$30

In this course we will cover many of the methods for working between ZBrush 4 and Maya.
ZBrush and Maya are both very powerful 3D applications that each offers its own strengths. By combining these two programs into our workflow, we can take advantage of those strengths to get our work done quicker and more efficiently. In this course, we'’ll cover many of the tools and techniques we can use to merge Zbrush and Maya into our workflows. We'll explore methods for manually transferring geometry back and forth between the two applications. We'll also look at creating color maps, Normal maps, and Displacement maps, and transferring those to Maya. We'll look at the GoZ pipeline and how it will make working with Zbrush and Maya a really seamless process. We'll also look at some practical reasons for choosing to use Maya and Zbrush in tandem. In the end, you'll have a good understanding of how you can work efficiently between Maya and Zbrush, leveraging the strengths of both to create your best work.

Digital Tutors - Pipeline Integration with Maya 2011 and ZBrush 4 (2010)

$30

$30

In this collection of lessons we will learn about the Animation Principle of Exaggeration
This course will delve in the animation principle of Exaggeration in Maya. The goal of this course is to give you a clearer understanding of what exaggeration is all about. We will explore various ways exaggeration can be implemented successfully. We'll also cover how and how not it should be used, which will, in turn, strength your ability as an animator as you use this principle to refine your work for a more entertaining end result.

Digital Tutors - Digital-Tutors | Exploring Animation Principles in Maya 2011: Exaggeration (2010)

$30

$30

In this collection of lessons we will learn about the Animation Principle of Anticipation.
This course will delve in the animation principle of Anticipation in Maya.

1. Introduction and Project Overview
2. Understanding Anticipation
3. Contrasting Anticipation
4. Refining our contrast anticipation
5. Anticipation for subtle actions

Digital Tutors - Exploring Animation Principles in Maya 2011: Anticipation (2010)

$30

$30

In this course we will explore methods for building realistic hands using Maya and Mudbox.
Hands are one of the most expressive parts of many of the characters we create. Because of this, a lot of time should often be spent focusing on the hands. There are, of course, a nearly infinite number of styles in which to build a hand. In this course, we will concentrate on a hand that can go with a more realistic character. We'll start by talking a little about the proportions and anatomy of hands. Then we'll go over tools and methods for creating base geometry with topology that will help in sculpting and animating. Then we'll take the mesh into Mudbox and begin sculpting high-resolution details such as skin wrinkles, knuckles, and skin textures. Finally, we'll take our geometry and maps out of Mudbox and back into Maya. Once you've completed this course, you'll have a much better idea of how to go about building hands for your characters and how to create the detail you need in a useable state.

Digital Tutors - Modeling Realistic Hands in Maya 2011 and Mudbox 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we will be taking an introductory look at many of the rendering features found in V-Ray for Maya.
Using the V-Ray rendering engine, we can create highly realistic renders inside of Maya, but understanding how to properly use the rendering features of V-Ray is of critical importance. In these lessons we will explore many tools and concepts of V-Ray such as the various methods for simulating global illumination and understanding when each of these methods should be used. We will also look at the specialized V-Ray lights and how to properly use these lights in order to achieve a high degree of realism. We will also learn how to utilize the V-Ray Sun and Sky to create realistic outdoor lighting, we will learn how to utilize some of the specialized V-Ray materials, how to render our images into multiple passes, and exploring many additional rendering features found in V-Ray.

Digital Tutors - Introduction to V-Ray for Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

In this collection of lessons we will learn about a wide variety of animation techniques that are designed to improve your animation skill-set.
In this course we will build an animation of a character climbing over a wall from scratch, using techniques that can be implemented in any animation. Step by step, we'll create this climb while covering various techniques like: how to block in your extremes so that finalizing the animation becomes a faster process, strengthening poses to get a more entertaining outcome, and we'll also learn how to work smarter by utilizing Animation Layers to tweak pre-existing animation non-destructively, so that by the end of this course, you'll have the knowledgebase you need to create animations quickly and proficiently.

Digital Tutors - Exploring Animation in Maya 2011: Climbing A Wall (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons, we will explore some of the core rendering tools and features of Maya that every rendering artist needs to be familiar with.
This course is designed for users who are just getting started with rendering in Maya, so we will not be focusing heavily on using lights, materials or recipes to give your render a specific look. Instead, our focus will be on helping you build a strong foundational knowledge of rendering in Maya by talking about many of the key tools, features and concepts that every rendering artist in Maya really needs to be familiar with. We will also learn how to resolve some rendering-related issues that you may encounter, and we will focus very heavily on helping you develop good habits and strong workflow practices that will be extremely beneficial to you as an emerging render artist.

Digital Tutors - Digital Tutors - Introduction to Rendering in Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we'll learn how to turn a 2d image into a 3d scene using camera projection in Maya. By using a reference photo inside Maya, we'll be able to create realistic scenes quickly and easily.
We'll begin this project by learning about the theories behind camera projection what makes a good image to project. We'll then set-up our camera in Maya for match moving and look at a technique to get our camera in the correct position. Once we've set our camera, we'll create the projection shader. We'll then model the rest of our building and animate a new camera. We'll then look at various techniques of completing our scene and adding a sky dome. We'll finish by taking the extra step of adding reflective geometry for increased realism.

Digital Tutors - Camera Projection in Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we'll learn how to take some footage and move it through the entire MatchMover to Maya to After Effects pipeline to create a finished shot. By going through the entire pipeline, we will be able to learn about specific issues and tips and tricks while moving between and inside each application.
We'll begin this project by solving four of our shots in MatchMover and combining them in Maya into a cohesive 3d scene. Then we'll create our last camera in Maya and match it. Once all our camera are set-up, we'll learn how to model our object, create dynamics, animate, texture and render our scene. We'll then jump into After Effects to do some color treatment on our backgrounds and then composite our layers together. Now, this is a long project that will take some time to complete.

Digital Tutors - Match Moving and Compositing Pipeline in Maya 2011 and After Effects (2010)

$30

$30

Creating believable environments comes from an efficient combination of 3d models and textures. Depending on the purpose of the set, detail can be created through the use of actual geometry, or we can add detail strictly through texture maps. For this project, we'll build a disused sci-fi environment. We'll start the process by building the geometry for the environment using a variety of modeling tools. Once the geometry is completed, we'll create uv layouts for the different pieces that will allow us to minimize the number of texture maps needed. Once the UVs are complete, we'll look at a number of ways we can create different textures in Photoshop. Although you can follow along with the project, there will be a number of opportunities for you to really customize your environment and once we're done, you'll be able to apply what you've learned to your own work.

