Maya 2020 Essential Training

Learn to create high-quality 3D models and animations in Maya 2020. Learn core Maya skills—modeling, texturing, rendering, and animation—in a real-world project-based workflow.

Introduction

• Create high-quality 3D models and animations with Maya
• Maya system requirements
• Make the most of the exercise files

1. The Maya Interface

• Overview of the Maya interface
• Work with files and Maya projects
• Navigation in Maya
• Configure viewports
• Use the Hotbox and Marking menus
• Customize preferences
• Use Maya workspaces

2. Select and Manipulate Objects

• Select objects
• Use the Move tool
• Rotate and scale
• Manipulate pivots
• Duplicate objects
• Understanding the Channel Box
• Work with the Attribute Editor
• Reset and freeze transformations
• Snapping objects

3. Organize Maya Scenes

• Work with the Outliner
• Create hierarchies
• Group objects
• Understanding the Hypergraph
• Create layers
• Hide and show objects
• Work with selection masks

4. Create Polygonal Models

• Create polygonal objects
• Extend polygonal objects
• Select polygonal components
• Use Soft Select and Symmetry
• Use brush tools to sculpt meshes
• Use the Modeling Toolkit

5. Modeling Polygonal Meshes

• Set up reference
• Modeling against reference
• Use the Extrude tools
• Work with edge loops
• Combine and separate
• Welding components
• Mirror and merge components
• Use Polygon Bridge
• Use the Bevel tools

6. Additional Modeling Techniques

• Understanding Quad Draw
• Smoothing surfaces
• Work with subdivision surfaces
• Add creases to smooth surfaces
• Boolean tools
• Manage object history

7. Work with Curves

• Basics of NURBS curves
• Create curves
• Modify curves
• Extrude along a path

8. Create Materials

• Overview of Maya renderering
• Understanding the basic shader types
• Work with Arnold materials
• Opacity and refraction in Arnold
• Create and apply maps
• Using bitmaps as texture
• Work with the Hypershade window
• Create materials in Hypershade

9. Apply Materials and Textures

• Apply multiple materials to objects
• UV mapping polygonal objects
• Understanding the UV Editor
• UV mapping complex objects
• Maintain UV scale

10. Render in Arnold

• Render settings
• Basic Maya lights for Arnold
• Maya point lights
• Use Arnold area lights
• Use objects as lights
• Image-based lighting and skydomes
• Add cameras
• Add depth of field in Arnold
• Create motion blur in Arnold
• Render view and final output

11. Animate in Maya

• Understanding the animation interface
• Animate objects using Set Key
• Modify keys on the timeline
• Modify keys in the Dope Sheet
• Modify keys in the Graph Editor
• Work with the Time Editor
• Animate objects along spline paths
• Create animation cycles
• Visualize animation
• Animation playback using Playblast

Conclusion

• Next steps