Simplifying Maya

While Autodesk Maya® is a complex 3D application, there’s no reason that learning it has to be. The goal of Simplifying Maya is to provide you with a clear and logical learning map.

Whether your project will be naturalistic realism or stylized fantasy – Maya gives you the power to create things that nature can’t or that would be too expensive to create in the real world.

Simplifying Maya will teach you how to create this world in the fastest, most practical way possible while you also learn the concepts behind the specifics – because in 3D to use and understand something like radiosity you must understand the lighting concepts beyond the 3D application you’re using. This will help you know what you’re actually doing in Maya, why you’re doing it and boost you to the next level, while also making it easier to move from one application to another.

Simplifying Maya focuses on Workflows, Cameras, Modeling, Texturing, Lighting and Rendering – all of which shouldn’t be learned separately. The How To exercises help you move seamlessly through a specific workflow and are meant to be applied to your own projects. The Tips and Whys are handy and readily-available resources.

Table of Contents

• What About Workflows
• Modeling Tips & Tricks
• What About Cameras
• What About Texturing
• What About Lighting
• What About Rendering
• What About Pipelines