"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.

"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

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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

"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

The instructions are vague at best.

I am nearly done with this book and I must say that it has been a rather grueling experience at times. The author needs to improve how he writes his instructions. He’ll tell you to do something but won’t tell you HOW to go about doing it. And this book is for beginners? It has nothing to do with the software. Maya may have a high learning curve, but if you are willing to work hard at it everyday you will get through it. That said, it seems that the author was in a hurry to write this, and at times rambles on about nothing.

Certain steps are not explained well enough...author unresponsive and indifferent to important questions

Overall, I had no trouble getting through most of the projects in the book. I hit a real bump in the road with the "simple" hand project, and let me tell you its far from simple. When drawing the thumb, one must use a scaling tool to scale down its size. The problem with using the scaling tool on wedge is that its impossible to control what the tool does to resize a wedge. It either makes the wedge too big, or it distorts it in some other way. Finally I had to look on line to see if someone did a similar project, and I found a much better way of constructing the thumb for the hand....no thanks to this guy, who just likes flying through steps without giving the reader more insight as to how particular tools function for particular instances in a project. And forget about asking him for help. I must have tried every Maya forum on the internet for help, and then finally I emailed the author for help as a last resort. He could care less, never answered my emails. But he’s SUPER glad to have my $34.00 so that he can write more books where he can skip the important things.

Best book for begginers

Some people may find this book a bit difficult because of its style. The way this book works (besides for explaining the concepts very well,) is it teaches you how to do something and after taking you through it a few times, the author will tell you to do something based on what you just learned and you will have to do it on your own. So you really end up with first hand experience.

Best book for begginers

Some people may find this book a bit difficult because of its style. The way this book works (besides for explaining the concepts very well,) is it teaches you how to do something and after taking you through it a few times, the author will tell you to do something based on what you just learned and you will have to do it on your own. So you really end up with first hand experience.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A decent but difficult book

This book is an introduction to the 3D software Maya. The format was split between general discussion and step-by-step exercises. There is also a CD that included the exercise files and a copy of Maya Personal Learning Edition (PLE).

First of all, I did find the step-by-step exercises to be quite frustrating. The steps could have benefited from more detail or even a few more images. I just found myself getting lost to easily. Sometimes experimentation or trial and error were the only ways to get through a particular step. I did spot a few errors - most related to entering values. Sometimes depending on the view (or perspective) the required values would be different. As a beginner, minor errors made things even more difficult then they already were. Surprisingly, the book’s use of grayscale images didn’t create any problems except on a few occasions. Ultimately, it took me a lot longer to finish the exercises and the book than I would have wanted.

One of the reasons I got this book is that it included a copy of Maya PLE. But, the included version is only 5.0. Which is strange since the book is supposed to be an introduction to Maya 6. I couldn’t get it to install anyways so I ended up just buying Maya PLE 6.0 from Alias.

With the problems aside you will still learn plenty just by reading through the material. I found the general discussion to be excellent. There was plenty of good information about the animation production process and great insight about each topic. I was surprised to find out that one of my favorite animated comedies was created with Maya.

Maya is a large and complicated program. The frustrating exercises just complicated things further. Especially since this is supposed to be an introduction to the topic. The exercises just needed to be a little clearer or more specific at times. The book may have been intended to be used with a formal class. In the end, and not without some struggles, I was still fairly introduced to Maya and 3D.

A decent but difficult book

This book is an introduction to the 3D software Maya. The format was split between general discussion and step-by-step exercises. There is also a CD that included the exercise files and a copy of Maya Personal Learning Edition (PLE).

First of all, I did find the step-by-step exercises to be quite frustrating. The steps could have benefited from more detail or even a few more images. I just found myself getting lost to easily. Sometimes experimentation or trial and error were the only ways to get through a particular step. I did spot a few errors - most related to entering values. Sometimes depending on the view (or perspective) the required values would be different. As a beginner, minor errors made things even more difficult then they already were. Surprisingly, the book’s use of grayscale images didn’t create any problems except on a few occasions. Ultimately, it took me a lot longer to finish the exercises and the book than I would have wanted.

One of the reasons I got this book is that it included a copy of Maya PLE. But, the included version is only 5.0. Which is strange since the book is supposed to be an introduction to Maya 6. I couldn’t get it to install anyways so I ended up just buying Maya PLE 6.0 from Alias.

With the problems aside you will still learn plenty just by reading through the material. I found the general discussion to be excellent. There was plenty of good information about the animation production process and great insight about each topic. I was surprised to find out that one of my favorite animated comedies was created with Maya.

