Simple play icon Course
Skills Expanded

Introduction to Lighting Concepts and Rigs with Maya and RenderMan

by Miguel Lleras Villaveces

Good lighting and lighting rigs are essential to any professional animator. In this course, you'll explore various scenarios to learn about the many components of any CG lighting and test your rendering with different lighting rigs. Software required: Maya 2016, RenderMan 20.8

What you'll learn

Knowing how to properly light your projects is essential for animators who consider themselves professionals. This course, Introduction to Lighting Concepts and Rigs with Maya and RenderMan, is an introduction to lighting and a look into development inside RenderMan and Maya and will help your projects reach the next level. First, you'll learn the main lighting technique (three-point lighting) while gaining a deep understanding of RenderMan for Maya. You'll also learn how to model a Cornel box, apply materials to test your rendering and materials surfaces, and use a basic HDRI to create a look development rig. By the end of this course, you'll understand how to use RenderMan for Maya in order to create projects that are well-lit and properly rigged--important skills you can apply to improve the quality of your future projects. Software required: Maya 2016, RenderMan 20.8

About the author

Miguel Lleras Villaveces is a lighting artist and compositor with experience in animated feature films and VFX. He has worked for Blue Sky Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and he currently works for MPC (The Moving Picture Company) in Montreal. His film credits include Epic, Rio 2, and the Oscar-winner Big Hero 6. He is currently working on The Fantastic 4.

Ready to upskill? Get started