Dariush Derakhshani

John Kundert-Gibbs

Featuring completely original material from a new team of Maya know-it-alls, this second edition of an award-winning book is sure to inform and inspire even the most seasoned Maya user. In this distinctive Maya Press title, a cadre of professionals led by two acclaimed Maya pros, reveal the precious secrets they’ve learned using Maya on high-profile CG projects such as The Matrix, Shrek 2, and X-Men. In nine unique and compelling chapters, you’ll get detailed and sophisticated instruction on how to: Enhance fluidity and realism by generating complex motion with Maya Cloth Apply non-photorealistic rendering styles that mimic the look of comic books and impressionist paintings Emulate real-world camera motion, from dolly-and-pan movement to varying levels of camera shake Produce natural lighting effects using global illumination and image based lighting Ensure smooth and accurate transfer of character data from modeling to rigging to animation to lighting Control IK chains, deformers, and surfaces with Maya Hair's dynamic curves Use dynamics effectively to create flexible objects and add secondary effects to enhance your animation Use Maya’s built-in noise function to produce powerful effects similar to those used in “The Matrix” trilogy Create a human face from a conceptual sketch using subdivision surfaces

Maya® Secrets of the ProsTM

Sean Wagstaff

Get the Inside Track to Landing an Enviable Job in Computer Graphics Breaking into the wildly creative and fiery 3D/Effects industry is a tough proposition. With so many talented people competing for each alluring job, it's imperative that candidates grasp what employers look for and make every attempt to stand out. Maya Press, a joint publishing effort between Sybex and industry leader Alias, brings you this definitive and practical guide to help you land that first job or advance your current job in the computer graphics industry. Getting a Job in CG: Real Advice from Reel People is rich with candid strategies and priceless insights straight from industry and academic leaders, job recruiters, and employers. Through interviews, case studies, and sample demo reels on the CD, this book teaches you how to: Discover the myriad job possibilities from the obvious to the obscure Identify precisely what tools, skills, and knowledge employers seek Determine your best training options: college, art school, or do-it-yourself Recognize what staffing agencies and in-house recruiters are looking for Build an extraordinary resume that gets noticed Find out where to go to meet the right people and tap into networking opportunities Acquire the know-how to ace the job interview Produce an exceptional and applicable demo reel that will help you land the job Emulate the career paths of successful artists This book's companion website, www.3djobs.com , serves as a research hub packed with supplementary information and links to vital sources. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Real Advice from Reel People

Getting a Job in Computer Graphics

Randi L. Derakhshani

Start animating right away with this tutorial-based guide to Autodesk 3ds Max 2016 Autodesk 3ds Max 2016 Essentials is your perfect hands-on guide to start animating quickly. Using approachable, real-world exercises, you'll master the fundamentals of this leading animation software by following full-color screen shots step by step. Each chapter opens with a quick discussion of concepts and learning objectives, and then launches into hands-on tutorials that give you firsthand experience and a good start on preparing for the 3ds Max certification exam. You'll learn the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects as you create a retro-style alarm clock, animate a thrown knife, model a chair, and more. Whether you're a complete beginner or migrating from another 3D application, this task-based book provides the solid grounding you need in Autodesk 3ds Max 2016. Model your character with polygons, meshes, and more Add motion with simple and complex animations Add color and textures to visualize materials and surfaces Render interior scenes with great lighting and camera placement If you want to learn 3ds Max quickly and painlessly, Autodesk 3ds Max 2016 Essentials helps you start animating today.

Autodesk 3ds Max 2016 Essentials

Eric Kunzendorf

Mick Larkins

Take your Maya skills to new levels with the sophisticated coverage in this authoritative Autodesk Maya Press reference and tutorial. From key basics through advanced techniques, a team of Maya experts provides you with the very latest professional-level instruction on Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited through tutorials and hands-on practice. Whether a novice or an advanced user of Maya, you’ll find everything from key basics through advanced techniques. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Mastering Maya 8.5

The new edition of this perennial bestseller is the ideal initiation to 3D and Maya. Starting with the basics, it builds from the ground up, combining straightforward text with practical examples that make it fun and easy to learn Maya's core tools while introducing the latest Maya 2008 features. Follow clear-cut, step-by-step lessons while you learn by doing using a wealth of hands-on files provided on the CD. You'll also find compelling examples in the full-color insert.

Introducing Maya 2008

Learn Autodesk Maya from an award-winning insider Best-selling author, visual effects supervisor, and technical educator Dariush Derakhshani brings you a newly-updated, step-by-step guide to the most popular and complex 3D application on the market, Autodesk Maya. Introducing Autodesk Maya 2015 includes straightforward lessons, real-world examples, detailed tutorials, and downloadable project files that get you modeling and animating your own digital models and scenes right away. The book starts you with the latest CG concepts and production workflows, and then shows you how to create a solar system to help get you acquainted with the basic tool set in Maya. From there, the books helps you: Learn the Maya user interface, including menus and plug-ins Build simple animations and 3D images right away Explore polygons, modeling, and NEX tools Get started with HDRI lighting, rendering, dynamics, simulations, and effects Whether you're new to 3D or migrating from another 3D application, Introducing Autodesk Maya 2015 will kick-start your creativity and get you up and running with Maya. Author Derakhshani has worked on movies such as The Fantastic Four and Pan's Labyrinth, the South Park TV series, and numerous commercials and music videos.

