2009

Table Of Contents
All Python commands are case-sensitive; maya.cmds.SPHERE is not the same
as maya.cmds.sphere (and returns an error message).
Getting help on Python
You can get help with Python in several different ways:
To access help on a particular Maya (Python) command, open the Python
Command Reference by selecting Help > Python Command Reference.
You can also access help on Maya Python commands from within the
Script Editor by using the Maya Command help(). For example: typing
maya.cmds.help("sphere") outputs a list of possible flags that can be used
with the sphere command.
Help for native Python commands is accessed from within the Script Editor
by typing help("command") where command is the Python command you
want to access help for.
More information on using Python commands is also available in the
Python guide, part of the Maya Help. Open the Maya Help and select Using
Maya > General > Python.
There are existing reference materials and documentation for Python on
the web, as well as many downloadable modules to add extra functionality
to Python.
Getting Started tutorials:
http://www.python.org/about/gettingstartedwww.python.org/about/gettingstarted
Python documentation: http://docs.python.orgdocs.python.org
Python modules: http://cheeseshop.python.orgcheeseshop.python.org
Preparing for the lessons
To ensure the lessons work as described, do these steps before beginning:
1 Select File > New Scene to create a new scene.
2 If you have not already done so, copy the GettingStarted folder from
its installation location to your projects directory. Then, set the
GettingStarted directory as your Maya project. For more information,
see Copying and setting the Maya project on page 25.
Preparing for the lessons | 595