Maya 2018 Fundamentals

By Justin Marshall, Eddie Russell and Kyle Green
In this course, you'll get an in-depth look at how to work in the different areas of Maya using a project-based approach.
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Course info
Rating
(72)
Level
Beginner
Updated
Feb 7, 2018
Duration
11h 21m
Table of contents
Course Overview
Course Overview 1m
Getting Started with Maya
Using Component Mode 7m Accessing Scene Objects 4m Creating a Maya Project 5m Grouping and Parenting 6m Interface Tour 7m Navigating the Viewport 5m Selecting and Transforming Objects 7m
Basic Modeling
Building the Body Core 6m Building the Top 5m Adding the Front Vent 4m Starting the Engine Area 7m Adding the Sides 6m Adding Reference Images 6m Creating the Rough Cockpit 6m
Model Detailing
Placing the Engine 3m Building the Front Sail 8m Adding the Grill 5m Modeling the Main Engine 11m Finishing the Engine Pieces 8m Creating the Back Frame 4m Detailing the Cockpit 8m Modeling the Back Sail 3m Building the Large Connector 5m Creating the Sail Frame 7m
Model Finishing and Delivery
Finishing the Lower Rudder 4m Building the Lower Rudder 4m Adding Cables 7m Building the Rudder Pivot 4m Building the Upper Rudder 5m Building the Mast 5m Mirroring and Organizing Geometry 9m
Laying out UVs
Understanding Planar and Cylindrical UV Projections 11m Using Planar Projections for the Wings 9m Introduction to UVs 12m Using Automatic Projections for Small Body Pieces 13m Approaching UVs for More Complex Geometry 13m Understanding Spherical and Automatic UV Projections 14m
Materials and Textures
Using a Ramp to Create Engine Flames 11m Using Bump and Normal Maps 12m Using File Textures with Materials 14m Creating Glass and Transparent Materials 11m Applying and Manipulating Simple Materials 15m Working with Ramp Textures 10m Understanding Maya's Color Management System 11m Understanding Color Space and Linear Workflow 9m
Rigging for Animation
Creating Control Shapes 6m Final Cleanup 7m Hierarchy Setup 4m Setting up the Cables 6m Skinning the Sails 5m Using Set Driven Keys 8m Adding Bones 3m Setting up IK 6m Adding Attributes 5m
Animation in Maya
Animating the Camera 15m Setting the Clipping Planes of the Camera 3m Playblasting the Animation Sequence 8m Setting Keyframes in Maya 10m Adding the Background Geometry 9m Adding Secondary Motion 9m Creating a New Camera for Animation 8m Creating Motion Paths 9m Working with Animation Controls 9m The Graph Editor 10m
Dynamics in Maya
Changing the Particle Type 9m Common Particle Attributes 12m Setting up an Emitter 6m Rules of Working with Dynamics 4m Setting up the Ground Plane 5m Finalizing the Particle Shading 10m Caching Simulation Data in Maya 8m Animating the Emitter 8m Setting up Particle Shading 10m Setting the Speed and Emission of Our Particles 12m
Lighting and Rendering
Adjusting the Render Stats of Maya Objects 13m Understanding Basic Light Types 13m Creating Lighting to Match the Environment 13m Creating a Material to Catch Shadows from the Particles 12m Adjusting Render Stats and ray Visibility for the Scene 8m Controlling Light Color and Intensity 10m Configuring Output Settings and Rendering the Final Sequence 14m Controlling Sampling and Render Quality for Arnold 14m Adjusting the Look and Quality of Shadows 13m
Description
Course info
Rating
(72)
Level
Beginner
Updated
Feb 7, 2018
Duration
11h 21m
Description

This in-depth Maya tutorial is designed to help you get a solid understanding of the core features found in Maya, and help you to ease your transition into this very powerful program. In this course, Maya 2018 Fundamentals, you'll have a chance to learn about different aspects of Maya from three experts. In the first portion of this tutorial, you'll get familiar with some of the vocabulary and foundational skills that you'll need to begin moving around and working in Maya. From there, you'll move into exploring some of the modeling features found in Maya and begin building a flying sail-ship, which will be your central project for the remainder of this course. Then, you'll go through the entire process of adding textures and materials to the ship. Next, you'll see the process of adding animation controls, animated movement, and dynamics. Finally, you'll discover how to add lights, shadows, and how to output your final animated sequence. This course is designed for new Maya users, so the goal is not to weigh you down with a lot of technical information. Instead, its goal is to help you form some good habits and workflows, allowing you to see the entire start-to-finish pipeline for this project, and by the end of this Maya course, you'll be at point where you can feel very comfortable using the software. Software required: Maya 2018.

Course FAQ
Course FAQ
What is Maya 2018 used for?

Maya is a pro-level 3D Modeling, Animating, and Redering software by Autodesk.

Who is this course for?

This course is great for hobbyists and future pros alike.

What will I learn in this course?

This Maya 2018 beginners course will get you familiar with the vocabulary and foundational skills you'll need, as well as building a new 3D animated model from scratch.

What prerequisites do I need?

If you're not yet familiar with Maya 2018 basics, this course is perfect for you.

What version is required?

This course is specifically applicable to Maya 2018.

About the author
Justin Marshall
About the author

Justin thrives as a lead modeling author at Pluralsight. Growing up, Justin found a deep interest for the computer graphics industry after watching movies like Jurassic Park, Toy Story and The Abyss. His ambition would lead him to work at Sony Imageworks in Los Angeles on movies like Monster House and Surf's Up. Justin has also had numerous articles, tutorials and images published in 3D World and 3D Artist.

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Eddie Russell
About the author

Eddie is a content producer for Unity as well as a seasoned shading, texturing, lighting and rendering artist. He takes pride in helping creative professionals reach their learning goals.

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Kyle Green
About the author

Kyle was one of the first authors for Digital-Tutors (now a Pluralsight company) and has been a part of the team for over 10 years. Kyle began his career in computer graphics education as a college instructor and worked as a Digital-Tutors rendering tutor and curriculum manager since 2002.

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Section Introduction Transcripts
Section Introduction Transcripts

Course Overview
Hi, I'm Justin Marshall and this in-depth Maya tutorial is designed to help you get a solid understanding of the core features found in Maya and help you to ease your transition into this very powerful program. During the course of these lessons, you'll have a chance to learn about different aspects of Maya from three experts. In the first portion of this tutorial, you'll get familiar with some of the vocabulary and foundational skills that you'll need in order to begin moving around and working in Maya. From there, you'll move into exploring some of the modeling features found in Maya and begin building a flying sailship, which will be your central project for the remainder of this course. From there, you'll go through the entire process of adding textures and materials to the ship. Then, you'll see the process of adding animation controls, animated movement, and dynamics. Finally, you'll discover how to add lights, shadows, and how to output your final animated sequence. This course is designed for new Maya users, so the goal is not to weigh you down with a lot of technical information. Instead, its goal is to help you form some really good habits and workflows, allowing you to see the entire start-to-finish pipeline for this project. And by the end of this Maya course, you'll be at a point where you can feel very comfortable using the software.

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