Digital Tutors - Creating Low Resolution Environments in Maya 2011 and Photoshop (2010)

$30

$30

In this course we will cover tools and techniques for curve-based facial rigging in Maya.
We'll take the Facial Action Coding System approach of controls muscles to mold facial expressions. Step by step, we'll construct a facial control rig that is robust, sufficient, and animator-friendly. We'll learn everything from how to deform a mesh by a curve's shape, to creating controls for those curves that will provide the animator with the functionality they need to create entertaining facial animations. We'll also learn how utilize nodes and expressions to automate certain components of our control rig. By the end of this course, you'll have the fund of knowledge you need to create your own curve-based control rigs that produce natural and appealing facial expressions.

Digital Tutors - Curve-based Facial Rigging in Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we'll learn how to take some footage and move it through the entire MatchMover to Maya to Nuke pipeline to create a finished shot.
We'll begin this project by solving four of our shots in MatchMover and combining them in Maya into a cohesive 3d scene. Then we'll create our last camera in Maya and match it. Once all our camera are set-up, we'll learn how to model our object, create dynamics, animate, texture and render our scene. We'll then jump into Nuke to do some color treatment on our backgrounds and then composite our layers together. Now, this is a long project that will take some time to complete. If you get stuck or have any questions, please join our forums and ask. We check the forums often and have a very active and helpful community.

Digital Tutors - Match Moving and Compositing Pipeline in Maya 2011 and Nuke 6 (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons, we will learn some of the tools and techniques you can use to build facial expressions and phoneme shapes for your characters.
Creating characters with expressive faces is often a very important part of our 3D projects. Depending on the type of character, you may need to communicate a great deal through the expression on its face. Facial expressions relay a lot of non-verbal information about our characters and Mudbox can make creating those expressions really easy and a lot of fun. In this course, we'll talk about several concepts to keep in mind when building facial expressions, such as the muscles of the face, how the skin reacts when the muscles move it into an expression and some important tips to keep in mind when working. We'll cover methods in Mudbox for sculpting different expressions and how to use sculpt layers to create an extremely flexible workflow. Finally, we'll look at a couple of ways that we can get our expressions into Maya in order to set up animatable blendshapes. Once done, you'll have a better understanding of how you can use Mudbox and Maya to create appealing facial expressions for your own characters.

Digital Tutors – Creating Facial Expressions in Mudbox and Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we will explore a variety of techniques for creating realistic lighting which can also convey a sense of mood and atmosphere within Maya.
Throughout these lessons we will learn how to use lights and shading network modifications to create the appearance of real light sources, as well as using lights to call attention to particular areas of our scene. This course will be placing emphasis on efficient rendering practices, and some guidelines that you can use in your day-to-day work to help your renders proceed as quickly as possible. We will also take some time to learn how volume primitives and 3D textures in Maya can be used to create complex volumetric effects within our scene.

Digital Tutors - Rendering Low Resolution Environments in Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we’re going to take a look at the basics of working with UVs in Maya.
UVs and UV layouts are important aspects of creating textures for our 3d models. They let us tell Maya how to apply the 2d images we create. Having a good uv layout can really make a difference in speeding up texture creation and optimizing your results.

Digital Tutors - Getting Started with UVs in Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

This course will provide you with a foundation for camera animation in Maya.
We’ll cover everything from creating turntables, to techniques we can use to add more entertainment to our shots by camera animation alone. We’ll learn various ways we can rig cameras and even discuss shot composition to make sure the audience knows who the significant players and objects of interest are in our scene. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge you need to animate the camera confidently, producing results that can captivate an audience.

Digital Tutors - Introduction to Camera Animation in Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons, we will learn how the RealFlow RenderKit can be used inside of Maya.
The RealFlow RenderKit is an extremely powerful set of tools for rendering RealFlow particle data directly within our primary 3D application. With the RealFlow RenderKit, we have the ability to control the size and shape of our rendered particles, we can increase or decrease the number of particles that are rendered, and we can also shade our particles based on RealFlow magnitude data. Using the RealFlow RenderKit, we can also generate meshes around our particles at render time, eliminating the need to mesh our particles inside of RealFlow. During this course, we will also discuss how RealFlow particles can be rendered as volumetric clouds, as well as learning how to import RealFlow displacement map sequences into maya for Rendering.

Digital Tutors - Using the RealFlow RenderKit in Maya (2010)

$30

$30

In this collection of lessons we will learn about the Animation Principle of Timing and Spacing.
This course will delve in the animation principle of Timing and Spacing in Maya. Throughout this course, we'll define Timing and Spacing and work through a variety exercises to help get the point across. We'll even discuss techniques we can use to make sure our animations are Timed accurately. By the end of this course, you'll have a deeper understanding of the principle of Timing and Spacing, which will help you become a better animator.

Digital Tutors - Exploring Animation Principles in Maya 2011: Timing and Spacing (2010)

$30

$30

In this collection of lessons we will learn about the Animation Principle of Pose to Pose and Straight Ahead.
This course will delve in the animation principle of Pose to Pose and Straight Ahead in Maya. The goal of this course is to, not only learn the differences between both Pose to Pose and the Straight Ahead approach of animation, but is also for you to learn the advantages of bridging the two methods together. We'll even look a different technique for animating with Pose to Pose than we've used in the past. That way you can find which workflow is more suitable for you. By the end of this course, you'll have a firm understanding of Pose to Pose and Straight Ahead, so that your animation skill-set can be expanded as you use this principle to rough-in and refine your work.

Digital Tutors - Exploring Animation Principles in Maya 2011: Pose to Pose and Straight Ahead (2010)

$30

$30

In this course we will cover the process of creating a Walk Cycle in Maya.
One step at a time, we'll break down the body mechanics of a walk. We'll learn the main positions that one goes through in a walk, we'll learn how to create seamless cycles and explore ways we can add convincing follow-through and weight. We'll even work with animation layers to produce a walk that is natural and has a little personality.

Digital Tutors - Creating Walk Cycles in Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

This course will provide you with a good foundation for rigging characters in Maya.
In this course, we'll be taking a step-by-step approach, constructing a control rig that is solid and animator-friendly. We'll learn everything from proper joint placement and working with constraints, to learning how to utilize Maya's innovative and robust enveloping tools to remove the fear of painting weights and, instead, make the process an enjoyable one. We'll cover how to make our controls efficient and easy to comprehend, and we'll also learn how to work with custom shelves to quickly access tools so we can speed up our workflow.

Digital Tutors - Introduction to Character Rigging in Maya (2010)

$30

$30

In this course, we will cover tools and techniques for setting up character rigs in Maya.
Step by step, we'll construct a control rig that is robust and animator-friendly. We'll learn everything from proper joint placement and techniques for correcting a joint's orientation to learning fun ways we can preserve volume as our mesh deforms and how to make our controls efficient and easy to comprehend. We'll also learn how to build some fun MEL tools that will help speed up our workflow, bringing that time back into constructing our control rigs with the best methods.

