Introduction to Maya 2017
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. Software required: Maya 2017.
What you'll learn
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 two 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 the mining pod, which will be your central project for the remainder of this course. From there, you go through the entire process of adding textures and materials to the pod. 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 point where you can feel very comfortable using the software. Software required: Maya 2017.
Table of contents
- Modeling the Lower Connector 7m
- Building the Lower Arm 9m
- Smoothing the Lower Arm 6m
- Adding Detail to the Lower Arm 10m
- Finishing the Lower Arm 10m
- Building the Claw 7m
- Finishing the Claw 6m
- Building the Claw Base 9m
- Adding the Claw Arm 9m
- Adding a Reference Texture 6m
- Hierarchy and Model Preparation 13m
- Applying and Manipulating Simple Materials 13m
- Working with Shading Networks 15m
- Using File Textures with Materials 12m
- Creating UVs Using Planar Projections 14m
- Creating UVs Using Cylindrical Projections 13m
- Modifying UV Projections 14m
- Applying Multiple Materials to an Object 7m
- Understanding and Using 2D and 3D Procedural Textures 8m
- Understanding Color Space and Linear Workflow 18m
- Using Bump Maps 8m
- Using Layered Textures 10m
- Understanding Various Light Types 10m
- Controlling Light Color and Intensity 13m
- Adjusting Light Decay and Specular Contribution 11m
- Altering the Render Stats of Maya Objects 9m
- Creating Lights to Match the Environment 10m
- Adding a Physical Sky and Skydome Light 11m
- Fine Tuning Materials for Rendering 11m
- Color Managing Arnold Textures 9m
- Preparing Dust Simulations for Rendering 7m
- Configuring Sampling and Render Quality 16m
- Configuring Output Settings and Rendering the Final Sequence 13m
About the authors
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. As an author, Justin enjoys collaborating with fellow authors, especially on project... more
Eddie began teaching creative professionals over ten years ago for Digital Tutors. In 2014 Digital Tutors was acquired by Pluralsight and he continued his focus on creating high quality training for artists in both the film and games industries. With a background in graphic design and illustration Eddie has always been focused on visual appeal. This can be seen through his courses in which he shares secrets for achieving production level quality for concept art, illustrations, textures, mater... more