Maya 4 Fundamentals

Jim Lammers is an animator, instructor, and reseller of Maya based in Kansas City, Missouri. A graduate of the University of Missouri's electrical engineering program, he switched to freelance animation within a few years of graduation and eventually formed his company, Trinity Animation, in 1992. Since then, Jim has combined animation production with training and 3D software sales, including plug-in developer Cebas Computer and Alias|Wavefront. Trinity Animation's Web site is a primary source for 3D software worldwide. Jim coordinates the Kansas City animation user group and continues to produce animation. He created 3D effects for the Sony/TriStar film Starship Troopers in 1997 under the renowned Hollywood effects veteran Peter Kuran and his company, VCE. His other past animation work includes visualization projects for clients such as Nestle, McDonald's, and Butler Manufacturing. Jim can be reached at jim@trinity3d.com. Lee Gooding is currently studying computer graphics technology at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, where he gets to work with a variety of graphics-related technology. Lee is a self-taught Maya user, converting from 3ds max after hearing about the power in Maya. Gooding began to work for Trinity Animation in 2000, developing training materials for Maya. He is currently focusing on completing his education and developing his own 3D projects. Lee has hopes of mastering MEL to become a true Maya guru. Lee can be reached at goodings@purdue.edu. These reviewers contributed their considerable hands-on expertise to theentire development process for Maya 4 Fundamentals. As the book was beingwritten, these dedicated professionals reviewed all the material for technicalcontent, organization, and flow. Their feedback was critical to ensuring thatthis book fits our readers' need for the highest-quality technicalinformation. Chaz Laughlin is the owner/CEO of RPM, a 3D communications company. Chazholds two B.F.A.s in computer graphics, his first from the design andillustration department at Kansas State University, headed up by Bob Hower, andthe second from the film and animation department at the Kansas City ArtInstitute, headed up by Patrick Clancy. He was initially brought into the fieldof 3D animation through working at a company that designed wargames and battlesimulations for the U.S. Army. Chaz's love for what computer graphics arecapable of has fueled his success in 3D. Eric Pavey has been professionally involved in CG since 1993. He received his degree in graphic design from Al Collin's Graphic Design School and completed two CG animation courses from The School of Communication Arts. Previous employment includes Square and Neversoft; Eric is currently working for Ronin Entertainment. He gives thanks to his wife and son for putting up with the long hours, and to New Riders for putting up with his bad comedy. Eric can be reached at e_pavey@yahoo.com.

(NOTE: Each chapter begins with In This Chapter and concludes with a Summary.)I. A QUICK-START GUIDE TO MAYA.

1. Pre-Maya: A Primer.


Color Basics. Image Composition. Lighting 101. Cameras and Perspective. Directing 101. Computer Graphics Primer. Your Computer. Bibliography.

2. A Tour of Maya.


Maya Overview. The Maya Interface. The Hotbox.

3. Maya Interaction.


Creating Objects. Selecting Objects. Transforming Objects. Duplicating Objects. Deleting Objects. Pivot Points. Temporary Snapping. Hierarchy. Displaying Objects.

4. Diving In: Your First Animation.


Starting a New Project. Creating Scene Elements for Your Project. Adding More Animation to Your Scene. Adding Materials and Lighting Your Scene. Finishing the Scene.

II. MAYA BASICS.

5. NURBS Modeling Basics.


What Are NURBS? Marking Menus and the User Interface. Creating the Old House.

6. More NURBS Modeling.


More NURBS.

7. Modeling with Polygons.


Setting Up Emulation for Subdivisions. Creating the Creature's Head.

8. Materials.


Materials Overview. A Tour of Hypershade. Basic Material Types. Material Settings. Adding Basic Materials to Your House. Texture Mapping. Adding Texture Mapping to Base Materials. Bump Mapping.

9. Lighting.


Why Is Lighting Important? Available Light Types in Maya. Shadows in Maya. Common Light Attributes.

10. Animation.


The Animation Tools and Interface. Types of Animation. Using the Graph Editor. Playblasting Your Animation.

11. Cameras and Rendering.


Cameras. Previewing with Playblast. Rendering an Animation. Setup for Rendering.

III. GOINNG FURTHER WITH MAYA.

12. Paint Effects.


Paint Effects Overview. Working with Strokes.

13. Particle Systems and Dynamics.


Rigid-Body Dynamics. Particles. Soft-Body Dynamics.

14. Your Next Steps: Efficiency and Artistry.


Why Is It Taking So Long to Render? Batch Rendering in Maya. Workflow Enhancements. Compositing. Installing Third-Party Plug-ins, Materials, and Scripts. Creating Your Own Material Libraries. Parting Thoughts.

IV. APPENDIXES.

Appendix A. Maya Headstart for Max Users.


Differences in Viewport Navigation. Differences in the Control Interface. Differences in Viewport Mode and Layout. Differences in Working with Objects. Differences in Creating and Editing Models. Differences in Scene Organization. Differences in Modeling Aids. Differences in Lighting. Differences in Materials. Differences in Creating Animation. Differences in Previewing and Rendering. Post Effects. Environmental Effects. Scripting. Particles and Dynamics. Import/Export from Maya to Max.

Appendix B. Maya Headstart for LightWave Users.


Global Differences. Differences in Viewport Navigation. Differences in Control Interface. Differences in Creating and Editing Models. Differences in Lighting. Differences in Materials. Differences in Creating Animation. Differences in Previewing and Rendering. Post Effects. Import/Export from LightWave to Maya.

Appendix C. Operating System Tips.


Maya 4.01 for Linux. Maya for IRIX. Maya for Macintosh. Maya and Windows. Maya File Compatibility.