Digital Tutors - Character Rigging for Production in Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

At Digital-Tutors, we've found that many students starting out in modeling have difficulty in creating the specific vision they have. In many cases it's not necessarily a lack of knowledge of the tools as much as it is a lack of confidence and experience. So, to give you a head start on your modeling, we've put together a number of tips collected from production and from teaching students that will help you build the best models you can with minimal frustration.
We'll talk about breaking down our modeling projects into manageable chunks. Then we'll cover methods for staying aware of as much information as possible about our geometry while we work. We'll cover specific techniques for adding circular resolution to square objects and go over setting up image planes. This course is meant for students that have some modeling experience and are familiar with some modeling tools but would like a few tips for creating a smoother workflow and getting better results.

Digital Tutors - 10 Ways to Improve Your Modeling in Maya (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we'll explore the fascinating Maya Fur toolset.
We will spend most of our time with the core node of this system the Fur Description. This course is a perfect review of the fur description for those of you who are already using Fur as well as a perfect overview for new artists using Fur for the first time. We will go through the process of loading the plugin and go through each of the attributes one by one in the Fur Desc. Node. By learning more about what the individual attributes do you will be armed with the knowledge to tackle your own fur projects. This is the first part of a 2 part series covering the fur system in Maya.

Digital Tutors - Introduction to Maya Fur (2010)

$30

$30

In this course we will explore the Maya Fur menu set and all of the advanced features tucked away in them.
We will learn things like how to control your render settings, shadows, use the Maya Hair system to add dynamics as well as how to render fur using mental ray. This is a perfect course for those of you using fur in production and want a refresher on the different menus as well as those of you touching Maya Fur for the first time. This is a second part of a two part training course. We'll build upon what we covered in the first course. You are welcome to start here but I would recommend you complete the first course as a pre-requisite.

Digital Tutors - Advanced Maya Fur Menus (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we'll learn how to take the output from a motion tracker app and import a 3D model and light, render and composite it into our original footage in Nuke.
We'll begin this project by setting up our motion tracked scene by adding the original footage and aligning everything to make working easier. We'll then bring in our 3d object and learn how to place it in our scene. We'll then learn how to create ground geometry and create lighting that matches our original shot. We'll then create multiple render passes and layers to make compositing much easier. After we render, we'll jump into Nuke and learn about such topics as shadow matching, color matte usage and various techniques to match our 3d render with our live action back-plate. We'll finish with a global color correct and add realistic motion blur to finish our shot.
Runtime: 2 hrs. 44 min.
Software: Maya 2010 and Nuke 6.0 and up for project files

Digital Tutors - Compositing 3D into Video in Maya and Nuke (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons, we will learn how to texture and render realistic eyes using Photoshop and Maya.

When trying to create highly realistic, lifelike characters, the importance of the eyes is often understated. In fact, the eyes are one of the most important aspects to consider when creating characters that truly look and feel alive. During this course, we will learn how to create highly realistic eye textures from scratch using Photoshop, and in a way that gives us a high degree of flexibility and control over the textures' color variations and other details. Once the texturing has been completed, we will jump into Maya, where we will discuss shading and rendering techniques that can give the eye a highly realistic final look. Along the way we will be exploring many additional tips, tricks, and workflows that you will be able to use both in Photoshop and in Maya to help create more believable, realistic eyes for your characters.

Digital Tutors - Creating Realistic Eyes in Photoshop and Maya (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons, we will model and texture a 3d building and integrate it into a photographic plate.
Architectural visualization is an invaluable tool for being able to see a building, often inside and out, before constructing it in real life. Seeing structures in 3d will often highlight issues that may not be apparent when looking at drawings and plans. We'll start by building up the geometry of the two buildings from scratch, using many of Maya's modeling tools. We'll use deformers to create sweeping curves and we'll use existing geometry to add detail like balconies and rails. With the modeling complete, Kyle will take you through the process of adding materials and textures to the geometry. You'll also go through the necessary steps for adding appropriate lighting and setting up your renders. In the end, you'll have a nice final render with your custom built 3d building sitting in a real location.

Digital Tutors - Architectural Previsualization in Maya (2010)

$30

$30

In this course, we will guide you through the 12 Principles of Animation in Maya.
Why does my character's motion look so unnatural and unappealing? How can my animations captivate an audience? What, in my character's movement, is missing that will enable it to be convincing and entertaining? These are a few questions that will be answered through this training, all with the help of these fundamental rules of animation.

Digital Tutors - 12 Principles of Animation in Maya (2010)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons, we will help you get a strong understanding of Maya and how it works. You'll get the chance to work with many of the other Maya instructors here at Digital-Tutors who will show you how to use some of the major components of Maya.
In this course, we'll start by giving you the foundational skills and vocabulary you'll need in order to move around within Maya, and then we'll jump right into the Modeling section of the course. After completing the Modeling section, you'll get the chance try your hand at Texturing, Rigging, Animation, Dynamics, and finally, Lighting and Rendering your own animation. Our goal is not to weigh you down with technical information, but rather to help you form really good habits so you can have a successful future using Maya.

Digital Tutors - Introduction to Maya 2011 (2010)

$30

$30

In this course, we'll cover methods for adding topology to our new or pre-existing model to make creating mouth shapes and expressions feasible.
For anyone focusing on animation, having a character to work with is important. In a previous course, we went through the process of building a basic character that we could use to practice our animation. The character is meant to show action and emotion through only the movement of the body. While this is great practice for getting the most out of our character's body movements, at some point we'll probably want to start creating facial expressions and even make our character speak. We'll use a variety of tools in Maya like the Split Polygon Tool and the Insert Edge Loops tool to manually add and remove edges and generally reroute the geometry as needed. We'll also add geometry for the interior of the mouth and reassemble the head with the existing body.

Digital Tutors - Creating Facial Topology in Maya (2010)

$30

$30

In this course we will learn various animation tips and tricks to make more appealing character animation
This course will provide you with a sampling of tips and tricks collected by our animators. We will learn how to improve our animation using different tools such animation snapshot and motion trails. Then we will go over some simple ways of how to apply weight to character, use silhouettes to strengthen poses, and add offsets to make our animations look more natural and less rigid.

Digital Tutors - Animation Tips and Tricks in Maya (2009)

$30

$30

This training will be covering how to generate fluid simulations from scratch and all of the key attributes in the fluid shape node A few things that we will learn in this course will include dynamic simulation settings, adjusting temperature and fuel, converting the fluid simulation into geometry and working with the shading attributes to name a few. This course is perfect for beginning artist who are new to Maya and Fluids as well as seasoned Maya artists looking for an explanation of what a particular attribute does.
This course is an introductory look at Fluid Containers both 2D and 3D in Maya. Fluids in Maya is part of the Unlimited toolset and has the ability to create some amazing simulations that are extremely hard to achieve with particle simulations alone. This course will explore the different attributes in the Fluid Shape node as well as the workflow when creating fluid simulations. The goal of this course is to help you gain a level of comfort with Maya Fluids so you will be prepared for the advanced fluids course. We also hope you will gain the confidence to experiment on our own and learn how to create your very own simulations in Maya.

