you can delete the normal constraint if your object doesn't deform. If it does deform the objects should stick to the skin.

Alan

goddamnit! I seriously have to get into MEL soon!

thank you and have a nice day!

I have another question concerning this script. I modified it a littel and it´s allmost working. my aim is to point+orientConstrain an array of objects to another.
this is the code -


string $stem = "dupe_";
string $suffix= "_GEO";
string $dupeSel[] = `ls ($stem + "*" + $suffix)`;
string $Leaves[] = `ls -sl`;
int $selCount = size($Leaves);


for($i = 1; $i <=$selCount; $i++)
{

int $dupeInt = rand(0, size($dupeSel));
$dupeInt++;
string $new[] = `duplicate -rr ($stem + $dupeInt + $suffix)`;

pointConstraint -offset 0 0 0 -weight 1 ($leaves)($new);
orientConstraint -offset 0 0 0 -weight 1 ($leaves)($new);


}





problem as you might have allready seen - the duped leaves get constrained, but only to the very first object in the list (string $Leaves[] = `ls -sl`; ). probably this command has to be changed, but I don´t know how to make use of all items of that array. I´m really stuck now.

tia!

btw - can anybody tell me some good books or other ressources for starting with MEL. I mean something for really non-logic thinking people like me.

well remember that $leaves is an array. So you need to give it an element in the array to constrain to. I'm surprised that using $leaves as you are even works ;)

so you need to do something like

pointConstraint -offset 0 0 0 -weight 1 $leaves[5] $new;


or you could build up a string like what you have done for the $new variable where you add a suffix and stem to a randomly selected array index. does that make sense?

And as for resources I never bought a book or anything like that. Giving yourself projects like this and using the mel script resources are the best ways of learning IMHO

Alan

this

pointConstraint -offset 0 0 0 -weight 1 $leaves[5] $new;

would be nice if I just want to take the 5th element out of the array each time I suppose, but when trying to cycle through the complete array (I don´t know ho0w to) I get this error

// Error: pointConstraint -offset 0 0 0 -weight 1 ($Leaves[])($new); //
// Error: Line 15.50: Syntax error //


cause if I put a number into the [] it only constrains 1 element and then stops. it´s allmost the same when just using ($Leaves)($new), where it duplicates correctly but places all dupes onto one single object.


I too thought about using "stem" for the selected items. but I have some modeled branches with lots of different leaves with different shaders which I dont want to screw up each time. and as I have to repeat this procedure very often it would be nice to script it over the ls-sl command which is so very handy in this case.

I know what you mean Alan by learning with each project. but I am deeply intuitiv thinking. that´s why modeling fits me perfect. but as soon as code comes into place I start over and over again. code doesn´t like me. the above lines took me about 3 hours to get it "kind of" working.

thx for your help

I meant you had to use a variable to randomly select an ID the same way you did above!! You need to do another random int and then use that to pick the correct one from the array.

Dont get disheartened. You'll get it eventually! :D

Alan

HAHA! this one gave me a sleepless night ^^

($Leaves[$i])($new) :D


BUT!

the only thing is now - the procedure starts with the 2nd item - constrainig them all is fine! but after duplicating the last Leave this one doesn´t get constrained and maya says:

// Error: line 15: No object matches name: //


guess I have it soon :)

!!!!!!


($Leaves[$i-1])($new)


woohooo!


your way of teaching is awesome!

Hi,
how to get the immediate neighbor of some vertex v ??

please, help me!!

try that
it's untested really but I just wrote it now.

:ninja:
Alan

thak u by help, 100% functioned!!!