Maya is a large and complicated program. The frustrating exercises just complicated things further. Especially since this is supposed to be an introduction to the topic. The exercises just needed to be a little clearer or more specific at times. The book may have been intended to be used with a formal class. In the end, and not without some struggles, I was still fairly introduced to Maya and 3D.

NOT FOR BEGGINERS

This book is a big waste of time and money just like many other Maya books. I have bought and read over 5 Maya books geared towards begginers and none of them including this one is helpful. They have many great tutorials, but all the directions are very hard to understand because they leave alot of missing information out. Its like they expect you to really know the software in and out to study their beginner books series.

My advice for begginners is to use a less demanding program. Many people who use Maya are pros and thats not to say you won’t be either. But unless you go to school, these books in my opionion are worthless. Even though the tutorials are made by people who have big names in the CGI industry, doesn’t mean they have the teaching skills to get us small people going.

I recommend Lightwave, because the book, Inside Lightwave 8 taught me in a breeze how to ge up and running fast-

NOT FOR BEGGINERS

This book is a big waste of time and money just like many other Maya books. I have bought and read over 5 Maya books geared towards begginers and none of them including this one is helpful. They have many great tutorials, but all the directions are very hard to understand because they leave alot of missing information out. Its like they expect you to really know the software in and out to study their beginner books series.

My advice for begginners is to use a less demanding program. Many people who use Maya are pros and thats not to say you won’t be either. But unless you go to school, these books in my opionion are worthless. Even though the tutorials are made by people who have big names in the CGI industry, doesn’t mean they have the teaching skills to get us small people going.

I recommend Lightwave, because the book, Inside Lightwave 8 taught me in a breeze how to ge up and running fast-

Not the best for sure. . .

Sure, this book covers some stuff, but a lot of the information you can learn online/tutorials. Also, I learned much quicker and easier using Digital Tutor’s stuff (dubyadubyadubya dot digital-tutors dot com )

It’s an OK book, but I regret that I bought it.

useless

I’ll say it again. Useless. The training books from Alias Wavefront are far better.

Great book for the Maya beginner

I had to let you know that if you are a beginner in Maya - you have to buy this book.
It’s very easy to read and to follow. The author gives you the neccessary basics and then makes you to do some exercises on your own (so you can practice what you’ve learned).
Great chapter on Polygonal modeling (the NURBS chapter is slightly weaker).

I’d like to recommend this book ........

but unfortunately I cannot.

It is supposedly for beginners but I feel that the book’s learning curve is way too steep and in some places almost vertical.

I feel that the author has made assumptions that the reader will be able to find the right commands in the maze of options.

He has fallen into the all to common trap of saying what to do but not how to do it.

I am sure this book would be useful to those people who already have some skills in 3d applications but this is most definitely NOT a book for beginners.

I’d like to recommend this book ........

but unfortunately I cannot.

It is supposedly for beginners but I feel that the book’s learning curve is way too steep and in some places almost vertical.

I feel that the author has made assumptions that the reader will be able to find the right commands in the maze of options.

He has fallen into the all to common trap of saying what to do but not how to do it.

I am sure this book would be useful to those people who already have some skills in 3d applications but this is most definitely NOT a book for beginners.

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 good primer

I found this book to be a useful Maya primer, combining both practical lessons with a broad explanation of some of the theory behind using one tool or method over another.

Note that this book is a very general introduction and does not go into any one area in particular depth (I recommend the other dedicated Alias publications for that).

There are a few errors and places where the author seems to have skipped a step but nothing drastic. Perhaps the biggest issue I have with this book is that the illustrations are black and white (actually, more grey and white). Whilst I understand that this keeps the cost down, given that the default Maya interface is largely grey’ish in colour, it can make figuring out what has been "selected" on an object, particularly vertices or CVs, a little difficult. Perhaps in future Sybex could place color illustrations on the accompanying DVD.

Overall a good book and one that has certainly whetted my appetite for some of the more advanced features, such as dynamics and particles. I recommened reading this before moving on to the specialist books on modelling, rigging etc.

Good if you’re a Windoze user

The book is good and easy to read and helps build up the basis you need to move into the more complex areas. My one disappointment is that all references to the key board and short cuts were for Windoze not Macintosh. This sort of thing is ok when you are dealing with basic programs where the text says control you know to use command but when the differences are insert on Windoze and fn + home on the Mac for pivot point manipulation (a key area in Maya) then learning can be a bit of a pain. Anyway if you are from a graphics background and want a cheap foundation book to get to grips then I’d recommend it.