Digital Tutors - Introduction to Fluid Containers in Maya (2009)

$30

$30

In this course we will get a look at some neat tips and tricks when using Rigid Body dynamics in Maya
This lesson breathes new life into an old rigid body solver as we will learn about some basic workflow issues including the concept of standing and proxy objects. We will also spend time learning how to set-up rigid body clones, use rigid bodies on characters, and utilize MEL to solve different rigid body problems.

Digital Tutors - Rigid Body Tips and Tricks in Maya (2009)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we'll learn how to use the locator and wake features of Maya Oceans to make objects float on the surface, and create ripples in our ocean. Using advanced dynamic and boat locators we can define many attributes of our floating object to create realistic motion.
We'll begin this project by learning about the most basic locator, the Ocean Surface locator. We'll then branch into the more complicated locators that allow us to have dynamic motion including buoyancy, damping and gravity. We'll finish the locator section with a lesson on the fun feature of Motorboats, which let us have a throttle and rudder on an object and make a realistic boat animation complete with pitching and rolling. We'll then learn the basics of using wakes to deform our surface as if something has just dropped into the water. We'll learn a few advanced techniques such as, connecting a foam generator to our ocean as well as advanced color bleeding and foamy waves.

Digital Tutors - Overview of Maya Ocean Locators and Wakes (2009)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we'll learn how to begin Maya's powerful Ocean features. Using Maya Oceans, we'll be able to achieve quality results within a matter of minutes.
We'll begin this project by learning the basics of creating a Maya Ocean and what it is actually made of. We'll then learn about attributes we need to set early in the project. Then we'll learn how to control the noisiness of waves and their length. After that, we'll create line graphs to change each wave's height, turbulence and peak. We'll finish by adding foam and editing the color information of the shader.

Digital Tutors - Getting Started with Oceans in Maya (2009)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons we're going to use a variety of modeling tools and techniques to create damage effects using a building.
Damaging 3d models presents some interesting challenges and creates new issues from a modeling point of view. Perhaps you now need to build an engine because a shot calls for the hood of your CG car to be damaged. Or the walls of your set have been damaged, displaying their inner structure. We'll cover some basic techniques for adding the needed resolution to the models. We'll talk about how different types of materials react to damage - wood vs. metal or concrete. We'll cover methods for breaking apart pieces of geometry as well as dressing the set and using dynamics to add rubble very quickly. Once done, you'll be able to apply what you've learned and start destroying your own 3d models.

Digital Tutors - Modeling Architectural Destruction in Maya (2009)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons, we will learn the process of rendering your Maya scene into multiple passes, and using some advanced techniques for compositing these passes using Toxik.
We will dedicate the first portion of this course to using Render Passes in Maya to separate various elements of our scene at render time. We'll use mental ray's render passes, contribution maps, custom framebuffers, and render layers to create the necessary render passes for our scene. In the second portion of this course we will begin with some quick compositing similar to our Compositing 3D Renders in Toxik course, but we will quickly get into more advanced topics such as Depth-of-Field, working with HDR, Depth-based compositing and spot paint fixing.

Digital Tutors - Advanced Compositing Workflows with Maya and Toxik (2009)

$30

$30

In the initial portion of the course, we'll turn a sketch into 3d geometry using a variety of modeling tools and techniques in Maya. We'll then take our geometry from Maya to Mudbox where we'll begin sculpting a wide range of high resolution details into the different parts of our scene. Then we'll stay in Mudbox to quickly paint color texture maps, specular maps, and bump maps. With all of our detailing and painting done, we'll export our result as an FBX, allowing us to quickly and easily get all of our geometry and maps out to Maya where we then render the scene.

Digital Tutors - Character and Scene Development in Maya and Mudbox (2009)

$30

$30

In this series of lessons, we will be taking you through the process of
rendering your Maya scene into multiple passes, and using some advanced
techniques for compositing these passes using Toxik.
We will dedicate the first portion of this course to using Render Passes in Maya
to separate various elements of our scene at render time. We'll use mental ray's
render passes, contribution maps, custom framebuffers, and render layers to
create the necessary render passes for our scene. In the second portion of this
course we will begin with some quick compositing similar to our Compositing 3D
Renders in After Effects course, but we will quickly get into more advanced
topics such as basic and advanced Depth-of-Field, Proxies, spot paint fixing and
chromatic aberration.
Lesson Outline
1. Introduction and Project Overview
2. Preparing Maya scene for multi-pass rendering
3. Creating Contribution Maps for multi-pass rendering
4. Setting up render passes in mental ray
5. Using Custom Color Buffers to render specialized passes
6. Creating new Render Layers and using Layer Overrides
7. Importing our render passes and creating Proxies
8. Using Blending Modes to composite our ant
9. Color Correcting various passes with effects and masks
10. Creating a Lightwrap to tie the Foreground to the Background
11. Tweaking our Matte to Remove a Black Outline
12. Painting our Matte image to fix issues with the feet
13. Setting up a Basic Depth-of-Field effect using the Depth pass and Color
Correct
14. Adding to our Depth-of-Field with another Blur Effect
15. Adding Depth-of-Field to the background
16. Fixing haloing by extending the Depth with a basic Minimax
17. Advanced Minimax Layering to correctly extend the Depth
18. Using an Expression to simplify the Minimax layering
19. Fixing the depth matte and the ant matte to remove DOF errors
20. Adding Chromatic Aberration to our image
21. Adding and Tweaking Grain for that final level of detail
PROJECT FILES INCLUDED!

Digital Tutors - Advanced Compositing Workflows with Maya and After Effects (2009)

$30

$30

Start seeing better results. Learn practical workflows to simulating physically accurate lighting and rendering various surface types and gain a comprehensive overview of the high performance tools and new features of mental ray in Maya 2009. Contains nearly 4 hours of project-based training and step-by-step recipes for new artists.
Popular highlights include:

Digital Tutors- Introduction to Mental Ray in Maya (2009)

$30

$30

In this course we will learn how the mental ray Production Shaders can be used to take our Maya renders to a new level of realism and efficiency.
Topics include rendering instantaneous motion blur using the mip_motionblur node, using the mip_card_opacity node to render accurate depth and normal passes, re-rendering portions of our images using the mip_render_subset node, compositing our 3D objects into live-action environments using the mip_cameramap, mip_matteshadow, and mip_mirrorball nodes, as well as many other mental ray Production Shaders found within Maya.

