Introduction to Maya 2013
In this Maya 2013 tutorial we will help you develop a strong understanding of Maya's core features, as we take you through every single step of creating a short project in Maya. Software required: Maya 2013.
What you'll learn
In this Maya 2013 tutorial we will help you develop a strong understanding of Maya's core features, as we take you through every single step of creating a short project in Maya. We will start by discussing the foundational skills and vocabulary that will be essential as you begin your Maya learning. From there we will move directly into modeling, where we will begin building the vehicle that will be used for the duration of this course. Once the vehicle is built we will move into texturing, rigging, animation, dynamics, and we will finish up with the lighting and rendering of our final animation. Software required: Maya 2013.
Table of contents
- Moving the 3D Camera in Maya 9m
- Maya User Interface Overview 14m
- Creating a Maya Project Directory 7m
- Saving Scene Files from Maya 8m
- Viewport Shading and Selection Modes 8m
- Transforming Objects and Components in Maya 20m
- Using the Channel Box and Layer Editor 10m
- Overview of the Maya Attribute Editor 9m
- Understanding Grouping and Parenting in Maya 9m
- Using the Maya Hotbox 10m
- Selection Masks in Maya 6m
- Writing a MEL Script in Maya 14m
- Creating Custom Maya Shelves 7m
- Modeling Section Overview 1m
- Adding Reference Images 6m
- Lofting the Fuselage 12m
- Adding Thickness to the Fuselage 8m
- Building the Lower Structure with Polygons 12m
- Adding Pipes to the Lower Structure 5m
- Creating the Canopy Trim 6m
- Modeling the Wing 7m
- Detailing the Wing 6m
- Building the Main Engine Shape 8m
- Modeling the Fan Blades 9m
- Building the Front and Back Engine Cones 5m
- Modeling the Thrust Ring 7m
- Building Scoops on the Sides 8m
- Adding the Canopy 9m
- Modeling the Canopy Front 5m
- Building the Top Strut 7m
- Modeling the Grill 11m
- Adding the Back of the Canopy 9m
- Building the Fins 7m
- Modeling the Thrusters 11m
- Building the Gun 11m
- Finishing the Airship 10m
- Importing Geometry into Our Scene 5m
- Materials and Texturing Overview 2m
- Applying and Manipulating Simple Materials 8m
- Working with Ramps 10m
- Using the Ramp Shader 5m
- Adding Multiple Materials to a Single Object 6m
- Working with UVs 11m
- Using Procedural Textures 7m
- Combining Nodes to Drive Material Attributes 8m
- Adding Specialized Materials 9m
- Working with Bump Maps 9m
- Adding File Textures 11m
- Projecting Decals 8m
- Using Substance to Add Detail 8m
- Rigging Section Overview 1m
- Cleaning up the Scene 8m
- Creating Control Curves 12m
- Working with Display Layers 5m
- Modifying an Object's Pivot 3m
- Using Selection Handles 4m
- Creating Custom Attributes 5m
- Using the Connection Editor to Drive Attributes 4m
- Using Driven Keys to Simplify Our Rigging Process 10m
- Automating Movement with Expressions 6m
- Adding a Speed Setting to the Expression 5m
- Drawing Our First Joint Chain 9m
- Looking at Maya's IK Handle Tool 4m
- Binding Geometry to Joints 4m
- Making Our Scene Animator-friendly 5m
- Animation Section Overview 1m
- Learning to Create and Modify Keyframes on Maya's Time Slider 11m
- Managing Keyframes with the Graph Editor 12m
- Animating an Object Along a Path 8m
- Tweaking an Object's Behavior Along a Path 6m
- Working with Auto Key 6m
- Utilizing Editable Motion Trails 6m
- Previewing Animations in Real-time with Playblasts 4m
- Animating the Flight Sequence 16m
- Animating the Fueling Line Separating from the Airship 9m
- Adding Camera Animation 10m
- Finalizing the Shot 7m
- Lighting and Rendering Section Overview 1m
- Working with the Maya Render View 8m
- Controlling Anti-aliasing Quality of Your Renders 9m
- Overview of the Various Light Types in Maya 6m
- Basic Light Controls in Maya 9m
- Adding Shadows to Maya Lights 8m
- Changing the Render Stats of Objects in Maya 5m
- Lighting Our Aircraft Scene 11m
- Using the Attribute Spread Sheet in Maya 10m
- Adding Motion Blur to Your Renders 7m
- Rendering the Final Animation from Maya 13m
About the authors
Delano works avidly as an animation author at Pluralsight. Starting his career at animation studios like Shilo, Delano has developed a strong passion for his talents. His animation and rigging background help him teach and create some of the most-watched training on Pluralsight. A few of his favorite projects that he has contributed to include: Character Interaction in Maya and in Softimage, Rigging the Human Face in Maya, Rigging Sea Creatures in Maya, and Rigging and Animating Transforming... more
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. Kyle has contributed to many of the most popular projects and helped the Digital-Tutors team win awards throughout the company's history. Kyle has had the honor of having his art exhibited at the New York ... more
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