Introducing Autodesk Maya 2016: Autodesk Official Press

Introducing Autodesk Maya 2016: Autodesk Official Press

Released July 2015
Publisher(s): Sybex
ISBN: 9781119059639

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Book description

Start modeling right away with this hands-on guide to learning Autodesk Maya 2016

Introducing Autodesk Maya 2016 is the official guide to the most popular and complex 3D application on the market. Building from the ground up, this book combines straightforward text with practical examples that make it easy to absorb the basics and start designing and animating your own digital models and scenes. The tutorials offer realistic challenges and clear explanations, laid out in fun, step-by-step lessons that help you gain confidence and learn by doing. You'll delve into CG and 3D core concepts and production workflows, then get right to work designing an animation of the solar system as you learn the interface and basic tools. As your modeling skills grow, you'll build a steam locomotive, a starfish, a table lamp, and much more as you learn to rig your model for animation, create fabric motion with nCloth, and add the lighting and effects that bring your scenes to life. The companion website features downloadable project files that help you see how the pros do it, and the book includes real-world examples from talented users who were beginners just like you.

  • Master the Maya 2016 interface, menus, and plug-ins

  • Begin building simple animations right away

  • Explore modeling, rendering, animation, and cloth motion

  • Add lighting, rendering, dynamics, simulations, and effects

    • If you want to work like the pros, Introducing Autodesk Maya 2016 is the perfect primer for getting started.

    Table of contents

    1. Titlepage
    2. Copyright
    3. Credits
    4. Dedication
    5. Acknowledgments
    6. About the Author
    7. Introduction
    8. Chapter 1: Introduction to Computer Graphics and 3D
      1. A Preview of the CG Process
      2. The CG Production Workflow
      3. Digital Images
      4. Summary
    9. Chapter 2: Jumping into Basic Animation Headfirst
      1. You Put the U in User Interface
      2. Project: The Solar System
      3. Creating a Project
      4. The Production Process: Creating and Animating the Objects
      5. Hierarchy and Maya Object Structure
      6. The Solar System, Resumed
      7. Outputting Your Work: Playblasting
      8. Summary
    10. Chapter 3: The Autodesk® Maya® 2016 Interface
      1. Navigating in Maya
      2. Exploring the Maya Layout
      3. Building a Decorative Box
      4. Mapping the Box's Reference Planes with Hypershade
      5. Organizing Workflow with the Layer Editor
      6. Modeling the Decorative Box
      7. Editing the Decorative Box Model Using the Shelf
      8. Continuing the Decorative Box Model
      9. Finishing the Decorative Box Model
      10. Summary
    11. Chapter 4: Beginning Polygonal Modeling
      1. Planning Your Model
      2. Polygon Basics
      3. Poly Editing Tools
      4. Putting the Tools to Use: Making a Cartoon Hand
      5. Creating Areas of Detail on a Poly Mesh
      6. Modeling a Catapult
      7. Summary
    12. Chapter 5: Modeling with NURBS Surfaces and Deformers
      1. NURBS for Organic Curves
      2. Using NURBS Surfacing to Create Polygons
      3. Converting a NURBS Model to Polygons
      4. Using Artisan to Sculpt NURBS
      5. Creating a Pair of Glass Candle Holders
      6. Modeling with Simple Deformers
      7. The Lattice Deformer
      8. Animating Through a Lattice
      9. Summary
    13. Chapter 6: Practical Experience!
      1. Evaluating the Toy Plane
      2. Building the Landing Pontoons
      3. Oh, What a Body! Modeling the Body of the Plane
      4. The Rear Stabilizers
      5. You Spin Me Right Round—The Engine and Propeller
      6. The Plane's Wings
      7. Assembling the Plane
      8. Summary
    14. Chapter 7: Autodesk® Maya® Shading and Texturing
      1. Maya Shading
      2. Shader Types
      3. Shader Attributes
      4. Shading and Texturing the Toy Plane
      5. Textures and Surfaces
      6. Textures and UVs for the Red Wagon
      7. Photo-Real Mapping: The Decorative Box
      8. Toon Shading
      9. For Further Study
      10. Summary
    15. Chapter 8: Introduction to Animation
      1. Keyframe Animation: Bouncing a Ball
      2. Throwing an Axe
      3. Replacing an Object
      4. Animating Flying Text
      5. Animating the Catapult
      6. Summary
    16. Chapter 9: More Animation!
      1. Skeletons and Kinematics
      2. Skeletons: The Hand
      3. Inverse Kinematics
      4. Basic Relationships: Constraints
      5. Basic Relationships: Set-Driven Keys
      6. Rigging the Locomotive
      7. Creating a Simple Character Rig
      8. For Further Study
      9. Summary
    17. Chapter 10: Autodesk® Maya® Lighting
      1. Basic Lighting Concepts
      2. Maya Lights
      3. Light Linking
      4. Adding Shadows
      5. Raytracing Soft Shadows
      6. mental ray Lighting
      7. mental ray Physical Sun and Sky
      8. Lighting Effects
      9. Assembling and Lighting a Scene
      10. Further Lighting Practice
      11. Tips for Using and Animating Lights
      12. Summary
    18. Chapter 11: Autodesk® Maya® Rendering
      1. Rendering Setup
      2. Previewing Your Render: The Render View Window
      3. Setting the Default Renderer
      4. Reflections and Refractions
      5. Using Cameras
      6. Motion Blur
      7. Batch Rendering
      8. Rendering the Wine Bottle
      9. mental ray for Maya
      10. Render Layers
      11. Final Gather
      12. Ambient Occlusion
      13. HDRI
      14. Displacement Mapping the Decorative Box
      15. Rendering the Scene with mental ray
      16. Summary
    19. Chapter 12: Autodesk® Maya® Dynamics and Effects
      1. An Overview of Maya Dynamics
      2. Rigid Bodies
      3. Rigid Body Dynamics: Shoot the Catapult!
      4. nParticle Dynamics
      5. Emitting nParticles
      6. Animating a Particle Effect: Locomotive Steam
      7. Getting Started with nCloth
      8. Customizing Maya
      9. Summary
      10. Where Do You Go from Here?
    20. End-User License Agreement

    Product information

    • Title: Introducing Autodesk Maya 2016: Autodesk Official Press
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: July 2015
    • Publisher(s): Sybex
    • ISBN: 9781119059639