Autodesk Official Press

Introducing Autodesk Maya 2015

Start modeling right away with this hands-on guide to learning Autodesk Maya 2016 Introducing Autodesk Maya 2016 is the official guide to the most popular and complex 3D application on the market. Building from the ground up, this book combines straightforward text with practical examples that make it easy to absorb the basics and start designing and animating your own digital models and scenes. The tutorials offer realistic challenges and clear explanations, laid out in fun, step-by-step lessons that help you gain confidence and learn by doing. You'll delve into CG and 3D core concepts and production workflows, then get right to work designing an animation of the solar system as you learn the interface and basic tools. As your modeling skills grow, you'll build a steam locomotive, a starfish, a table lamp, and much more as you learn to rig your model for animation, create fabric motion with nCloth, and add the lighting and effects that bring your scenes to life. The companion website features downloadable project files that help you see how the pros do it, and the book includes real-world examples from talented users who were beginners just like you. Master the Maya 2016 interface, menus, and plug-ins Begin building simple animations right away Explore modeling, rendering, animation, and cloth motion Add lighting, rendering, dynamics, simulations, and effects If you want to work like the pros, Introducing Autodesk Maya 2016 is the perfect primer for getting started.

Introducing Autodesk Maya 2016

What you need to get up and running on Autodesk Maya 2014 Autodesk Maya is the industry-leading 3D animation and effects software, and this detailed Autodesk Official Press book is the ideal way to get you started using Maya like a studio veteran. Professional visual effects artist and Maya expert Dariush Derakhshani clearly explains the basics of modeling, texturing, animating and visual effects for new users, while leading you through fun and challenging lessons that give you plenty of hands-on practice. The book includes a color insert featuring dazzling examples from talented beginners, so you can see what's possible. Gets beginners and those migrating from other 3D applications up and running on Autodesk Maya 2014 Helps users master the Maya interface and the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects Provides practical and fun, step-by-step tutorials that illustrate realistic, professional challenges Includes a full-color insert of amazing examples from talented beginners Written by an Autodesk Authorized Author and is an Autodesk Official Press book Whether you're new to 3D or migrating from another 3D application, Introducing Autodesk Maya will kickstart your creativity and get you up and running on Maya.

Introducing Autodesk Maya 2014

A complete update to the popular Autodesk Official Training Guide for Maya Maya is the industry-leading 3D animation and effects software used in movies, visual effects, games, cartoons, and other animation. This bestselling, official guide is a must for 3D beginners who want a thorough grounding in this dynamic and complex software. Fully updated for the newest version of Maya, the book explains the interface and the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, dynamics, visualization, and visual effects. Fun and challenging tutorials lead you through the nuances of the software and offer plenty of chances to practice what you've learned. The Autodesk Official Training Guide for Maya, endorsed and promoted by Autodesk to its 2,500 Authorized Training Centers worldwide Maya is the 3D animation and effects software used in the film, game, and advertising industries; it's a complex program and this book gives beginners the knowledge and confidence they need Shows how to master the interface and the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects Step-by-step tutorials offer realistic, professional challenges for those new to 3D and those switching from another 3D application Materials are available for instructors who want to use this guide with their students Introducing Autodesk Maya is the perfect guide to get you up and running on the world's most popular professional 3D application.

Introducing Autodesk Maya 2013

If you’re new to Maya, the industry-leading 3D animation and effects software, Introducing Maya includes step-by-step tutorials and easy-to-follow explanations to teach you the basics and nuances of this complex software. Whether you’re a student or a hobbyist, you can learn all about the Maya interface and the fundamentals of modeling, texturing, animating and visual effects with realistic examples. If you’re new to 3D animation or transitioning from another 3D application, this book will provide you with the tools you need to become proficient at Maya. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. For Instructors: Teaching supplements are available for this title.

Introducing Maya 2009

Explores the features of the tool for creating 3D modeling, animation, and rendering.

3D for Beginners

Introducing Maya 5

A practical, step-by-step guide to Maya 2012 This book is the ideal primer to getting started with Maya, the premier 3D animation and effects software used in movies, visual effects, games, cartoons, short films, and commercials. You'll learn the Maya interface and the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects. Professional visual effects artist and instructor Dariush Derakhshani explains the nuances of the complex software, while creative tutorials offer realistic, professional challenges for those new to 3D. You'll be up and running in no time with the world's most popular professional 3D software application. Provides a thorough, step-by-step introduction to Maya 2012 Explains the core concepts of CG and working in 3D Covers modeling, rigging, HDRI lighting, mental ray rendering, and more Concepts are reinforced with tutorials that offer realistic challenges and clear explanations Color insert provides real-world examples from talented beginning Maya users Build your Maya and animation skills from the ground up with this practical, thorough guide.

Introducing Autodesk Maya 2012

Peter Lee

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.

Maya 5 Savvy

A practical, step-by-step guide to Maya 2011 Four previous editions can’t be wrong: this book is the perfect introduction to 3D and Maya. Learn to build and animate your own digital models and scenes with step-by-step instruction and fun and practical examples, while you draw inspiration from the striking examples included from talented Maya users. You’ll create a simple animation of the planets in the solar system, learn to model a human hand and a decorative box—among other projects—and master all essential tools. Provides a thorough, step-by-step introduction to Maya 2011 Explains the core concepts of CG and working in 3D Covers modeling, rigging, HDRI lighting, mental ray rendering, and more Provides project files on CD and walks you through the creation of several projects; the CD also includes images, movies, and scene files Includes a color insert with pages of striking examples from talented Maya beginners Build your Maya and animation skills from the ground up with this practical, thorough guide. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. For Instructors: Teaching supplements are available for this title.

Introducing Maya 2011

"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.

Introducing Maya 6

A guide to using the 3D animation and effects software Autodesk Maya 2013, covering modeling, texturing, animating and visual effects.

Dariush Derakhshani

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