Getting Started in 3D with Maya

Getting Started in 3D with Maya

by Adam Watkins
Released November 2012
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136147098

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Book description

Deliver professional-level 3D content in no time with this comprehensive guide to 3D animation with Maya. With over 12 years of training experience, plus several award winning students under his belt, author Adam Watkins is the ideal mentor to get you up to speed with 3D in Maya.

Using a structured and pragmatic approach Getting Started in 3D with Maya begins with basic theory of fundamental techniques, then builds on this knowledge using practical examples and projects to put your new skills to the test. Prepared so that you can learn in an organic fashion, each chapter builds on the knowledge gained in the previous chapter, showing you all the essentials of 3D in Maya, from modeling and UV layout, to texture creation, rigging animating and rendering. As you go from project to project you'll develop a strong arsenal of skills that combined will form a complete end to end process to creating complete projects in Maya.

The accompanying website provides all the tools you need to develop your skills. Project files to accompany the practical examples used throughout the text, so you can work along with the examples. Additional textures and models will give you all the resources you need to start making your own projects in no time at all.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Full Title
  4. Dedication
  5. Copyright
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. Introduction
  9. Chapter 1: Animation Workflow
    1. High-Rez 3D
    2. Low-Rez 3D
    3. Workflow
    4. An Idea, a Sketch, Lots of Research, and New Inspiration
      1. Research
    5. Modeling
    6. UV Layout
    7. Texture
    8. Rigging and Skinning
    9. Animation
    10. Lighting and Rendering
    11. Flexibility in the Process
    12. Conclusion
  10. Chapter 2: Maya Philosophy
    1. A Bit of History
    2. So What Is It?
    3. What You Need to Run It
      1. Processor
      2. Memory
      3. Video Processor
      4. Monitor
      5. Three Button Mouse
      6. Conclusion
    4. How Maya “Thinks”
    5. Interface
      1. View Panel
    6. Tool Box
      1. Tutorial 2.1 Tool Box Exploration
      2. The Move Tool
      3. The Rotate Tool
      4. The Scale Tool
      5. Power of Maya’s Selection System
      6. Lasso Tool
      7. Adjusting Selections
    7. Objects versus Components
      1. Paint Selection Tool
      2. Soft Modification Tool
      3. Universal Manipulator
      4. Show Manipulator Tool and Last Tool Used
      5. Keyboard Shortcuts
    8. Channel Box
    9. Outliner
    10. Modes
    11. Interface Wrap Up
    12. Projects
      1. Tutorial 2.2 Setting Projects for “Escaping the Madness”
      2. Conclusion
  11. Chapter 3: Architectural Modeling
    1. The Polygon
      1. Parts
      2. Traits of Polygon
      3. Polycounts
      4. Modeling Modes
    2. Escaping the Madness
      1. Gathering Research
    3. Tutorial 3.1 Architectural Polygonal Game Modeling: Escaping the Madness
      1. Setting the Project
      2. Saving a New Scene
      3. Laying the Foundation
      4. Roughing Out the Scene
      5. Scaling and Positioning the Walls with Snapping
      6. Duplicating
      7. Boolean
      8. Component Level Editing
      9. Extruding Polygons
      10. Conclusion
    4. Tutorial 3.2 Prop Polygonal Game Modeling: Escaping the Madness
      1. Creating an End Table
      2. Constructing the Frame
      3. Insert Edge Loop Tool
      4. Cut Faces Tool
      5. Bridge
      6. Bevel
      7. Conclusion
    5. Tutorial 3.3 NURBS Modeling in Architecture
      1. Curves (Splines)
      2. Surfaces
      3. Smooth
      4. NURBS for Trim
      5. Import
      6. Conclusion
    6. Homework
  12. Chapter 4: Organic Modeling
    1. Tutorial 4.1 Game Character Modeling