Digital Tutors - mental ray Production Shaders in Maya (2009)

$30

$30

In this course we will use multiple NURBS techniques to build a skateboard in Maya.
NURBS geometry provides several advantages over some of the other types of building methods available, but the process for creating NURBS geometry is somewhat different from building polygon or sub-d models. In this course we will explore hard-surface modeling by using a variety of NURBS tools and techniques in Maya to build a skateboard. We'll go over tools like lofting, fillets, and using the CV curve tool and, by the end of this project, you'll have a taste of the NURBS building process and be able to use these tools to start building your own models.

Digital Tutors - Modeling Hard Surfaces with NURBS in Maya (2009)

$30

$30

Created exclusively for Pixar, this Artist's Guide to RenderMan for Maya 3.0 is a great course for new users of this powerful rendering system. This course will cover the steps needed to load the plug-in, render your images and take control of the final quality of the render. Best of all it is a free course sponsored by Digital-Tutors and Pixar.

Digital Tutors - Artists Guide to RenderMan for Maya 3 (2009)

$30

$30

Learn an innovative workflow to exporting, rendering, and publishing data and creative techniques for seamlessly integrating Flash and Maya for presenting 3D assets and animations on the web. Contains over 2.5 hours of project-based training for technical artists using Flash and Maya.

Review of Flash Application;
Review of Maya Application;
Creating 3D Turntables;
ActionScript 1.0 & 3.0;
Using Maya Vector Renderer;
Working with Fills and Edges;
Rendering Wireframes;
Shadows, Reflections and Highlights;
Alternate Edge Workflow;
Working with Multiple Frames;
Repeated Tracing with Flash JavaScript;
Using Papervision 3D;
Export Collada Files for Papervision 3D;
Updating Builds with SVN;
Coding 3D Actions;
Various Tips and Tricks.

Digital Tutors - Flash and Maya Integration (2008)

$30

$30

Learn the fundamental workflow for next-gen game development and innovative techniques for seamlessly integrating Maya and XNA for game creation. Contains nearly 5 hours of project-based training for technical artists learning the methods of creating game content using XNA and Maya.

Digital Tutors - Pipeline Development with Maya and XNA (2008)

$30

$30

Learn a production approach to integrating Maya and ZBrush 3 in a mixed pipeline environment. Contains 4 hours of innovative modeling, sculpting, and map generating techniques that are commonly used throughout Film and Games. Perfect for intermediate artists using Maya and ZBrush 3.
Popular highlights include:
ZBrush Sculpting Workflow
Maya and ZBrush Pipeline Overview
Form Development in Maya
Maintaining Mesh Integrity
Sculpting Across Multiple Levels
Incorporating 3D Layers for Variation
Working with Subtools
Extracting Geometry
Low Poly Modeling in Maya
Creating Clean Topology
Geometry Preparation for ZBrush
Importing Geometry into ZBrush
Using Alphas and Strokes
Using Custom Alphas
Creating Displacement Maps in ZBrush
Applying Displacement Maps in Maya
Setting up Render-time Subdivisions
Adjusting Displacement Settings
Using Projection Master
Using Lazy Mouse for Hair Detail

Digital Tutors - Pipeline Integration with Maya and ZBrush 3 (2007)

$30

$30

Learn a production workflow to creating stylized cartoon vehicles, look development, and a multitude of time-saving techniques for modeling, UV layout, texturing, lighting, and art direction. Contains over 6 hours of project-based training for artists learning the artistic processes of creating toon vehicles as seen in animated feature films.

Digital Tutors - Creating Cartoon Vehicles in Maya (2007)

$30

$30

Learn a production workflow to creating 3D cartoon characters, look development, and a multitude of time-saving techniques for modeling, UV layout, texturing, and shader assembly. Contains over 7.5 hours of project-based training for artists learning the artistic processes of creating stylized cartoon characters as seen in animated feature films.

Digital Tutors - Creating Cartoon Characters in Maya (2007)

$30

$30

Learn time-saving animation techniques, the mechanics of quadrupeds, and fundamental principles for creating convincing quadruped animations. Contains nearly 3 hours of project-based training. Perfect for intermediate artists.

Digital Tutors - Animating Quadrupeds in Maya (2007)

$30

$30

Learn an time-saving workflow to lighting and essential techniques for adding greater realism when rendering in Maya. Contains 3 hours of project-based training - Ideal for new and beginning artists.
Popular highlights include:
Overview of Maya Light Types
Setting up Depth Map Shadows
Utilizing Raytrace Shadows
Light Decay Rates
Creating Custom Light Intensity Curves
Controlling Render Statistics for Geometry
Creating Volumetric Lighting Effects
Building Shaders to Simulate Visible Light Sources
Adding Environment Fog to Scenes
Simulating Realistic Camera Effects with Light Glows
Light Linking
Creating Gobos and Projectors
Practical Lighting Exercises and Scenarios

Digital Tutors - Introduction to Lighting in Maya (2007)

$30

$30

VOL 1 VOLUME AND MUSCLE
VOL 2 DEFINITION AND DETAILING
VOL 3 UV AND TEXTURE MAPPING
VOL 4 SHADING AND RENDERING
Description: Learn a production workflow to organic modeling, UV layout, texture mapping, shading, and rendering using an array of tools and techniques for creating realistic humans from reference.
Series contains 4 products and a total of over 20 hours of project-based training for artists learning the technical and artistic processes of creating digital doubles for use in Film and Games. Perfect for students and professionals.
Includes all high resolution photographic references!
Popular highlights include:
Polygon Modeling
Subdivisional Modeling
Anatomical Structure
Anatomy Concepts
Primitive Modeling
Blocking-in Form
Establishing Volume
Organizing Topology
Creating Edge Flow
Adding Muscle Definition
Evaluating Proportions
Modeling to Reference
Re-routing Edge Loops
Strategic Use of Edge Loops
Connecting Geometry

Digital Tutors Creating Digital Humans in MAYA Vol 1, 2, 3, 4 (2007)

$30

$30

Learn to style, texture, light, render, and dynamically drive hair using Shave and a Haircut for Maya. Contains over 3 hours of project-based training. Perfect for artists new to Shave and a Haircut for Maya.

Digital Tutors Introduction To Shave And A Haircut For Maya (2007)

$30

$30

Easily learn proper body mechanics for creating believable animations with over 5 hours of project-based training developed specifically for character animation and body mechanics. Perfect for intermediate artists.

Digital Tutors Body Mechanics And Animation In Maya Pulling Objects (2007)

$30

$30

Easily learn proper body mechanics for creating believable animations with 7 hours of project-based training developed specifically for character animation and body mechanics. Perfect for intermediate artists

Digital Tutors Body Mechanics and Animation in Maya Pushing Objects (2007)

$30

$30

Easily learn several modeling techniques and a customizable workflow to modeling in Maya with over 5 hours of project-based training. Great for new and beginning artists.

