Alias Wavefront's Maya is the premier tool for 3D modeling, animation, and rendering. It is used by such film houses as Industrial, Light & Magic, Pixar, and Disney for creating 3D animation and special effects. This Maya Press title—a cooperative publication between Sybex and Alias Wavefront—is the perfect introduction to 3D and Maya. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

"The Rendering book does something every book should do--certainly every excellent book--it offers you content unavailable anywhere else." --3DNY.org Learning Maya 5: Rendering is your solution to creating stunning images in Maya. New for Maya 5! Updated from the popular Learning Maya: Rendering, this book will teach you what you need to know when using the Maya rendering engine and mental ray for Maya. You'll learn to take advantage of options new in Maya 5, such as Hardware and Vector Rendering. Get the information you need to master Caustics and Global Illumination, Final Gather and HDRI. Learning Maya 5: Rendering includes an inspiring photo gallery of images rendered in Maya and mental ray(r) for Maya so you can see the types of results you'll learn to achieve. Features: This book will allow you to explore lighting, cameras, shading networks, and other rendering issues from an introductory level and will also allow you to explore advanced concepts in a comfortable format. Each topic is explored in both theory and practice so that you'll not only understand the concepts presented, you'll be able to complete easy-to-follow step-by-step tutorials. In addition, you'll take advantage of valuable chapter-by-chapter overviews provided in QuickTime(r) format on DVD-ROM. Offered by one of the book's contributors, Cathy McGinnis, an Alias|Wavefront(TM) Certified Instructor, these helpful movies will allow you to gain additional insight as you work through the book. With this books you will: * Create materials and textures. * Set up lights and cameras. * Work with shadows and raytracing. * Learn to control your renders. * Understand rendering for special effects and compositing. * Explore Hardware Rendering and vector Rendering. * Create Caustics and Global Illumination effects. * Understand Final Gather and HDRI techniques. * Create Maya and mental ray Shaders. And much more...

Savvy—n. Practical know-how. Maya, the premier high-end 3D application, is so powerful that no one masters it without help. Maya 5 Savvy—a thorough update to Maya 4.5 Savvy—is written for the Maya user looking to boost their skills to the next level. Running throughout this book is a completely new, cohesive, expertly organized animation project that teaches specific Maya skills and, at the same time, gives you valuable hands-on exposure to the entire animation production process. Staged support files mean that you can begin and end work on this project anywhere you like—which in turn means you can read this book cover to cover or use it as a reference, dipping in wherever you need information on or practice with specific modeling, animation, and rendering techniques. Everywhere you turn,you'll find expert advice on the latest Maya features, time-saving shortcuts, and advanced capabilities. Coverage includes: Core Maya: interface briefing, plus planning, writing, and storyboarding your animation. Modeling: NURBS, polygons and subdivision surfaces, character modeling. Animation: paths and bones, deformers, binding, Trax, rigid body dynamics, MEL scripting, particle animation, expression-driven animation. Output: rendering architecture, rendering, shading and texturing, lighting, special light effects. Advanced Tools and Techniques: Paint Effects, ramps and volumes, soft body dynamics, Fluid Effects, Fur, Cloth. Note:CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Real-world solutions for real-world production environments! Luis Cataldi, BlueSky Studios Maya is a very powerful application. Before artists can create and share their ideas and visions, they must understand its complicated tools and learn to harness its power.Inside Maya 5can help develop a functional understanding of Maya's many tools through solid examples and production-proven methods. From the back cover Are you familiar with the basic Maya tools? Can you complete most tasks with little or no reliance on the help files? Do your questions about Maya center on how to put all the pieces together and use the software in a production setting? If so,Inside Maya 5is just what you want and need. Industry professionals who have worked for such houses as Digital Domain, ILM, PDI/DreamWorks, and Pixar provide insights into making great production decisions that take advantage of the power of Maya without compromising production quality - real-world solutions to real-world challenges! You'll get coverage of: Using Maya in the digital studio pipeline MEL and the Maya API Modeling techniques for NURBS, polygonal modeling, and subdivision surfaces Modeling characters, sets, and props Maya's node-based architecture Particles and dynamics Character animation and rigging Lighting, shading and rendering Bonus interviews with Scott Clark (Pixar) and Paul Thuriot (Tippett Studios) The companion CD includes the source files you need to complete the exercises in each chapter.

With the powerful 3D modeling program Maya 5, users are limited only by their own imagination. In these pages, veteran animator Jim Lammers (who brought life to the Sony/Tristar film "Starship Troopers") takes readers from a review of 3D fundamentals to full-blown Maya 5 content creation. A companion CD includes video-captured movies that walk readers through every tutorial in the book.

* Companion website provides new updates and tutorials for version 6! If you are an artist who's new to Alias's Maya, or are moving over to use this powerful, oscar-winning animation and effects software from another 3D package, you will find this book invaluable. It provides you with all you need to know to get up and running with this difficult software, fast! Focusing only on the key things you need to know when starting out it doesn't overload you, so speeds up your learning process. Highly illustrated in color throughout this book benefits from a clear, concise, jargon free style. Written by a LucasArts professional it will provide invaluable knowledge that will help you get that elusive first job in animation!

Ready to learn from a seasoned visual effects veteran? Then sit down and pay attention! In Maya 5 Killer Tips, effects wizard Eric Hanson lets the genie out of the bottle, revealing all of the Maya tricks, techniques, and shortcuts he's employed to create visual marvels for films like The Day After Tomorrow, Cast Away, Fifth Element, and more. By focusing on concise tips, informative nuggets, and seasoned productivity secrets that are rarely found in other volumes, this book takes you straight to the heart of the matter: the productivity enhancers that you usually only acquire after working with a program in an intensive professional environment. In this case, Eric reveals many of these road-tested Maya secrets: efficient modeling with NURBS and polygons; creating rich rendering results with shader networks; conveying professional camera techniques; using particle systems, dynamics; and more. Along the way he explores Maya 5's new features as well, including improved rendering and character setup options.