Problem Solving with MEL Scripting

A typical MEL script presents an interface to the Maya user that allows the script to collect information about what the user wants the script to do. This interface can be a window with buttons and text boxes, or it might just be a standard set of arguments that the user must type on the Maya command line. It creates nodes in the scene that have a particular useful effect when evaluated. It creates custom attributes for nodes that it has created to store information that is necessary for the task at hand and connects attributes between nodes to establish relationships between the newly created nodes and whatever might have already been in the scene. It also creates and connects expression script nodes that process attributes when Maya evaluates the scene during playback or rendering. Sometimes, a MEL script might simply consist of collections of behind the scenes tools meant to be used by other MEL scripts that make certain kinds of user interfaces easier, or that implement calculations that might be useful in many different circumstances. MEL provides powerful tools for creating intricate user interfaces. The most basic approach, which is favored among most of the tools present in Maya, consists of selecting an object and choosing a menu item or button to do something to it.