This list covers Maya plugin development, focusing on graphics and animation, from fundamentals to advanced techniques.
I. Maya Plugin Development Fundamentals (1-10)
- Introduction to Maya Plugin Development: Expanding Maya's Power
- Setting Up Your Development Environment (Visual Studio, Xcode)
- Understanding the Maya API Architecture
- Writing Your First Maya Plugin: Hello, Maya World!
- Compiling and Loading Maya Plugins
- Introduction to MEL (Maya Embedded Language)
- Interacting with Maya through the API
- Understanding Maya Nodes and Attributes
- Working with Maya Selection Lists
- Basic Plugin Debugging Techniques
II. Geometry and Mesh Manipulation (11-25)
- Creating Custom Geometry Nodes
- Manipulating Mesh Components (Vertices, Edges, Faces)
- Implementing Mesh Deformation Algorithms
- Working with Polygon Meshes
- Introduction to Subdivision Surfaces
- Creating Custom Mesh Modifiers
- Implementing Geometry Optimization Techniques
- Working with UVs and Texture Mapping
- Creating Custom UV Mapping Tools
- Introduction to OpenMaya's MFnMesh class
- Working with Mesh Iterators
- Implementing Mesh Booleans
- Creating Procedural Geometry Generators
- Introduction to Point Clouds in Maya
- Working with Particle Systems through the API
III. Animation and Rigging (26-40)
- Creating Custom Deformers
- Implementing Skinning Algorithms
- Working with Joints and Skeletons
- Building Custom Rigs
- Introduction to Constraint Nodes
- Creating Custom Constraint Types
- Working with Maya's Animation API
- Animating Node Attributes
- Creating Custom Animation Tools
- Implementing Keyframe Interpolation Techniques
- Introduction to Motion Capture Integration
- Working with Time and Units in Maya
- Creating Custom Time Editors
- Introduction to Maya's Dependency Graph
- Understanding DG Evaluation
IV. Shading and Rendering (41-55)
- Creating Custom Shaders
- Implementing Surface Shaders
- Working with Textures and Materials
- Introduction to Render Passes
- Creating Custom Renderers (if applicable)
- Implementing Lighting Algorithms
- Working with Shadows and Illumination
- Introduction to Mental Ray (if applicable)
- Integrating with External Render Engines
- Creating Custom Render Plugins
- Working with Maya's Viewport 2.0 API
- Implementing Custom Viewport Shaders
- Introduction to OpenGL in Maya Plugins
- Working with Image I/O in Plugins
- Creating Custom Material Editors
V. User Interface and Tools (56-70)
- Creating Custom Maya Commands
- Building Custom UIs with Qt
- Integrating Qt UIs with Maya
- Creating Custom Toolbars and Menus
- Implementing Interactive Tools
- Working with Maya Callbacks
- Creating Event-Driven Plugins
- Introduction to Maya's PyMel Module
- Writing Maya Plugins in Python
- Combining MEL and Python in Plugins
- Creating Custom Editors and Attribute Widgets
- Working with Maya's Undo/Redo System
- Implementing Plugin Preferences
- Introduction to Maya's Plugin Manager
- Packaging and Distributing Maya Plugins
VI. Advanced Plugin Development (71-85)
- Advanced Mesh Deformation Techniques
- Implementing Custom Skinning Deformers
- Creating Complex Rigs and Character Setups
- Advanced Animation Techniques with Plugins
- Implementing Motion Capture Retargeting
- Creating Custom Shading Networks
- Advanced Rendering Techniques with Plugins
- Working with Volume Rendering in Maya
- Implementing Custom Particle Systems
- Integrating with Physics Engines (e.g., Bullet, PhysX)
- Creating Custom Dynamics Solvers
- Working with Maya's OpenCL Integration (if applicable)
- Implementing GPU-Accelerated Plugins
- Introduction to Maya's USD Integration
- Working with Alembic and USD in Plugins
VII. Maya Plugin Development Best Practices (86-100)
- Maya Plugin Development Workflow
- Designing Efficient and Robust Plugins
- Optimizing Plugin Performance
- Memory Management in Maya Plugins
- Debugging and Profiling Maya Plugins
- Plugin Testing and Quality Assurance
- Maya Plugin Architecture and Design Patterns
- Integrating Maya Plugins with Other Software
- Plugin Versioning and Compatibility
- Publishing and Distributing Maya Plugins
- The Future of Maya Plugin Development
- Exploring Emerging Maya Technologies
- Building a Portfolio of Maya Plugins
- Contributing to the Maya Plugin Community
- Maya Plugin Development for Specific Industries (VFX, Games, etc.)