[Bf-python] scripting comparison and portability

[Toni Alatalo]

Tom M wrote:

>Has anyone looked at the scripting APIs for other popular tools such
>as ZBrush, Modo, Silo, or the major tools (Maya, XSI, etc.)?
>  
>
iirc someone who had been using Maya before commented that Blender is 
better to program  because Python is nicer than MEL, in some session at 
the last year's conference. then again, afaik the Maya UI itself is a 
MEL script, so there the modularity of the code is on quite another level..

i haven't used any other 3d packages really so don't know how it goes there.

on 2d side, we've done some gimp scripting (nowadays on python too) and 
a little with photoshop (using javascript).

>Here is the one for ZBrush
>http://pixologic.com/home/z2coderef.html
>  
>
pretty interesting.

for me a definite strength of Python vs. special / proprietary languages 
such as that and ActionScript and whatever is that the libraries that 
use otherwise too work in Blender as well..

>LetterRip
>
~Toni

btw: what do you mean with portability? having same tools work in many 
apps? i guess that's basically possible at least for simple things.. if 
there's be some abstraction layer, but dunno if it'd be feasible really 
for usefull things (am looking forward to be proven wrong by existing 
implementations ;)