Maya is the first choice of digital content creators producing award-winning games, 3D animation and visual effects. Built on a procedural architecture called the Dependency Graph, Maya offers incredible power and flexibility for generating digital images of animated characters and scenes.

Learning Maya 5: Foundation takes you through over twenty project-focused lessons that offer hands-on experience with key tools and techniques.

This book introduces you to the following topics:
* The Maya User Interface
* Working in 3D space
* NURBS (spline) Modeling
* Polygonal Modeling
* Keyframes and Motion Paths
* Trax(TM) Non-linear animation
* Forward and Inverse Kinematics
* Surface Deformations
* Cameras and Lights
* Shaders and Techniques
* Particles and Dynamics
* MEL (Maya Embedded Language)
What you need to use this book:
* Maya Complete(TM), Maya Unlimited(TM), or Maya Personal Learning Edition(TM) version 5 software
* A DVD-ROM or set-top player

Project One: Bouncing Ball
Quickly get your feet wet by animating a basic bouncing ball. Add a squash and stretch, create a ring of fire using a particle clip effect, then add sparks as the ball hits the flames.

Project Two: Jack-in-the-box
Learn the basics of modeling, animating, and rendering a scene. Use Maya Artisan(TM) tools to sculpt Jack's face and to paint a color texture in 3D. Refine the scene's rendering using IPR (Interactive Photorealistic Rendering).

Project Three: Space Battle
Starting with a more in-depth look at polygonal and NURBS modeling, this project sets up a motion path animation, complete with Opti-FX explosions. Use Maya Paint Effects(TM) to create a realistic starfield.

Project Four: Primitive Man
Using Maya's Trax non-linear animation, you cycle for a bi-ped Inverse Kinematic skeleton. This lesson will also explore basic character skinning and deformation.

Project Five: Salty the Seal
This project brings together the skills developed in earlier lessons into a more complex scene where you learn how Maya lets you fully integrate modeling, rendering, and animation tasks.