Publisher's Synopsis
Maya is the first choice of digital content creators producing award–winning games, 3D animation and visual effects. Built on a procedural architecture called the Dependency Graph, Maya offers incredible power and flexibility for generating digital images of animated characters and scenes. Learning Maya 5: Foundation takes you through over twenty project–focused lessons that offer hands–on experience with key tools and techniques. This book introduces you to the following topics: The Maya User Interface Working in 3D space NURBS (spline) Modeling Polygonal Modeling Keyframes and Motion Paths Trax™ Non–linear animation Forward and Inverse Kinematics Surface Deformations Cameras and Lights Shaders and Techniques Particles and Dynamics MEL (Maya Embedded Language) What you need to use this book: Maya Complete™, Maya Unlimited™, or Maya Personal Learning Edition™ version 5 software A DVD–ROM or set–top player Project One: Bouncing Ball Quickly get your feet wet by animating a basic bouncing ball. Add a squash and stretch, create a ring of fire using a particle clip effect, then add sparks as the ball hits the flames. Project Two: Jack–in–the–box Learn the basics of modeling, animating, and rendering a scene. Use Maya Artisan™ tools to sculpt Jack′s face and to paint a color texture in 3D. Refine the scene′s rendering using IPR (Interactive Photorealistic Rendering). Project Three: Space Battle Starting with a more in–depth look at polygonal and NURBS modeling, this project sets up a motion path animation, complete with Opti–FX explosions. Use Maya Paint Effects™ to create a realistic starfield. Project Four: Primitive Man Using Maya′s Trax non–linear animation, you cycle for a bi–ped Inverse Kinematic skeleton. This lesson will also explore basic character skinning and deformation. Project Five: Salty the Seal This project brings together the skills developed in earlier lessons into a more complex scene where you learn how Maya lets you fully integrate modeling, rendering, and animation tasks.
