by Jason Baskin | Publisher: Virtual Training Company, Inc. | Release Date: February 2013 | ISBN: 9781618660923

Autodesk Maya remains the industry standard for creating 3D content-- and with good reason! Maya's robust and expansive toolset includes incredible modeling, UV layout, surfacing, lighting, rigging, animation, dynamics, and rendering tools. In fact, this toolset is so extensive and deep that many game and broadcast studios use Maya exclusively for all of their CG production needs. In this introductory VTC course, we will dive into Maya 2013 and touch on all of the different Maya modules by applying these tools to a series of fun exercises. By the end of the course, you'll know your way around the Maya interface and be ready to begin tackling your own projects from start to finish. To begin learning today, simply click on the movie links.

1. Introduction and Interface Overview
   • Welcome 00:02:25
   • Modules / UI 00:06:49
   • Creating Primitives 00:05:57
   • Navigating in Maya (Cameras and Windows) 00:05:33
   • Maya Window Layout Options 00:02:07
   • Manipulator Tools 00:04:21
   • Components 00:05:26
   • Selection Masks 00:03:42
   • Marking Menu Customization 00:01:26
   • Tool Options / Defaults 00:03:27
   • Cameras and View Cube 00:03:57
2. Modeling a Laser Gun
   • Split and Extrude 00:05:58
   • Modeling to Smooth 00:04:36
   • Create Polygon Tool / Append Polygons 00:05:53
   • Using Image Planes 00:05:27
   • Modeling a Laser Gun pt. 1 00:05:59
   • Modeling a Laser Gun pt. 2 00:06:30
   • Mirroring and Deleting History 00:03:01
   • Maya Projects 00:02:49
   • Modeling a Laser Gun pt. 3 00:04:41
   • Creating Curves 00:06:14
   • Surfaces 00:07:14
   • Smoothing Out Mistakes 00:06:27
   • Working with Booleans 00:04:43
   • Introduction to Hierarchies 00:05:37
3. Modeling a Simple Alien
   • Organic Modeling Overview 00:03:30
   • Beginning the Alien Model 00:04:57
   • Offset Edge Loop Tool / Combining Objects 00:04:53
   • Face Normals 00:06:59
   • Curve Extrusions / Instances 00:06:24
   • Artisan Sculpting 00:06:00
   • Wire Deformers 00:05:15
4. Deformers / Intro to Rigging
   • Applying Nonlinear Deformers 00:06:08
   • Using Lattices 00:05:16
   • Applying Clusters 00:04:30
   • Creating Blend Shape Deformers 00:05:03
   • Selection Sets 00:01:42
   • Skeleton Tools and Hierarchies 00:06:23
   • Creating Alien Joints 00:04:30
   • Using Constraints 00:06:56
   • Creating FK Controls 00:06:38
   • Binding Geometry to Joints 00:05:28
   • Skin Weighting 00:04:49
   • Connecting Attributes 00:06:00
5. Intro to Character Animation
   • Creating Keyframes 00:06:46
   • Dope Sheet 00:04:38
   • Graph Editor and Curve Tangents 00:05:51
   • Working with Character Rigs 00:06:27
   • Marking Up Reference Footage in Photoshop 00:05:39
   • File Referencing 00:02:47
   • Importing Image Sequences into Maya 00:04:16
   • Character Animation Workflow pt. 1 00:04:59
   • Character Animation Workflow pt. 2 00:06:36
   • Character Animation Workflow pt. 3 00:06:26
   • Character Animation Workflow pt. 4 00:07:00
   • Character Animation Workflow pt. 5 00:04:16
6. Intro to Dynamics
   • Emitters 00:05:14
   • Particles 00:05:42
   • Fields 00:06:09
   • Collisions 00:05:01
   • Laser Example pt. 1 00:04:26
   • Laser Example pt. 2 00:03:29
   • Goal Objects 00:02:26
   • Rigid Body Simulations 00:05:20
   • Baking Simulations 00:04:19
   • Soft Body Simulations 00:06:54
   • nCloth 00:06:35
   • Driven Keys pt. 1 00:05:10
   • Driven Keys pt. 2 00:03:01
7. Applying Materials
   • The Hyper Shade 00:04:32
   • Material Types 00:06:44
   • 2d Procedural Textures 00:06:16
   • 3d Procedural Textures 00:06:57
   • Projection Mapping 00:06:11
   • Arranging UVs pt. 1 00:07:02
   • Arranging UVs pt. 2 00:05:30
   • Creating UV Snapshots and Textures 00:05:31
   • Applying Textures 00:07:05
8. Rendering
   • Playbasting 00:04:34
   • Light Types 00:05:51
   • IPR and Render Settings 00:04:07
   • Render Globals 00:04:15
   • Software vs. Mental Ray 00:04:54
   • Shadows (Raycasting and Raytracing) 00:05:26
   • Reflections and Refractions 00:04:33
   • Vector Rendering 00:03:27
   • Render Layers 00:04:05
   • Compositing Overview 00:04:41
9. Conclusion
   • Course Wrap Up 00:04:01
10. Credits
    • About the Author 00:05:05