Some steps to help convert C++ example programs to python:

* Change the file name from "<whatever>.cpp" to "<whatever>.py"

* Remove all ";", "{", and "}"
    the meanings these delimiters are implied by line endings and indentation in python

* Replace "//" comment characters with "#"

* Replace "::" scope delimiters with "."

* Verify that all indentation in the file is consistent.  Use only spaces, not tabs for indentation.

* Replace "#include" statements with corresponding "import" statements
    e.g. '#include "SimTKsimbody.h"' becomes "import simbios.simbody"
    (but really use "import simbios.simtk as simtk")
    
* "using namespace SimTK" becomes "from simbios.simtk import *"
    (but don't do that, use the simtk namespace, like above)

* rearrange variable declarations with constructors like so: 
    "SimTK::Blah var(foo);" 
    to 
    "var = simtk.Blah(foo)"
    
* remove type declarations from new variables
    "int x = foo();"
    becomes
    "x = foo()"

* change function invocations from 
    "double foo(int x) {" 
    to 
    "def foo(x):"

* If there is a "main" method, put the following at the end of your script:
if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

* replace "for" loops like
    "for (int i = 0 i < 10 ++i) {"
    with
    "for i in range(10):"

* (optional) it is permitted to replace simtk.Vec3's in function calls with python tuples, for compactness
    "foo(simtk.Vec3(1,2,3))"
    can be replaced with
    "foo((1,2,3))

* (optional) some simtk getFoo() and updFoo() method calls can be replaced with properties
    "system.updDefaultSubsystem()"
    becomes
    "system.defaultSubsystem"

* remove "new" keyword from allocations
    "new Blah()"
    becomes
    "Blah()"
    
* Extending a single statement onto multiple lines is only permitted if:
    the linebreak occurs between parentheses
    OR
    the linebreak is escaped with a "\" character

* replace boolean constants "true" and "false" with "True" and "False", respectively.  (note initial capital letter)

* Add "self" as the first argument to all member functions.  
* Precede all member function calls within member functions with "self.", e.g. "foo()" becomes "self.foo()"