Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Navigating in Maya
The key to being a good digital artist or animator isn't necessarily knowing exactly where
to find all the tools and buttons, but knowing
how
to find the features you need. Don't let
the interface intimidate you; it's much friendlier than you may initially think, and there
is more than one way to get something done through the user interface (UI).
Maya is intricate, with layers of function sets and interface options separated into cat-
egories. The purpose of this chapter is to help you get to know Maya and how it operates,
building on your experience so far. This chapter will also answer the questions you may
have about the UI from the previous chapter.
The best way to start is to explore the interface. Using your mouse, check out the
menus and the tools. Just be careful not to change any settings; the rest of this topic
and its projects assume your Maya settings are all at their defaults. If you do change
some settings inadvertently, reverting to the defaults is easy. Choose Window
➔
Settings/
Preferences
➔
Preferences. In the Preferences window, choose Edit
➔
Restore Default
Settings. Now all the settings and interface elements are restored to their default states.
Maya's Layout
Let's take another look at the initial Maya screen in Figure 3.1—this time with the Full
Perspective window, and not the four-panel layout you saw in the previous chapter.
Figure 3.1
The initial
Maya screen