Digital Tutors Introduction to Modeling in Maya (2007)

$30

$30

Easily learn SyFlex and begin creating various realistic simulations. Contains over 4 hours of project-driven training. Perfect for beginner to intermediate artists

Digital Tutors Using SyFlex in Maya (2006)

$30

$30

Learn how to implement the Trax Animation Editor in Maya for fast and efficient non-linear animation. Contains over 2.5 hours of project-driven training. Perfect for beginner to intermediate artists.

Digital Tutors Non-linear Animation with Maya Trax (2006)

$30

$30

Learn innovative and time-saving facial animation and lip sync techniques in Maya with over 6.5 hours of project-driven training. Perfect for intermediate artists.

Digital Tutors Facial Animation and Lip Sync in Maya (2006)

$30

$30

"Facial Rigging in Maya" provides over 4.5 hours of lessons designed to increase your productivity with time-saving tips and animator-friendly rigging techniques. Highlights from popular topics include: head controls, creating an intuitive 3D Graphic User Interface (GUI), blend shapes for mouth expressions (phonemes, smiles, frowns, sneers), blend shapes for eyes (blink, brow raise, squint, ), blend shapes for subtleties and details, advanced tongue setup with Spline IK and blend shapes, changing deformation stack, sophisticated jaw controls, tuning weights with Component Editor, utilizing the Connection Editor, Cluster setup, camera setup for user-friendly animation, using constraints, head controls, smooth binding, employing the Soft Modification/Sculpt Geometry Tool, and several additional lessons developed to teach you facial rigging in Maya.

Digital Tutors Facial Rigging in Maya (2006)

$30

$30

"Introduction to Maya Animation: Walk Cycle" provides over 2.5 hours of lessons designed to increase your productivity with time-saving animation tips and techniques. Highlights from popular topics include: an intuitive walk cycle diagram, layering body mechanics, adding follow through and weight, MEL scripting for animators, transforming male walk cycles into female walk cycles, translating walk cycle forward, keying in channel box, working in graph editor, insert key tool, breaking tangents to create the illusion of weight, editing tangents for seamless cycling, cycling with pre and post-infinity, and several additional lessons developed to teach you walk cycle animation in Maya.

Digital Tutors Introduction To Maya Animation Walk Cycle (2006)

$30

$30

Easily learn character animation and the body mechanics involved for lifting heavy objects and add style, personality, and life to you next animation. Contains nearly 7 hours of project-based training. Perfect for beginning and experienced animators.

Digital Tutors Body Mechanics and Animation in Maya Lifting Heavy Objects (2006)

$30

$30

This DVD consists of five stand-alone lessons that cover various techniques using Maya’s fluid dynamics. In each lesson, Wayne walks you through his process, providing the viewer with a greater understanding of how to set up dynamic fluid simulations for production shot assets. Wayne starts by showing you how to create a believable fire simulation. He demonstrates how to control Maya fluids with a variety of textures and expressions to create a highly detailed and believable flame thrower effect. He then demonstrates how to create various smoke effects, including the desired “wispy smoke” effect. Wayne also discusses his methods for controlling fluid emission and motion using a variety of emission controls, collisions, and fields, to produce complex smoke, fire and dust simulations.

The Gnomon Workshop - Introduction to Maya Fluid Effects - Volume 1

$30

$30

In this DVD, John presents the new Camera Sequencer in Autodesk Maya, a toolset that allows users to create camera shots in a non-linear editing-style timeline within Maya. Using the Camera Sequencer, the viewer will learn production methods of building full sequences in Maya, shot-by-shot, which can then be playblasted as movies for editorial and animation. John begins by exploring the Sequencer menu and tool bar, and doing a general run down of all the exciting new functionality. Using a simple cycle of animation, he uses the Sequencer to "shoot" the animation from various camera angles, and edits the resulting shots until they begin to tell a story. Learn how to use the non-linear editing functions of the Sequencer - cutting, trimming, scaling and sliding shots on tracks, and look at methods to create and group alternate camera setups for easy presentation. John will also show you how to import a set of storyboards which have been exported from Final Cut Pro, and how to build a sequence of animation from these storyboards. This lecture will give animators, previs and rough layout professionals the ability to create full sequences of animation directly within Maya, quickly and efficiently.
Pirate music composed by Christopher Ward - Instructor for this title: John Clark.
Topics Covered
1. Shot Creation
2. Camera Creation
3. Sequencer Preferences
4. Sequencer Tools
5. Shot Grouping
6. Rendering Movies
7. Non-linear Sequencer Editing
8. Importing an EDL
9. Importing Audio, Rough Layout

The Gnomon Workshop - Maya's Camera Sequencer

$30

$30

In this DVD, director Aristomenis (Meni) Tsirbas reveals the essentials for creating properly animated stereoscopic imagery. Although Maya and LightWave are used, the course is platform agnostic and can be used with any animation software, even if it doesn't have stereoscopic tools. Meni guides you through a comprehensive overview of all the major principles of stereo filmmaking. Meni begins with a biological discussion of how the human eye perceives stereo imagery, and then covers the principles of 3D, including near and far divergence, the conversion at the screen plane, and working with camera movement. After creating a final render, he completes the lecture by showing how to display animated stereo sequences. This is a comprehensive yet simple to understand lecture that gives artists all the tools needed to generate exceptional stereoscopic imagery.

The Gnomon Workshop - Stereoscopic Camera Fundamentals Maya and Lightwave Setup

$30

$30

In this DVD, Kevin guides the beginning modeler through the concepts and complexities of the UV layout process in Maya. It is essential that UVs are laid out properly so that 3D models can smoothly proceed into the texturing process. Starting with the fundamentals, Kevin prepares the viewer to take on a project as complicated as laying out the UVs for a house. He covers editing the UVs in the UV Layout Window, projecting and editing on a stretched cube, cylindrical and spherical projections, and the principal of using "material splits" as a means of organizing different parts of a model. Intended as an introduction to production UV layout techniques, Kevin's many years of expertise inform this clear and precise lecture.
Software Used:
AutodeskMaya
* Planar Projections
* Automatic Projections
* Proper Size Ratios
* Layout UVs
* Cut. Move and Sew
* Material Splits
* Cylindrical Projections
* UV Organization
1. Introduction and History
2. Basic UV Editing
3. Planar Projections
4. The Cake Plate
5. Pipes
6. UVing a House
7. Conclusion

The Gnomon Workshop - UV Mapping 101 Maya UV Techniques with Kevin Hudson

$30

$30

Description:

Over the past many years, Maya has become the leading 3D application used in the film, broadcast and game industries. Hailed for its diverse toolset, Maya excels due to its integration, flexibility and performance in regards to modeling, texturing, lighting, rendering, animation, rigging and effects. Designed for the individual new to Maya, this DVD contains over five hours of lecture. The essential UI (user interface) is discussed, focusing on the work- flow of an experienced user. Learn how to efficiently create, manipulate and organize hierarchies, objects, components and cameras. Many concepts are introduced including the use of Polygons versus NURBS, tesselation, antialiasing, UV Layout, projects, preferences and MEL scripts. Customization of the UI is also addressed in order to dramatically improve efficiency and workflow.

