Adding tools that allow users to realize the 2D Toon look of comic books, cartoons, manga and anime; create spectacular clothing, fur or long hair for characters; and move data quickly back and forth between Maya and Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, an already cool program just got even cooler. Here to take budding animators and modelers from 0 to 60 fast in Maya 7 is the eagerly anticipated update to everybody's favorite Maya tome: Maya 7: Visual QuickStart Guide! In these pages, best-selling authors Danny Riddell and Steve Anzovin use a combination of task-based instruction and strong visual aids to take readers step by step through all of Maya's essentials: unsurpassed character rigging and posing, integration with essential production tolls such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and more. Both beginning users, who want a thorough introduction to the topic, and more advanced users, who are looking for a convenient reference, will find what they need here in straightforward language and through readily accessible examples, peppered with tons of timesaving tips and tricks. By the end of the volume, users will be creating their own alternate universes in Maya 7!

Provides information on the Maya interface, covering such topics as modeling, texturing and rendering, and rigging and animation.

Imagine being able to add a luscious mane of long, flowing hair to your Maya-created action heroine--and then being able to braid it, curl it, and style it to your heat's desire. With Maya 6 and this task-based guide, you can do that and a lot more on the way to creating ever more sophisticated 3D worlds with Alias' newly updated modeling and animation software. In this eagerly anticipated update to everybody's favorite Maya tome, best-selling author Danny Riddell uses a combination of task-based instruction and strong visual aids to take you step by step through all of today's Maya's essentials: Character animation and setup, polygonal modeling, dynamic interaction with Windows, and more. Whether you're a beginning user who wants a thorough introduction to the topic or a more advanced user looking for a convenient reference, you'll find what you need here--in straightforward language and through readily accessible examples, peppered with tons of timesaving tips and tricks.

Adding sophisticated new tools that give modelers even more control over polygons, an already cool program just got even cooler. Here to take budding 3D artists from 0 to 60 fast in Maya 8 is the eagerly anticipated update to everybody's favorite Maya tome: Maya 8 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide! In these pages, best-selling authors Morgan Robinson and Nathaniel Stein use a combination of task-based instruction and strong visual aids to take readers step by step through all of Maya's essentials: navigating the interface, modeling elementary and complex objects, unsurpassed character rigging and posing, mastering deformers, shaders, and renderers, and more. Both beginning users, who want a thorough introduction to the topic, and more advanced users, who are looking for a convenient reference, will find what they need here in straightforward language and through readily accessible examples, peppered with tons of timesaving tips and tricks.

Maya 4.5, the latest version of the all-in-one modeling, rendering, and 3D animation program, is loaded with new features and enhancements designed to make it even more powerful and easy-to-learn for Mac and Windows users alike. Whether you're new to Maya or just want to get quickly up-to-speed on Maya 4.5's new features, this is a must-have task-based reference.