Introducing Autodesk Maya

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
About the Author
Introduction
	What You’ll Learn from This Book
	Who Should Read This Book
	How to Use This Book
	How This Book is Organized
	Hardware and Software Considerations
	Free Autodesk Software for Students and Educators
	The Next Step
1. Introduction to Computer Graphics and 3D
	Learning Outcomes
	A Preview of the CG Process
	The CG Production Workflow
	Digital Images
	File Formats
	Resolution, Aspect Ratio, and Frame Rate
	3D Coordinate Space, World Axis, and Local Axis
	Basic Animation Concepts
		Frames, Keyframes, and In-Betweens
		Weight
	Summary
2. Jumping into Basic Animation Head First
	Learning Outcomes
	You Put the U in User Interface
	Home Screen
	A Quick Screen Roadmap
	Letter Keys and Syntax in Maya
	Mouse Controls
	Making Selections
	Manipulating Objects
	Project: The Solar System
	Creating a Project
	The Production Process: Creating and Animating the Objects
		Creating the Sun and the Planets
		Saving Your Work
		Creating the Moons
		Applying a Simple Shader
		Creating the Animation
	Hierarchy and Maya Object Structure
		Understanding Nodes
		Parents and Children
	The Solar System, Resumed
		Animating Mercury’s Orbit around the Sun
		Creating Venus
		Earth and the Moon
		Using the Outliner
	Outputting Your Work: Playblasting
	Summary
3. The Autodesk® Maya® Interface
	Learning Outcomes
	Navigating in Maya
	Exploring the Maya Layout
		The Main Menu Bar
		Work Panels and Navigation
		The Manipulators
		Soft Selection
		Symmetry
	Building a Decorative Box
		Creating Reference Planes
		The Channel Box/Attribute Editor Explained
	Mapping the Box’s Reference Planes with Hypershade
		The Hypershade Explained
	Organizing Workflow with the Layer Editor
	Modeling the Decorative Box
		Status Line Explained
	Editing the Decorative Box Model Using the Shelf
		The Shelf and Tool Box Explained
	Continuing the Decorative Box Model
		Time Slider and Help Line Explained
	Finishing the Decorative Box Model
		The Attribute Editor and Outliner Explained
		The Outliner
		Introducing the Modeling Toolkit
	Summary
4. Beginning Polygonal Modeling
	Learning Outcomes
	Planning Your Model
		Choosing a Method
		An Overview of Polygons
		Using Primitives
	Polygon Basics
		Creating Polygonal Primitives
		The Polygon Tool
	Poly Editing Tools
		Modeling Toolkit
		The Poly Extrusion Tools
		Modeling Toolkit and Extrusions
		The Wedge Tool
		The Poke Tool
		The Bevel Tool
	Putting the Tools to Use: Making a Cartoon Hand
	Creating Areas of Detail on a Poly Mesh
		The Add Divisions Tool
		Multi-Cut Tool
		Insert Edge Loop Tool
		Offset Edge Loop Tool
		Connect Tool
		Drag Selection and Bridge Tool
		Symmetry Selections
		Combine, Merge, and the Target Weld Tool
		The Slide Edge Tool
		The Duplicate Face Tool
		The Extract Tool
		The Smooth Tool
		Creating a Hole in a Mesh Surface Using Split Mesh With Projected Curve
		Sculpting Tools
	Modeling a Catapult
		The Production Process
		The Base
		The Wheels
		The Winch Assembly
		The Arm
	Summary
5. Modeling with NURBS Surfaces and Deformers
	Learning Outcomes
	NURBS for Organic Curves
		NURBS Modeling
		Levels of Detail
		NURBS Surfacing Techniques
	Using NURBS Surfacing to Create Polygons
		Construction History
		Other Tessellation Methods
	Converting a NURBS Model to Polygons
	Sculpting NURBS
	Creating a Pair of Glass Candle Holders
		Creating the Objects
		Detailing the Objects
	Modeling with Simple Deformers
		Using the Soft Modification Deformer
		Modeling Using the Bend Deformer
		Adjusting an Existing Axe Model
	The Lattice Deformer
		Creating an Alien Hand
		Creating Alien Fingers
	Animating through a Lattice
	Summary
6. Practical Experience!
	Learning Outcomes
	Evaluating the Toy Plane
	Building the Landing Pontoons
		Reference Images
		Blocking Out the Pontoon
		Shaping the Pontoon
		Attaching the Arms
	Oh, What a Body! Modeling the Body of the Plane
		Blocking Out the Shape
	The Rear Stabilizers
	You Spin Me Right Round—The Engine and Propeller
		Engine Detail
		The Propeller Blades
	The Plane’s Wings
		Modeling the Wing
		Organizing the Scene and Smoothing the Geometry
		Adding the Wing Supports
	Assembling the Plane
	Summary
7. Autodesk® Maya® Shading and Texturing
	Learning Outcomes
	Maya Shading
	Maya Native Shader Types
		The Lambert Shader Type
		The Phong Shader Type
		The Blinn Shader Type
		The Phong E Shader Type
		The Anisotropic Shader Type
		The Layered Shader Type
		The Ramp Shader Type
		Bifrost Materials
		Shaderfx and Stingray PBS Shader Types
	Shader Attributes
	Shading and Texturing the Toy Plane
	Textures and Surfaces
		UV Mapping
		Using Projections
		Texture Nodes
