Chapter 1

Introducing Maya

8 lessons (7 h. 20 min.)

The first chapter is an introductory mini-course on Maya. In the lessons of this chapter, you will not only explore the interface and basic tools of this program, but also get acquainted with such areas as modeling, texturing, animation and rendering.

Chapter 2

Advanced modeling

5 lessons (4 h. 50 min.)

In the first chapter, we explored the basic modeling techniques in Maya. But this knowledge will not be enough to create complex 3D models. So in Chapter 2, we’ll dive into the topic of modeling and master a range of advanced techniques to help you create any model you can imagine.

Chapter 3

Texturing in Substance Painter

5 lessons (2 h. 57 min.)

This chapter can be safely called “Super Substance Painter” because it is a kind of mini-course on this program. Substance Painter is an amazing texturing program, and it works great with Maya. In this chapter, we’ll take a practical example of texturing in Substance Painter and then export the result to Maya.

Chapter 4

Render in Maya

7 lessons (3 h. 16 min.)

The render stage is very important because it is at this stage that your 3D scene takes on its final finished look. In this chapter, you will learn how to customize the render so that your final image or video is of the highest quality. We will also talk about setting up lighting and working with cameras in three-dimensional space.

Chapter 5

Rigging in Maya

5 lessons (2 h. 22 min.)

In this chapter, you will learn how to prepare your character for animation. You will learn how to create a virtual “skeleton” from individual bones or joints and link your geometry to it. You will learn how to build hierarchical connections between the individual elements of the resulting skeleton and how to manage all of this with the help of a rig. All these skills will help you prepare your character for animation in such a way that it will be easy and convenient to animate.

Chapter 6

Animation

3 lessons (1 h. 23 min.)

Maya is widely used by companies like Disney and Pixar to create animated films. Toy Story, Cars, Zootopia – Maya was used to create all these animated masterpieces. If you want to touch the world of animation and learn how to animate your own characters, then you should definitely study this chapter. In it, you will learn the basic principles of animation in Maya.

Chapter 7

Dynamics

4 lessons (4 h. 10 min.)

In the seventh chapter, you will explore the dynamics and simulation of various effects in Maya. You will master solid dynamics and learn how to use it to make rigid bodies collide and interact with each other. You will learn how to reproduce tissue behavior, simulate particles using the nParticles module, and create spectacular motion graphics using the MASH module.

Chapter 8

Maya customization

1 lesson (13 min.)

In this chapter, you will learn how, using third-party solutions (scripts, plugins), you can extend the capabilities of Maya. We will also talk about setting up hot keys and how you can use them to significantly increase the speed of work.