Maya

api

Scripts and Mouse Buttons

You might want to scratch the "\n" for forum posting. Haha... 

If you really want to do something like this, you'll need to mess with the API, which is actually not a good thing to do.

I'm pretty new to scripting and programming, in general, but I've been scripting in Mel for the past year. You can't change it using MelScript. Python brings better functionality from its end, to Maya, and is essentially emulated, for all intents and purposes, in Maya.

When coding with Python, you end up calling out MelScripts and Mayas functions (or the ones it allows you to use, when using Python). It doesn't actually let you mess with the mouse buttons.

If you want to mess with the API, which is the actual code that Maya utilizes for running, then you need to know C++. Mel runs off of C++, but C++ functionality and usage is not brought directly into Maya. From what I've learned, it's so the user doesn't actually screw up the program or have full access to Mayas internals.

TL;DR

No, not really. There might be a way, but I haven't found anything in relation to it.

Why would you though? You'd end up not being able to deselect, reselect or select a new object, unless you were intending to do everything through melscript. AKA:

select object,
move it with new mouse buttons,
click inside mel-coding box, 
type "select -clear"
enter
select next object
repeat inefficient workflow 

I honestly don't think so. You'd be lucky if you could.
However, why use that when you can click one of the manipulator tool arrows and just mm-drag the object in that direction?

There is a mouse and keyboard interaction setting, so there is room for a plugin to change how the mouse works. Where a download is for that, beats me. 

Yeah, sorry. I'd offer a bit more help, but I'm still new to some of this stuff. C++ (API) is probably your best bet.

There might be a way to do it through Python, but I don't want you to waste your time in the case that it doesn't work...

It would be cool, if you could, to set up hotkeys like this:

Press X and mm-drag: selects X axis on manipulator and drags in that direction
Press Y and mm-drag: Same but on Y axis
Press Z and mm-drag: Same but on Z axis

I mean, it's a bit inefficient, so you'd have to set up hotkeys elsewhere... zxc perhaps...
I think that'd be a bit more doable unless you can figure out how to set up a toolbar/ window with specific functions that allow you to select the axis you want to move on.

Audoesk has been progressively making maya manipulators lamer over the years. Anyway:

Maya sort of has this already when you hold shift down and middle mouse button (MMB) with move tool on maya picks the axis direction closest to your mouse movement direction. The middle mouse in maya is all powerful super manipulator. Same applies if you for example have the cv curve tool active and hold MMB down... etc etc... MMB, manipulates whet you have selected so the active axis is allays MMB where ever you are.  (autodesk does not seem to be aware of this feature as they reinvented this feature in 2014 to a worse version)

You can also do the keyboard affect the active axis. Thus you can make keyboard toggles for Middle mouse drag will move the object will move in active axis direction, see the documentation of manipMoveContext11, you can toggle to whatever you want. Example sey the y axis active:

manipMoveContext -e -activeHandle 1 Move; // 0 for x 1 for y and 2 for z

While you can make your own context its not really worth it, its a insane investement on your time. Just use the methods you have.

Would you reccomend this book?
Complete Maya Programming - An Extensive Guide to MEL and C++ API 1st Edition . Jan 2003

NO, the book is good for 5 pages. Which admittedly are golden, invaluable in fact, but the rest of the book is completely waste of time. It also does not cover context programming the way you need it to.

one last thing where would y ou say I should start from to learn about API?

6http://docs.autodesk.com/MAYAUL/2014/ENU/Maya-API-Documentation/index.html6

Start by reading the introduction first. But now im am gone for a month again.

JooJaa, thanks for the valuable piece of information! Yet another thing I hadn't figured out with Maya (even after working with it for going on three years!).

Sergio, if I get some time, I'll make a small little interface implementing what JooJaa posted if you want... and post it up here for you (Christmas Present?). That way, if it's stable enough, you can try to extract the code from it and mess with it to your liking. MEL is very powerful (not in the context of all the scripting language possible, but for Maya).

Most maya users dont know how to use even 10% of maya, dont worry. After 13 years i still dont know more than 50% of the things functions. Let alone what you could do with them.

Hehe, thank you Joojaa. I'm sure you know more than you're willing to admit.

//Run this script LOCALLY and not through source <-- It'll cause an error due to the procedure and strings being set to local.
//Deletes window if it's already there
if(`window -exists $window`)
{
    deleteUI -window $window;
}
//Define window
string $window = `window -title "XYZ Window" -toolbox true -widthHeight 140 160`;
//Define layout
string $form = `formLayout -numberOfDivisions 10`;
//Define buttons and their functions
string $b1 = `button -backgroundColor 1 0 0 -width 60 -height 30 -label "Move X" -command "manipMoveContext -e -activeHandle 0 Move;"`;
string $b2 = `button -backgroundColor 0 1 0 -width 60 -height 30 -label "Move Y" -command "manipMoveContext -e -activeHandle 1 Move;"`;
string $b3 = `button -backgroundColor 0 0 1 -width 60 -height 30 -label "Move Z" -command "manipMoveContext -e -activeHandle 2 Move;"`;
string $b4 = `button -backgroundColor 0 0 0 -width 60 -height 30 -label "Close" -command "deleteUI $window;"`;
formLayout -edit
    -attachForm     $b1     "top"    5
    -attachForm     $b1     "left"   5
    -attachControl  $b1     "bottom" 5 $b3
    -attachControl  $b1     "right"  5 $b2
    -attachForm     $b2     "top"    5
    -attachNone     $b2     "left"
    -attachControl  $b2     "bottom" 5 $b3
    -attachForm     $b2     "right"  5
    -attachNone     $b3     "top"
    -attachForm     $b3     "left"   5
    -attachControl  $b3     "bottom" 5 $b4
    -attachForm     $b3     "right"  5
    -attachNone     $b4     "top"
    -attachForm     $b4     "left"   5
    -attachForm     $b4     "bottom" 5
    -attachForm     $b4     "right"  5
$form;
//Run the window
showWindow $window;

Hopefully that'll help you a little bit Sergio! Merry Belated-Christmas/ Holidays!!! Take this code, plop it into your script editor, highlight it all, middle click it into your shelf and it should work.

(Just so you know, you can find a few examples of this type of thing on the Mel commands documentation found here:
http://download.autodesk.com/global/docs/maya2013/en\_us/Commands/index.html4

FormLayout --> http://download.autodesk.com/global/docs/maya2013/en\_us/Commands/formLayout.html5

Easy peasy stuff, once you get the hang of it!)

-Criso 

Update:

I feel stupid mentioning this a few weeks later, but there is a script command called, "getModifiers".

I'm not sure if you could edit the mouse buttons  thought it, but it could be worth a try!

You can use getModifier like this:

int $mods = `getModifiers`;
if ($mods==1)
{	
print("Shift is pressed \n");
}
if ($mods==4)
{
print("Ctrl is pressed \n");
}
if ($mods==5)
{
print("Ctrl + Shift are pressed \n");
}
if ($mods==8)
{
print("Alt is pressed \n");
}
if ($mods==9)
{
print("Alt + Shift are pressed \n");
}
if ($mods==12)
{
print("Ctrl + Alt are pressed \n");
}
if ($mods==13)
{
print("Ctrl + Shift + Alt are pressed \n");
}

This is helpful, because now you can add the manipulators to it, potentially.

SO, you could designate that ctrl = x, shift = y and alt = z.

I have yet to try it out, but at least it's a little bit of a push into the right direction.

Tried it out, it works. I set it up as a button in a window.

-Criso