Topics Covered:

Chapters:

The Gnomon Workshop - Introduction to Maya: Interface and Workflow (Alex Alvarez)

$30

$30

This making of demonstration and lecture began with the decision to take a personal sketch, develop it in 3D and produce a life-size print. This would require the development of high-resolution detail and textures that could hold up to a 4000x6000 pixel render, effectively making Jester a film-res character. Observe and listen as Alex shares his workflow, thought process and techniques. Volume One covers the character modeling process using Maya and ZBrush, as well as some lighting, composition and texture exploration. Alex begins by creating an organized base mesh in Maya that accurately follows the 2D design. Using UVlayout, he flattens the UVs of the multiple basemesh components. Jester is then imported into ZBrush for sculpting and detailing. We give some thought as to the resolution for each subtool that should be sent to Maya and export them with normal maps generated in Zmapper. Once in Maya, the shader networks are blocked-out so that Jester renders in Maya with the same level of detail that he had in ZBrush. The final step prior to texturing is to then create a Photoshop¬ color study that will guide our further progress on the character.

The Gnomon Workshop - Character Modeling in Maya and ZBrush: The Making of Jester, Volume One (Alex Alvarez)

$30

$30

In this DVD, Darin takes you through the production and completion of a camera projected 3D Matte painting using Autodesk Maya and Adobe Photoshop®. Darin covers the essential techniques and solutions for 3D matte painting as he progresses from rough concept to modeling, rendering and creating the painting in Photoshop®. After bringing the finished matte painted layers back into Maya, he describes how to apply them in the scene. Darin also shows methods for solving common texture distortions with additional projections. Finally, he demonstrates simple techniques for bringing life to your scenes.

The Gnomon Workshop - Camera Projection Techniques in Maya: 3D Matte Painting (Darin Hilton)

$30

$30

Fluid dynamics are rapidly becoming a powerful alternative to particle effects. In the first lecture of this series, effects animator David Schoneveld introduces you to the rules of fluid production, showing how Maya Fluid Effects can be used for everything from smoke, dust and explosions, to underwater plane crashes and more. David details the fluid menu, emitter and container attributes, as well as shading and texturing, while conveying an understanding of the dynamic attributes of fluid dynamics and their uses in production. The lesson also details the basics of ponds, emphasizing an understanding of the fluid shader and texture controls.
Over 2 1/2 hours of lecture.
Topics covered:
- Understanding Dynamic Attributes
- Fluid Emitters
- Fluid Container Attributes
- Menu and Options
- Animation Techniques
- Shading methods
Chapters:
01. Basics + Container Contents Display
02. Dynamic Simulation
03. Content Details
04. Grid Cache and Surface
05. Shading and Shading Quality
06. Texture
07. Lighting
08. Emitters
09. Fluids Menu
10. Smoke Cloud
11. Liquid Flowing Down a Slide
12. Cloud Bank

The Gnomon Workshop - Maya Fluid Effects: Fundamentals (David Schoneveld)

$30

$30

In the second DVD in this series on Maya Fluid Effects, effects animator David Schoneveld imparts a detailed view of the various methods and advanced features of particle and rigid body control through fluid dynamics. This multi-faceted lesson takes you through the beginning and inter- mediate techniques of the Ocean Shader before revealing how you can create object-avoiding particles without scripting. The lesson culminates by teaching you how to create particles driven by fluid dynamics that can interact with an object or character.
Over 3 hours of lecture.
Topics covered:
- Fluid Particle Connections
- Ocean Basics
- Interaction Control methods
- Painting Particle Velocity
- Fluid Controlled -
- Rigid Body Simulations
- River Basics with Ocean Shader
Chapters:
01. Basic Connections
02. Fluid Wind tunnel
03. Motion Fields
04. Particle Motion Fields
05. Paint Velocity
06. Paint Velocity - Rigid Body
07. Ocean Shader
08. Ocean Menu
09. Wake Emitter
10. Hot Tub
11. Fort

The Gnomon Workshop - Maya Fluid Effects: Particle Integration (David Schoneveld)

$30

$30

In the third DVD of this series on Maya Fluid Effects, effects animator David Schoneveld reveals the numerous methods he uses to create and control fluid explosions, covering dynamic, non-dynamic and texture-based effects. He teaches you how to use, and maintain control of fields with fluid containers. The lesson also covers the basics of flame construction, and explains how to use the Maya presets to build effects quickly and efficiently.
Over 2 hours of lecture.
Topics covered:
- Basic Flame Construction
- Density Field Controlled Explosions
- Temperature Controlled Explosions
- Non-dynamic Explosions
- 2D Explosions
- Creation of Dynamic Lava
Chapters:
01. Density Field Driven
02. Temperature Driven
03. Fuel Temperature Driven
04. 2D Explosions
05. Non-Dynamic Explosions
06. Non-Dynamic Water Explosions
07. Non-Dynamic Puff
08. Lava from Goo
09. Flame Basics

The Gnomon Workshop - Maya Fluid Effects: Pyrotechnics (David Schoneveld)

$30

$30

In this DVD, John presents the entire process of creating an outer space effects sequence. Starting with a space ship and a camera move, John takes the viewer through a step-by-step look at how to create a sequence that includes following a space ship as it breaks free of a tractor beam, launches out of planetary orbit, then flies through a field of asteroids and starbirth nebula clouds. John uses Maya's Dynamics system to build elements in the shots, demonstrating their use within the shot environment. He shows how to use cloud particles as a volume surface on which to project shaders to simulate nebulas that can be both stunning backgrounds and realistic clouds that can be flown through. John also walks you through a series of simple effects that add dynamic detail to the shots: sprite-stars, tractor beams, explosions, an energy field and an asteroid field. This lecture will enable you to create fantastic outer space shots that push the scope of imagination.

The Gnomon Workshop - Maya Dynamics: Outer Space Environments - Creating a Dynamics Shot (John Clark)

$30

$30

In this DVD, John presents the process of creating an underwater effects shot, thoroughly explaining each step of the process from inception to completion. Starting with an ocean bottom and a camera move, John shows how to create underwater atmospheric conditions such as floating particulate matter, photo-real bubbles, water fog and caustic light rippling down through a wavy sea surface. John then uses Maya's Dynamics system to build additional elements into the shot, demonstrating their use within the shot environment. He shows how to use springs and goals to create an anchor and dynamic rope dropping to the sea floor, as well as how to use particle instancing with goals to create dynamic schools of fish. John then walks you through the final steps to create flowing sea grass and billowing sand when the sea bottom is disturbed. By the end of this DVD you will not only have a completed shot ready for fine-tuning and compositing, you will also have the ability to create your own fantastic underwater shots.

