3D Animation Using Maya

Project 4 — Chicken Added to Scene (Adding Character) (3D Animation Using Maya)

Model the chicken character using polygonal and subdivision surfaces. Refine the egg’s animation using the different tangency types. •    Use the Graph Editor to influence the egg’s in-between. •    Create more complex shaders using bump mapping, reflections, transparency, and refractions. •    Fake colored bounce light with Area lights. •    Try adding optical effects to the […]

Workspace — Artisan Tools (Wiring Things Up) (3D Animation Using Maya)

For certain operations, a pen and tablet work much better. The Maya tools that benefit most from this interface are known as the Artisan tools. Artisan is a paintbrush-like paradigm for directly affecting data on an object’s surface. Pushing and pulling the surface of a model, painting weight values for bone and cluster assignments, selecting […]

Modeling — Connecting Surfaces Using Fillets (Wiring Things Up) (3D Animation Using Maya)

Frequently, you’ll build a NURBS model from a series of intersecting parts, such as NURBS primitives, lofts, and revolves. In these cases, it is possible to tfnpA create blended transitions to mask unsightly object intersections. One way to Q3 create such blends is with the Circular Fillet command. (A fillet is a concave surface that […]

Animation — Motion Paths, Driven Keys, Added Attributes, Skeletons (Wiring Things Up) (3D Animation Using Maya) Part 1

You may sometimes find that there is a very specific route you’d like an animated y    object to take. For example, you may want to get a plane to fly a certain flight pattern (see Figure 5.13), a train to run along some tracks, or a grape to arc up in a loop and drop […]

Animation — Motion Paths, Driven Keys, Added Attributes, Skeletons (Wiring Things Up) (3D Animation Using Maya) Part 2

Animation Exercise — Added Attributes 1.    Set your project to understanding_maya/Chapter05\added_attributes. 2.    Open the scene added_attributes_remote_begin.ma. In the scene you will find a remote control curve (see Figure 5.27), which has been parented to the perspective camera. (This is a simple way to add unobtrusive interface elements to Maya.) You will centralize all of the […]

Animation — Motion Paths, Driven Keys, Added Attributes, Skeletons (Wiring Things Up) (3D Animation Using Maya) Part 3

Animation Setup Exercise — Chicken Skeleton 1.    Set your project to understanding_maya\Chapter05\animation_rigging_chicken. 2.    Open the scene skeleton_chicken_begin.ma. In the scene you’ll see a templated copy of the chicken model, which you will use as a guide for creating the skeleton (see Figure 5.35). The skeleton is a set of subhierarchies that all belong to one […]

Animation — Motion Paths, Driven Keys, Added Attributes, Skeletons (Wiring Things Up) (3D Animation Using Maya) Part 4

Posing the Skeleton The chicken skeleton can be posed and animated just like a stop motion puppet. In the next topic we’ll attach the chicken geometry to its skeleton and refine some of the puppeteering controls. Right now, try setting the skeleton into poses using only the Rotation Tool. As you test out the skeleton’s […]

Shading — Displacement and UV Texture Mapping (Wiring Things Up) (3D Animation Using Maya) Part 1

While they generally do a great job, under enough scrutiny the illusion is broken and a bump map alone may not suffice. In these cases, a displacement map may be the answer. For example, a golf ball, the edge of a quarter, or a tile floor will look acceptable up to a certain point using […]

Shading — Displacement and UV Texture Mapping (Wiring Things Up) (3D Animation Using Maya) Part 2

Shading Exercise — UV Chicken 1.    Set your project to understanding_maya/Chapter05/shading_uv_chicken. 2.    Open the scene uvmap_chicken_begin.ma. 3.    Set the perspective panel to display Hardware Texturing. You’ll see the chicken model with a texture map applied to it. This utility map is an 8 x 8 grid pattern used to help you unwrap your UV mapping […]

Lighting — Three-point Scheme (Wiring Things Up) (3D Animation Using Maya)

Maya allows you to create and place as many light sources in your scene as you like. This can be a bit overwhelming, so it’s often a good idea to use traditional, real-world ® lighting as a starting point. To illuminate your subject, try a three-point lighting scheme: key light, rim light, and fill light. […]

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