Start modeling immediately with this hands-on guide to learning Autodesk Maya 2016. This official guide to the leading 3D application combines clear text with practical examples, making it easy to grasp the basics and begin designing and animating your own digital models. The tutorials present realistic challenges and straightforward explanations through engaging, step-by-step lessons that build your confidence as you learn by doing. You'll explore core concepts of CG and 3D production workflows while creating an animation of the solar system to familiarize yourself with the interface and basic tools. As your skills develop, you'll create a steam locomotive, a starfish, a table lamp, and more, learning to rig your models for animation, simulate fabric motion with nCloth, and add lighting and effects that enhance your scenes. The companion website offers downloadable project files to illustrate professional techniques, and the book features real-world examples from users who started as beginners. Master the Maya 2016 interface, menus, and plug-ins while building simple animations. Explore modeling, rendering, animation, cloth motion, and add dynamics, simulations, and effects. This guide is the ideal starting point for aspiring 3D artists.
