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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.

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. 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.

Table of contents

Course Overview
1min

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 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

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

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