Maya 5 Fundamentals

Garry Lewis is a 3D artist, specializing in building large-scale environments. As a graduate of Kansas State University in interior architecture and product design, his last three years in the program were devoted to the study of 3D animation. He started as a 3D artist for Heilein Schrock Architects in Kansas City, building sports stadiums and large-venue commercial projects. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a freelance artist and consultant for Knoll Furniture company. He later joined forces with Digital Firepower to create fantasy environments for the film Dungeons and Dragons. Garry then became the 3D project manager for Fearless Eye Animation Studio. His projects include work with Sprint, KC Speedway, Missouri University, and other local and national companies. He is currently working near Atlanta, Georgia, on a completely 3D animated feature film. Garry can be contacted at glewis@me3d.tv. 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 formed his company, Trinity Animation, in 1992. Since then, Jim has combined animation production with training and 3D software sales. Trinity Animation's web site is a popular source worldwide for 3D software and related tools. Jim coordinates an active animation user's group in Kansas City and continues to produce animation. He created 3D effects for the Sony/TriStar film Starship Troopers in 1997 under renowned Hollywood effects veteran, Peter Kuran, and his company, VCE. Jim's 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.

Introduction.
I. A QUICK-START GUIDE TO MAYA.

1. Pre-Maya: A Primer.


In This Chapter. Color Basics. Image Composition. Lighting 101. Cameras and Perspective. Computer Graphics Primer. Going Further. Summary.

2. A Tour of Maya.


In This Chapter. Maya Overview. The Maya Interface. The Hotbox. Summary.

3. Maya Interaction.


In This Chapter. Creating Objects. Selecting Objects. Transforming Objects. Duplicating Objects. Deleting Objects. Pivot Points. Temporary Snapping. Hierarchy. Displaying Objects. Summary.

4. Diving In: Your First Animation.


In This Chapter. Starting a New Project. Creating Scene Elements for Your Project. Summary.

II. MAYA BASICS.

5. Modeling with Polygons.


In This Chapter. Customizing the Interface and Loading Hotkeys. Sculpting with Polygons. Building a Lobby Entrance Interior. Summary.

6. Polygon Character and Subdivision Surfaces Modeling.


In This Chapter. Modeling a Human Head. Summary.

7. More Subdivision Surfaces Modeling.


In This Chapter. Summary.

8. Modeling with NURBS.


In This Chapter. What Are NURBS? Summary.

9. Materials.


In This Chapter. Materials Overview. A Tour of Hypershade. Basic Material Types. Material Settings. Adding Basic Materials to Your Office Lobby. Texture Mapping. 3D Paint: Interactive Texturing. Bump Mapping. Summary.

10. Lighting.


In This Chapter. Why Is Lighting Important? Available Light Types in Maya. Shadows in Maya. Common Light Attributes. Summary.

11. Animation Basics.


In This Chapter. The Animation Tools and Interface. Types of Animation. Using the Graph Editor. Playblasting Your Animation. Summary.

12. Character Animation.


In This Chapter. What Is Character Animation? Creating Skeletons. Inverse Kinematics. Skinning. Animating Your Character. Building Repetitive Motion with Trax. Blend Shape Animation. Summary.

13. Cameras and Rendering.


In This Chapter. Cameras. Previewing with Playblast. Rendering an Animation. Summary.

III. GOING FURTHER WITH MAYA.

14. Paint Effects.


In This Chapter. Paint Effects Overview. Working with Strokes. Summary.

15. Particle Systems and Dynamics.


In This Chapter. Rigid-Body Dynamics. Particles. Soft-Body Dynamics. Summary.

16. Your Next Steps: Efficiency and Artistry.


In This Chapter. 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. On Techniques. On Starting a Career in Animation. Summary.

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 the 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.

Index.