What you'll learn

In this tutorial, we will be exploring the core tools and features of mental ray in Maya. Having a solid understanding of mental ray's core features and how they work is a crucial step toward becoming an efficient and productive rendering artist in Maya. We will begin our training by learning two different methods for simulating realistic indirect lighting in Maya, the first method will use global illumination, then we will learn about the second method using final gather. We will also explore how you can use caustic photons to simulate the detailed light patterns that are created when light passes through refractive surfaces. In addition, we will also explore Image-based lighting techniques, how to render our scenes in multiple passes, as well as many other tools and techniques that will allow you start generating high quality work for a multitude of projects. Software required: Maya 2014 .