Getting Started in 3D with Maya: Create a Project from Start to Finish--model, Texture, Rig, Animate, and Render in Maya

Adam Watkins

Taylor & Francis, 2012 - Art - 423 pages

Deliver professional-level 3D content in no time with this comprehensive guide to 3D animation with Maya. With over 12 years of training experience, plus several award winning students under his belt, author Adam Watkins is the ideal mentor to get you up to speed with 3D in Maya.

Using a structured and pragmatic approach Getting Started in 3D with Maya begins with basic theory of fundamental techniques, then builds on this knowledge using practical examples and projects to put your new skills to the test. Prepared so that you can learn in an organic fashion, each chapter builds on the knowledge gained in the previous chapter, showing you all the essentials of 3D in Maya, from modeling and UV layout, to texture creation, rigging animating and rendering. As you go from project to project you'll develop a strong arsenal of skills that combined will form a complete end to end process to creating complete projects in Maya.

The accompanying website (http://watkins3d.com/GettingStartedIn3D/) provides all the tools you need to develop your skills. Project files to accompany the practical examples used throughout the text, so you can work along with the examples. Additional textures and models will give you all the resources you need to start making your own projects in no time at all.

Contents

• Animation Workflow: 1
• Maya Philosophy: 13
• Architectural Modeling: 47
• Organic Modeling: 119
• UVs and UV Layout: 179
• Material Creation and Texture Painting: 225
• Lighting and Rendering: 271
• Character Rigging and Skinning: 319
• Animation in Maya: 359
• Preparing Character Style Sheets: 401
• Creating Seamless Textures: 411
• Index: 419

About the author

Adam Watkins is Associate Professor, 3D Animation, School of Interactive Media & Design at the University of the Incarnate Word. He is currently on a research sabbatical at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where he is part of the VISIBLE effort creating virtual simulation games for use in non-proliferation exercises. Watkins has headed the 3D Animation program for over ten years and is the author of several books and over 100 articles on 3D Animation. His students are the winners of multiple national and international animation awards and festivals.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Getting Started in 3D with Maya: Create a Project from Start to Finish--model, Texture, Rig, Animate, and Render in Maya
• Author: Adam Watkins
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis, 2012
• ISBN: 0240820428, 9780240820422
• Length: 423 pages
• Subjects: Art / Digital; Computers / Design, Graphics & Media / Video & Animation; Computers / General; Computers / Programming / Games; Computers / Software Development & Engineering / Computer Graphics