Product Description

Designed for busy Maya users like you, this guide offers dozens of how–tos, workarounds, and shortcuts culled from years of experience in a fast–paced, deadline–driven production pipeline. You’ll discover tricks and timesavers on texturing particles, customizing Paint Effects brushes, modeling polygon faces, creating facial rigs with wire deformers, and much more—and helpful full–color illustrations reinforce the concepts. From modeling, animating, and rigging to texturing and lighting, this book will help you streamline workflow and improve your skills.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108461 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 221 pages

From the Back Cover
Get More Out of Maya in Less Time

Work better and faster in Maya with the quick–hit tips and techniques in this practical book. Designed for busy Maya users, this guide offers dozens of how–tos, workarounds, and shortcuts culled from years of experience in a fast–paced, deadline–driven production pipeline. You′ll discover tricks and timesavers on texturing particles, customizing Paint Effects brushes, modeling polygon faces, creating facial rigs with wire deformers, and much more—while useful, full–color illustrations reinforce the concepts. From modeling, animating, and rigging to texturing and lighting, this book will help you streamline workflow and improve your skills.

• Create simple to complex MEL windows
• Master NURBS modeling tricks
• Clean up imported polygons
• Animate realistic camera moves
• Build easy leg and spine controllers
• Combine simple textures for complex results
• Apply naturalistic and HDR lighting techniques
• Import ZBrush displacement and normal maps
• Prep your animation for video or 35mm film

The enclosed CD contains bonus content including valuable Maya demo software, scene files, and texture bitmaps to match many techniques in the book.

Build a polygon head by extruding edges.

Import normal maps from ZBrush to obtain more accurate render detail over bump maps.

About the Author
Lee Lanier is a professional animator and teacher who has created digital special effects for such films as The Santa Clause and Mortal Kombat. He was a senior animator for modeling and lighting on Antz and Shrek and has produced and directed the short films Millennium Bug, Mirror, Day Off The Dead, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and 13 Ways to Die at Home. He has taught advanced Maya classes at several schools, including the Art Institute of Las Vegas. His work can be seen at beezlebugbit.com. Lee is the author of Advanced Maya Texturing and Lighting (Sybex).