6 key features of the course
to each chapter
and curators
by time
Study when it is convenient for you.
Course content
The course consists of 38 sessions organized into 8 chapters and 12 fun homework assignments. The duration of the course is 26 hours (video lessons alone!). The course examines in detail all the basic features and tools of Maya from scratch to professional tops.
In training, we focused on practice, so in each chapter of the course you will create several of your own 3D compositions.
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.
Homework
In your first homework assignment, you will need to create a sci-fi box using the basic modeling skills learned in the first chapter.
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.
Homework
Using the knowledge of the advanced modeling techniques from Chapter 2, you will need to model an electric guitar yourself.
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.
Homework
This homework assignment will focus on texturing the guitar in Substance Painter. Here you will need to define what your guitar should look like and then create textures for each element of your model.
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.
Homework
In this homework assignment, you will need to make the render robot that we have previously worked with during this course. You will need to properly adjust the number of samples and other render parameters.
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.
Homework
This homework will focus on the topic of a rig, so in it you will need to create a rig for a rather interesting model called a hexapod. How difficult this rig will be is up to you.
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.
Homework
For your final homework, you will need to smash any 3D model 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.
