Exploring 3d Animation with Maya 7 [Paperback]

Patricia Beckmann (Author), Young (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2006

It's all about creating believable 3D animation and visual effects. And this very practical and motivating book, written by two leading animators, delivers the kind of detailed knowledge of Maya that's needed to make truly lifelike characters. Step-by-step tutorials defining the entire animation process take readers through all the tools available in Maya for making refined movement. Drawing on their years of experience animating characters for "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill," the authors provide plenty of opportunity for readers to practice using these tools, instilling confidence and a sound grasp of traditional and non-traditional character design and animation. Topics covered include the Animation Curve Editor, basic walking, the dope sheet, facial and hand animation, emotional adjustment, the use of the five-panel story structure, and more. Users thoroughly explore the powerful features and functions of Release 7 that will result in a solid understanding of Maya's interface and techniques.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning; 2 edition (November 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1418051829
• ISBN-13: 978-1418051822
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good way to learn Maya Animation Tools, December 6, 2006

By 

Ryan McDougal (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Exploring 3d Animation with Maya 7 (Paperback)

I decided to transition to Maya after becoming relatively proficient and completing a short film in school using Softimage|XSI almost exclusively. I found this book exceedingly easy to use and, most importantly, helpful. Unlike many of the books written on Maya by Alias, I find the format of the tutorials and information much more accessible and useful.
Don't get me wrong, the Alias books have a great deal of quality information but I find that unlike those books, this text does not just give you a litany of buttons to press and settings to put in place somewhat mindlessly.

The authors have taken the time (in each chapter) to explain why you are doing the tutorial and what you will accomplish. Most of the background/setup info in the early chapters is for beginners as they represent quick overviews of traditional animation techniques so if you are a seasoned or intermediate animator, the chapter introductions will be more reinforcement than anything else. However, the information regarding the Maya interface and the fact that this text concentrates solely on the tools necessary to begin animating in a proper workflow, it is helpful for any experience level if you are transitioning to Maya as a new program. Each chapter gradually builds in complexity, providing familiarity and comfort along the learning process.

Overall, if you are EXPERIENCED in animation and are looking to transition to Maya from XSI, 3dsMax, etc., this book has a good, organized structure for learning the tools and overcoming any sense of intimidation you might have. It will get you up and running relatively quickly. Just note that if you understand and have used Maya to animate already, this book will not introduce advanced concepts to you on the tool itself. I think it is best for people who have had limited exposure to the program and need to start from the beginning or relearn the tool.

If you are a BEGINNER, it will give you a good overview of animation principles and a sense of the tools and workflow necessary to animate in Maya. However, the book only briefly touches on f-curves and is only a quick overview of animation so do not rely on this to LEARN animation. It teaches you the basics of the tool (Maya) but not enough in-depth information of the principles to form more than a broad understanding and an eagle eye view of animation. I think it is a good starting point to be introduced to such a complex tool -- instead of getting books that cover the entire process (animation, modeling, rendering, lighting, rigging, etc.) as that can be quite overwhelming and create for an unfocused learning process. Practice, other focused books and mentors should fill in the gaps to help you along the way...

Some of the base lessons:

- bouncing ball
- jumping flour sack
- walk cycle
- lip sync

One final note:

This book DOES NOT TEACH YOU RIGGING. I know that sometimes animation books intertwine these two as they do go hand in hand but this book focuses ONLY on animation. It talks about IK/FK, deformers, hierarchies, parenting and what not, but only to allow you to know what you are using to accomplish the chapter goals at hand. They provide ready rigged puppets for you to practice and with which to complete tutorials.