Book overview:
3D Animation for the Raw Beginner Using Autodesk Maya is a hands-on academic textbook as well as a do-it-yourself training manual for the individual animator. This second edition has been completely rewritten to take into account updates to Autodesk Maya, including Autodesk’s renderer, Arnold. It contains entirely new examples and tutorial lessons. All 612 images are in full color. The book directs the reader to the parts of Maya that must be mastered in order to create complete 3D projects, and thus it simplifies the process of taking on Maya’s vast and intricate interface, while giving the reader a firm foundation on which to build future knowledge of Maya. It also presents brief examples of other popular 3D applications and rendering engines.
Chapters:
1. An Intro to 3D Modeling, Animation, and Rendering with a Focus on Autodesk Maya.
2. The Gold Standard of Polygon Modeling and the NURBS Alternative.
3. A Focus on Simplicity: A Core Set of Modeling Tools in an Overwhelming App.
4. Using the New(er) Sculpting Toolset in Maya in a Polygon Modeling Workflow.
5. Advanced Materials Techniques: Using Arnold Mix Materials and Photoshop.
6. Advanced Design Techniques: Modeling, Composition, Lighting, and Materials.
7. Animation: Particle Dynamics, Collisions, Forces, Blend Shape, Key-framing, Skeletons & Scripting.
8. Rendering and Lights.