Introducing Maya 6: 3D for Beginners [With CDROM]

by Derakhshani and Dariush Derakhshani

"If you're just beginning to dive into the world of 3D, this is the book for you." - Animation Magazine Alias' Academy Award winning Maya 3D animation and effects software leads the industry in technological innovation. Film and video artists, computer game developers, and design professionals rely on Maya to create brilliant digital imagery, animation, and visual effects. Now you can enter this exciting, imaginative world and learn to build, render, and animate your own digital characters and scenes. Brought to you by Maya Press, a publishing partnership between Sybex and Alias, Introducing Maya 6: 3D for Beginners is the ideal initiation to 3D and Maya. Written explicitly for the Maya novice, the easy-to-grasp text offers a practical and fun approach to learning Maya's core features. Clear-cut, engaging lessons let you try out these features using working files provided on the CD. You'll also find an abundance of instructional and inspirational art on the CD and full-color insert. Enter a New Dimension Get a solid grasp of the core Maya and 3D Learn to navigate the new Maya 6 interface Experiment with Maya modeling Explore the basics of NURBS, polygons, and subdivision surfaces Discover the nuances of shading and texturing Try your hand at animation Get a feel for Maya lighting, rendering, and dynamics Find out how to use Maya and Photoshop in unison Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0782143539
• ISBN13: 9780782143539
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Sybex
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great for beginners

I come from the computers/engineering field into 3D computer graphics. This was the first book that I read. The book delivers what it promises - it is a good first step for 3D newcomers. It is easy to follow - exercises are explained step-to-step wise and it covers the most basic features of Maya. The book prepares you well for the Alias-book Maya Foundations, which gives you enough background to start making small animated films.

A must have for Maya beginers

After reading the reviews of this book I was a little apprehensive but my fears proved baseless. I can confidently say that this book has enabled me to graduate to an intermediate level Maya user. The trick is to actually read the entire book in sequence and not just jump straight into the tutorials. I found the language used to be straight forward and easy to understand. If you are new to Maya, or 3D visualisation, then I would highly recommend this book.

Excellent introduction to Maya as well as 3D

I started modeling and learning 3D products 8 years ago, with now old and relatively simple Truespace and 3D Studio Max versions, and wanted to get a taste of Maya. I found that different 3D products offer different capabilities and that combining them can result in something new and original, and that some tasks are done easier in some than others. To get a head start I figured I'd get me a book. I have a pretty good experience with Sybex books (for IT exams) and noticed they have an entire series for Maya so I figured I'd start with this one (Introducing Maya 6, 3D for beginners). The book is a fast-read, and it's complete. It shows you the basic techniques and features in Maya, but also how to apply them. Additionally, you'll get a rather complete introduction to 3D in general, preventing you from wasting time on basic lighting setups for example. I really like how this book shows you the practical side of modeling, texturing, animating, lighting, and rendering, and at the same time gives you a good idea of the real-world production process. One of the modeling examples, the catapult, seems like a lot of work, but when you get this book, make sure you go through the entire tutorial. It shows you the common (at least for me) modeling technique and after you finish it, you `will' be able to create your own models. As the title says, it's an introduction, it is for beginners. You will need to learn a lot more to get the most out of Maya, but it will definitely get you started in an efficient manner and give you a taste of Maya, and an appetite for more.

A Must Have

I am a graduate student at USC in the Animation Division and am a teaching assistant for s visual FX, and intermediate Maya class. I just started this semester using this book as a teaching aid for my students, and it was been 100x more helpful than any intro book Alias has put out. This book starts from the ground up, and gives a very clear and readable foundation on not only the digital image, but 3d in general. If anyone is serious about really learning Maya and 3d graphics, not just knowing where the buttons are, you need this book. Practical, informative, easy to understand, and is laid out in a logical fashion. David Conlon USC Cinema Television Division of Animation and Digital Arts

Great for beginers

Excellent book for the new user, like me.Good job of going over controls and menus. Projects files included on disc. The book touches on all of the relevant subjects but doesn't get too complicted right off the bat like other books. There are inspirational pictures of other begining Maya user although I don't think they learned it all from this book.