have some knowhow in C++ or you can easily understand the MEL.

You can read this tutorial step by step

Let’s Start MEL

1. Type a single command in command line

sphere;

Note: you will have to end up with a semi colon.



2. Hit the Enter of Numeric Pad instead of the main keyboard Pad



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Now you will delete the sphere by typing simply the word delete in command line

3. Type delete and then semi colon in command line.

delete;

This way you have deleted the object by simply writing a little word delete in command line

Congratulations. You are now writing the MEL script.

Let’s go ahead.

Now try to create a Poly Cube by putting a single command in command line,

4. Type a single command plolyCube and then semi colon in command line,

polyCube;



5. Hit Enter on Numeric KeyPad of your Keyboard



Again delete the Poly Cube by typing simply delete and then semi colon

6. Type delete and semi colon,

delete;

Let’s go more ahead,

Now we’ll learn how to modify object with MEL commands

Lets scale our object with MEL

7. Type scale 3 5 6 and then semi colon

Scale 3 5 6;

This will scale the object which has already been created previously see the images below,



8. Hit Enter of the Numeric KeyPad of your Keyboard



Let’s rotate the same scaled object now

9. Type rotate 30 20 110 and then semi colon

rotate 30 20 110;



10. Hit Enter of the Numeric Pad of your Key board



We have rotated our object but it looks odd and we should reset the rotation of our object by writing a MEL script.

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11. Type rotate 0 0 0 and then semi colon

rotate 0 0 0;

this will reset the rotation of our object



Let’s select a component of our object. We know a Poly Cube has 6 sides,



Each side is a face of Poly Cube. We select a single face or more than one face at time with MEL scrip

12. Type in command line the following command,

select -r polySurface1.f[4] ;



13. This will select a face of Poly Cube which is called component level



Therefore,

select is a command

-r is flag

polySurface1 is the name of Poly cube

and f[4] is the number of face

Let’s delete this single face now to show the hollowness of the box instead of a solid box

14. Type delete and then semi colon

delete;



We are going ahead step by step, keep pace with us and don’t leave visit next lesson regularly if you really want to learn MEL .

Thanks