The Gnomon Workshop - Maya Dynamics: Underwater Environments - Creating a Dynamics Shot (John Clark)

$30

$30

The demand for computer simulated clothing is rising with the increased production of computer animated films as well as character-driven effects sequences in live-action movies. One of the most powerful tools for creating digital clothing and simulations is Maya's cloth module. Maya Cloth is a cloth modeler and simulator that aids artists in creating realistic and stylized animated cloth for characters, creatures, or other visual effects. The aim of this DVD is to introduce you to the fundamentals of working with Maya Cloth through a series of examples and walkthrough exercises. In this lecture Mark shows how to create garments by seaming panels together or with modeled geometry. He discusses how to manipulate cloth vertices through constraints and how to control garment characteristics through properties. He also shows how to work with collision objects in a cloth simulation and demonstrates how to integrate dynamic fields. Finally, Mark ties all of the basic skills and principles together by creating and animating a hooded robe on a character.

The Gnomon Workshop - Maya Cloth 101: Fundamentals - Cloth Techniques (Mark E.A.de Sousa)

$30

$30

This training product is designed for anyone who needs to learn about the mental ray renderer and how to use it in a workflow designed specifically for Autodesk Maya. The mental ray renderer is used in the visual effects, film, architecture, and product visualization industries, among others. This professional renderer can be quite difficult to use and overwhelming for newcomers to rendering and mental ray technology. Taking you step by step and explaining how to use the mental ray renderer in terminology anyone can understand, this training product covers many aspects of mental ray with in-depth lessons that cover both basic principles and fundamentals, as well as production workflows and methods of trouble shooting issues that can appear during an actual production. By covering mental ray in an easy to understand manner, you will get a unique training experience unlike any offered anywhere else. Some of the subjects covered in depth with this training product include Global Illumination, Final Gathering, area lights, Caustics, tone mapping, Importons, Irradiance Particles, and production workflows for mental ray. This training product includes all project files and assets needed to follow along with the instructor. Project files require Autodesk Maya 2009 and up.

I3D Introduction to Rendering with mental ray in Autodesk Maya 2009 (2009)

$30

$30

What is covered in this training product?
This training product is designed for anyone who needs to learn about shading and surfacing, as well as using the Hypershade to work efficiently and easily in Maya. Taking you step by step and explaining how to use the Hypershade and how to create shader networks in terminology anyone can understand, this training product covers many aspects of working on materials and shaders with in-depth lessons that cover both basic principles and fundamentals, as well as production workflows and methods of trouble shooting issues that can appear during an actual production.
In easy to understand lessons, you will get a unique training experience unlike any offered anywhere else. Some of the subjects covered in depth with this training product include shaders, materials, mental ray specific shaders, ambient occlusion, architectural materials, subsurface scattering, and production workflows for Maya. This training product includes all project files and assets needed to follow along with the instructor. Project files require Autodesk Maya 2009 and up.

I3D Tutorials - Introduction to the Hypershade in Maya (2009)

$30

$30

In Maya 2011 Essential Training, George Maestri demonstrates the tools and feature set in Maya, as well as the skills necessary to model, texture, animate, and render projects with this deep and robust piece of 3D animation software from Autodesk. This course takes an in-depth tour of Maya's interface, including navigating and manipulating objects in 3D and customizing the workspace. The course also covers object creation and modeling basics, shading and texturing, surface mapping techniques, character rigging, and lastly, rendering and final output. Exercise files accompany the course.
Topics include:
* Getting familiar with the Maya interface
* Organizing scenes
* Creating hierarchies
* NURBs modeling for solid objects
* Adding color to models
* Applying bitmap textures
* Working with mental ray materials
* Polygonal modeling for characters and organic objects
* Deforming with the Skin tool
* Setting up lights and cameras
* Creating realistic effects such as depth of field
* Working with the Timeline
* Creating animation cycles
* Batch rendering
* Rendering with the mental ray engine

Lynda.com - Maya 2011 Essential Training (2010)

$30

$30

Maya 2011 Lighting and Rendering in mental ray with Eric Keller shows how to master practical mental ray techniques for rendering models created in Maya. This course walks through the most efficient and innovative mental ray techniques, including direct versus indirect lighting methods, creating different types of shadows, using the new ShadowMap camera, and reusing shadow and final gathering maps. A chapter on optimizing render times and enhancing render quality is also included. Exercise files are included with the course.
Topics include:

• Understanding computer-generated lighting
  
• Creating depth map and ray traced shadows
  
• Softening and shaping shadows
  
• Working with global illumination
  
• Lighting with the caustic settings
  
• Applying physical and portal shaders
  
• Adding depth of field with the Bokeh shader
  
• Splitting a scene into render layers
  
• Comparing render passes and render layers

Lynda.com - Maya 2011 Lighting and Rendering in mental ray (2010)

$30

$30

One of the most powerful 3D applications on the market, Maya 2010, now includes three complimentary bundled applications: MatchMover, powerful camera matching software; Toxik, a node-based compositor; and Backburner, a network rendering manager for Maya, 3ds Max, and Toxik. In Maya 2010: Getting Started with MatchMover, Toxik, and Backburner, instructor George Maestri demonstrates how to use these applications with Maya’s existing powerful feature set to create engaging 3D animations.
Topics include:

• Matching 3D animation to live action footage
  
• Importing object-based camera tracks into Maya
  
• Rendering with layers
  
• Using Toxik to seamlessly composite footage
  
• Adding effects with Toxik
  
• Managing network renders with Backburner

Lynda.com - Maya 2010: Getting Started with MatchMover, Toxik, and Backburner (2010)

$30

$30

Maya 2009 Essential Training is designed to provide a strong foundation in this 3D modeling, rendering, and animation tool. George Maestri covers everything from the basics of the interface to bringing models to life with complex animation. He explores object manipulation, NURBS, UV editing, paint effects, and mental ray rendering. George demonstrates Maya's full functionality by building a robot from scratch. Exercise files accompany the course.

Lynda.com - Maya 2009 Essential Training with: George Maestri (2008)

$30

$30

This training series looks at the multiple tools within Maya 2011 and an example of how to use them. Maya is a vast program that covers a great amount of workflows from 3D modeling to full blown animation, but it’s the tools that bind you and your imagination to the program. This training helps new artists who have never used Maya all the way up to the Maya pros. Also included are some workflows that take you through the steps necessary to create a fully textured model within the software. So sit back and enjoy the one program everyone that has ever played video games wanted to learn.

VTC AutoDesk Maya 2011 (2010)

$30