	Textures and UVs for the Red Wagon
		Assigning Shaders
		Creating a Shading Network for the Wheels
		Putting Decals on the Body
		Working with UVs
		Texturing the Floor
		Shading the Wood Railings
		Finishing the Wagon
	Photo-Real Mapping: The Decorative Box
		Setting Up UVs
		Color-Mapping the Box
	Toon Shading
	For Further Study
	Summary
8. Introduction to Animation
	Learning Outcomes
	Keyframe Animation: Bouncing a Ball
		Creating a Cartoon Ball
		Setting Up the Hierarchy
		Animating the Ball
	Throwing an Axe
		The Preproduction Process
		Animating the Axe: Keyframing Gross Animation
		Adding Follow-Through
		Adding Secondary Motion
		Animating along a Path
	Replacing an Object
		Replacing the Axe
		Transferring Animation
	Animating Flying Text
	Animating the Catapult
		Animating with Deformers
	Summary
9. More Animation!
	Learning Outcomes
	Skeletons and Kinematics
		Skeletons and Hierarchy
		Forward Kinematics: The Block Man
		Creating the Skeleton
		Attaching to the Skeleton
		The Block Man: FK Walk Cycle
	Skeletons: The Hand
		Rigging the Hand
		Binding to Geometry
		Binding the Hand: Closest Distance Method
		Binding the Hand: Heat Map Method
		Binding the Hand: Interactive Bind
	Inverse Kinematics
		Rigging IK Legs
		Creating an IK Walk Animation
		Further Uses for IK Chains
	Basic Relationships: Constraints
		The Point Constraint
		The Orient Constraint
		The Point on Poly Constraint
		The Aim Constraint
		Geometry and Normal Constraints
		Scale, Parent, Tangent, and Pole Vector Constraints
	Basic Relationships: Set-Driven Keys
		Creating a Set-Driven Key
		An Advanced Set-Driven Key: The Hand
	Rigging the Locomotive
		Setting Up Wheel Control
		Controlling the Wheel Arms
		Controlling the Pump Arm
		Controlling the Back Wheel
		Finishing the Rig
	Creating a Simple Character Rig
		Creating Control Shapes
		Setting Up the Controls
		Setting Up Heel Controls
		Set-Driven Keys: Heel Controls
	For Further Study
	Summary
10. Autodesk® Maya® Lighting
	Learning Outcomes
	Basic Lighting Concepts
		What Your Scene Needs
		Three-Point Lighting
	Maya Native Lights
		Common Light Attributes
		Native Light Types
	Shadows and Raytracing
		Controlling Shadows per Object
	Light Linking
	Arnold Lighting
		Area Light
		Skydome Light
		Arnold Physical Sky
		More on the Area Light!
		Mesh Light
	Volumetric Lighting
	Assembling and Lighting a Scene
		Assembling the Scene
		Creating the Lights
		Adjusting the Materials
		Making a Quick Glass
	Further Lighting Practice
	Tips for Using and Animating Lights
		Animating a Light
	Summary
11. Autodesk® Maya® and Arnold Rendering
	Learning Outcomes
	Rendering Setup
		Choosing a Filename
		Image Format
		Frame Range
		Camera and Channels
		Setting Resolution
		Selecting a Render Engine
	Previewing Your Render: The Two Common Render View Windows
		Saving/Loading an Image
		Keep/Remove Image
		IPR Rendering and Arnold RenderView Interactive Rendering
	Setting the Default Renderer
	Reflections and Refractions
		Raytraced Reflections
		Rendering Refractions (Maya Software)
	Making Glass in Arnold
		The Arnold Standard Surface Material
	Making Plastic and Metal in Arnold
	Using Cameras
		Creating a Camera
		Camera Types
		Camera Attributes
	Motion Blur
	Batch Rendering
	Rendering the Wine Bottle
		Selecting Render Settings Options
		Setting Up the Scene
		Setting Up the Camera
		Batch Rendering and Playing Back the Sequence
	Some More Arnold
		Arnold Image Quality Settings
		Render Settings in Action!
		Motion Blur with Arnold
	Rendering in Layers and Arnold AOVs
		Creating AOVs
		Compositing AOVs
		Batch and Sequence Rendering with Arnold
	HDRI
	Going Deeper into Arnold: Bump and Displacement Mapping
		Bump Mapping
		Displacement Mapping
	Rendering the Scene with Arnold
		Materials for the Candle
		Subsurface Scattering
		Adding an HDR
		Adding Depth of Field
	Summary
12. Autodesk® Maya® Dynamics and Effects
	Learning Outcomes
	An Overview of Maya Dynamics
	Rigid Bodies
		Creating Active and Passive Rigid Body Objects
		Moving a Rigid Body
		Rigid Body Attributes
	Rigid Body Dynamics: Shoot the Catapult!
		Baking Out a Simulation
		Simplifying Animation Curves
	nParticle Dynamics
	Emitting nParticles
		Emitter Attributes
		nParticle Attributes
		nCaching Particles
		Creating an nCache on Disk
	Animating a Particle Effect: Locomotive Steam
		Emitting the nParticles
		Setting nParticle Attributes
		Setting Rendering Attributes
	Introduction to Paint Effects
		Paint Effects Attributes
	Getting Started with nCloth
		Making a Tablecloth
		Making a Flag
		Caching an nCloth
	Customizing Maya
		User Preferences
		Shelves
		Hotkeys
		Color Settings
	Summary
	Where Do You Go from Here?
Index