Extension attributes

Beginning Maya 2012, you can use the new extension attributes feature to add attributes to a given node class so that they appear as static Maya attributes.

You can add or remove extension attributes via the API MDGModifier class. Alternatively, you can do so using the MEL/Python addExtensionand deleteExtension commands.

• Static, dynamic, and extension attributes
• Troubleshoot file load errors occur when loading legacy scenes in Maya 2012

New API Help features

The API Guide and API reference are now a separate part of the Maya help and can be found at http://www.autodesk.com/maya-sdkdoc-2012-enu. In addition, the API Help includes the following new features:

• More links from the API Guide to API elements, for example, classes and functions.
• Color coded syntax in example code in the API Guide.
• API Reference included in table of contents.
• Faster search.

New QT features

• Qt now uses version 4.7.1.
• Support for custom Qt widgets for use with Qt Designer.
• For Windows and Linux users, Qt Designer is installed with Maya. For Mac OS X users, you can find Qt Designer directly at the Qt Development Tools website; or, you can build Qt from source. To find a version of the Qt source code that has been modified by Autodesk to include changes needed by the Maya UI, see Customize the interface.