Book Description
With the powerful 3D modeling program Maya 5, you're limited only by your own imagination. To set it free, look no further than this indispensable guide! In these pages, veteran animator Jim Lammers (who brought life to the Sony/Tristar film Starship Troopers) takes you from a review of 3D fundamentals to full-blown Maya 5 content creation. In the process you'll learn about Maya's interface and tools; modeling with NURBS and polygons; applying materials and textures; rendering stills and animations; using particle systems, dynamics, and paint effects; and more. By detailing not just how Maya works but the 3D principles and fundamentals that guide its use, this volume will have your creating brave new worlds of your own in no time. Also included is complete coverage of all of Maya 5's new features, including improved rendering options and never-before-seen atmospheric effects made possible by extensions to Maya Fluid Effects. A companion CD includes video-captured movies that walk you through every tutorial in the book.
From the Back Cover
Whether you are new to the 3D environment or are porting your skills from a different 3D graphics program, if you are a hands-on learner, Maya 5 Fundamentals is the book for you. Author Jim Lammers gets you started with a straightforward conceptual framework, then launches into a series of well-developed tutorials designed to move you from being a rank beginner to a confident Maya user.With Maya 5 Fundamentals, you'll learn to
* Model, texture, and add paint effects hair to a human head, based on supplied photography (this model is also used for the book's cover)
* Create a complete architectural scene based on drawings, then light, texture, and render it
* Learn to use Mental Ray -- new in Maya 5 -- for photorealistic lighting and complex materials
* Model complex objects -- build a car model from photos using NURBS, then create a realistic rendering of it
* Learn Maya with an animation of an undersea tour that washes up on a tropical beach
The CD-ROM includes a dozen hours of hands-on tutorial movies (recorded at 800X600) to aid your learning process.
