a lot of people keep emailing me on this topic, if you are a newbie, this would help you, its a copy and paste so that i did have to type all this,

Decompress the archive

You may encounter script errors when you decompress file archives using a different OS than the one you run Maya on. If you would like to run a script under Maya for Windows, Linux, Irix or OSX always decompress the archive on the respective OS.



Install scripts and plug-ins

The zip archives may contain several types of files:

MEL (Maya embedded language) files are Maya scripts.

XPM files are icons for use in Maya's shelves (32*32 pixel) or images that appear within the user interface as button or illustration.

MLL files are Maya plug-ins, that add new commands and nodes.

TXT files provide additional information.



To install a script download the ZIP archive and decompress it.

Copy all MEL files to your scripts folder (ie "c:\Documents and Settings\your user name\My Documents\maya\4.0\scripts").

Copy all XPM files to the icon folder (ie "c:\Documents and Settings\your user name\My Documents\maya\4.0\prefs\icons").

Copy all MLL files to the plug-ins folder (ie c:\aw\maya4.5\bin\plug-ins).

The path examples given have to be altered for the respective operating system and language.

Plug-ins must be loaded in Maya using the Plug-in Manager (Windows -> Settings/Preferences -> Plug-In Manager). If you enable the "auto load" checkbox, the plug-in will be loaded automatically each time you start Maya.



To add a script to a shelf open the script editor and type the script name (ie connectPolyShape). Note that MEL commands are spelled case sensitive. Therefore you must make sure files are still spelled properly after unzipping the archive. Next mark the name of the MEL script and drag it with the middle mouse button to your shelf. A default MEL icon will appear. To change this icon open the shelf editor 'Options -> Customize UI -> Shelves', choose the 'Shelf Contents' tab and select the shelf item you just added, in this example 'connectPolyShape'. Click on the 'Change Image' button and browse to the folder where you copied the XPM file(s). Select the 'connectPolyShape.xpm' icon.