      1. Some Notes
      2. Getting Started
      3. Image Planes and Setting Up to Work
      4. Display Layers
      5. Create Polygon Tool
      6. Merge to Center
      7. Creating Dynamic Mirrored Geometry
      8. Sculpt Geometry Tool
      9. Soft Modification Tool
      10. Append to Polygon Tool
      11. Interactive Split Tool
    2. Mirror Geometry
    3. Conclusion
    4. Homework
  13. Chapter 5: UVs and UV Layout
    1. UVs
    2. UV Texture Editor
      1. Maneuvering with UV Space
      2. UV Texture Editor Interface
      3. Selecting Components
      4. Shells
    3. UV Maps, Snapshots, and the Purpose for It All
      1. Projections
    4. Getting to It
    5. Tutorial 5.1 UV Layout for Architecture and Level Design
      1. Dummy Material
      2. Automatic Mapping
      3. Planar Mapping
      4. Sewing and Moving and Sewing UV Edges
      5. UV Snapshots
      6. Cut UV Edges
      7. Saving Out UV Snapshot
      8. Wrapping Up
      9. Conclusion
    6. Tutorial 5.2 Organic Form UV Layouts
      1. The Head
      2. Cylindrical Mapping
      3. Smooth UVs
      4. Refining the Face Region
      5. Half the Work, Twice the Results
      6. Armor Pieces
      7. The Belt and More Cylindrical Mapping
      8. Cylindrical Mapping Revisited
      9. The Boot
      10. Chests, Backs, and Planar Mapping
      11. Hands
      12. Misc. Cleanup
      13. Mirroring
      14. Scale and Organize
    7. Conclusion
    8. What’s Next
    9. Homework
  14. Chapter 6: Material Creation and Texture Painting
    1. Nomenclature
    2. The Hypershade
    3. Creating and Applying Materials
    4. Tutorial 6.1 Game Level and Architectural Texturing
      1. Walls
      2. Texture Resources
      3. Photoshop Preparation
      4. Trying It On for Size
      5. Layering Textures
      6. Ambient Occlusion for Texturing
      7. Beyond Color
      8. Bump Mapping
      9. Conclusion
    5. Tutorial 6.2 Textures for Organic Forms
      1. Preparation
      2. Faux AO
      3. Textures as Painting Basis
      4. Implementing into Maya
      5. Conclusion
    6. Wrapping Up and Moving On
    7. Homework
  15. Chapter 7: Lighting and Rendering
    1. Maya’s Lighting Instruments
    2. Tutorial 7.1 Lighting Instrument Exploration
      1. Point Light
      2. Spot Light
      3. Directional Light
      4. Area Lights
      5. Volume Lights
      6. Ambient Light
    3. Tutorial 7.2
      1. Mental Ray
      2. Cycs
      3. Shader Types
      4. Preparing for Final Render
      5. Conclusion
    4. Tutorial 7.3 Character Lighting
      1. Scene Setup
      2. Key Light
      3. Warm Side Fill Lights
      4. Cool Side Fill Lights
      5. Group Adjustments
    5. Conclusion
    6. Homework
  16. Chapter 8: Character Rigging and Skinning
    1. Deformation Objects and Joints
    2. Joint Behavior
      1. Joints as a Deformation Object
    3. Tutorial 8.1 Joint Chain for the Alien
      1. Root Joint
      2. Legs
      3. IK vs. FK
      4. Mirror
      5. Upper Body
      6. Arms
      7. Hand
      8. Orienting Joints
      9. Foot Roll Rig
      10. Further Organization
    4. Tutorial 8.2 Skin Weighting
      1. Component Editor
      2. Painting Skin Weights
      3. Testing
      4. Mirror Skin Weights
    5. Conclusion
  17. Chapter 9: Animation in Maya
    1. How Does Animation Work?
    2. Tutorials to Learn Maya’s Animation Tools
    3. Tutorial 9.1: Animating a Bouncing Ball
    4. The Graph Editor
      1. Anatomy of a Curve
      2. Bezier Curves, Anchors, and Handles
      3. Conclusion
    5. Tutorial 9.2: Wagging a Tail
    6. Tutorial 9.3: A Walk Cycle
    7. Rendering Animations
    8. Conclusion
    9. Homework
  18. Appendix A: Preparing Character Style Sheets
  19. Appendix B: Creating Seamless Textures
  20. Index

Product information

  • Title: Getting Started in 3D with Maya
  • Author(s): Adam Watkins
  • Release date: November 2012
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136147098