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The Game Animator's Guide to Maya [Paperback]

Michael McKinley (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)


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Book Description

July 4, 2006 0470038578 978-0470038574
The Ultimate Resource for Professional Game Animators


Game animation is a demanding art. Not only do you have to deliver realistic, beautiful animations, but you have to do so under strict real-time, video-game constraints. The Game Animator's Guide to Maya is your focused resource for using Maya to create professional-level game animations for console and PC games. Written by a game industry veteran and featuring interviews with professional animators and artists from around the country, this focused book features specific, detailed, real-world game animation techniques. It's the perfect reference and tutorial for those looking to develop or refine their game animation skills.

The enclosed CD features more than $3000 worth of exclusive content, including models, high-resolution textures, animations, concept art, and animation reference videos. It also includes the Maya Personal Learning Edition and project files so you can complete the hands-on tutorials.

The Game Animator's Guide to Maya gives you an insider's view of the animation business and teaches the skills necessary to animate everything from characters to vehicles to lip-synching audio. First, you'll get an introduction to the industry and typical game development pipelines, then learn rigging and animation basics before moving on to advanced techniques and the detailed tutorials. Inside, you'll find:
* Game Career Guide: Industry information, demo reel advice, job descriptions, game asset pipeline overview
* Animation Techniques: detailed explanation of animation terms, techniques, tools, concepts, and editors
* Rigging and Animation Setup: IK and FK, joint hierarchies, skeleton controls, constraints, selection handles, and more
* True Game Animation: real-world assignments that mimic the day-to-day jobs of professional game animators--walk cycles, run cycles, idle cycles, action sequences, lip-synching to audio, and more


Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Ultimate Resource for Professional Game Animators

Game animation is a demanding art. Not only do you have to deliver realistic, beautiful animations, but you have to do so under strict real-time, video-game constraints. The Game Animator's Guide to Maya is your focused resource for using Maya to create professional-level game animations for console and PC games. Written by a game industry veteran and featuring interviews with professional animators and artists from around the country, this focused book features specific, detailed, real-world game animation techniques. It's the perfect reference and tutorial for those looking to develop or refine their game animation skills.

The enclosed CD features more than $3000 worth of exclusive content, including models, high-resolution textures, animations, concept art, and animation reference videos. It also includes the Maya Personal Learning Edition and project files so you can complete the hands-on tutorials.

The Game Animator's Guide to Maya gives you an insider's view of the animation business and teaches the skills necessary to animate everything from characters to vehicles to lip-synching audio. First, you'll get an introduction to the industry and typical game development pipelines, then learn rigging and animation basics before moving on to advanced techniques and the detailed tutorials. Inside, you'll find:

  • Game Career Guide: Industry information, demo reel advice, job descriptions, game asset pipeline overview
  • Animation Techniques: detailed explanation of animation terms, techniques, tools, concepts, and editors
  • Rigging and Animation Setup: IK and FK, joint hierarchies, skeleton controls, constraints, selection handles, and more
  • True Game Animation: real-world assignments that mimic the day-to-day jobs of professional game animators—walk cycles, run cycles, idle cycles, action sequences, lip-synching to audio, and more

About the Author

Michael McKinley is a 3D Artist at Buzz Monkey Software and author of The Game Artist's Guide to Maya. His game projects have spanned a variety of platforms, from high-end PC games to console titles for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox to handheld games for the PlayStation Portable. Prior to Buzz Monkey, he taught Maya courses at Collins College in Tempe, Arizona.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 251 pages
  • Publisher: Sybex (July 4, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0470038578
  • ISBN-13: 978-0470038574
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #649,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Average Customer Review
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Game Animator's Guide to Maya, November 11, 2006
This review is from: The Game Animator's Guide to Maya (Paperback)
Very comprehensive and well orgenised book. McKinley explains every aspect of

character animation. Could do a bit more on animation it self.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Animation guide for games using Maya, October 6, 2008
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This review is from: The Game Animator's Guide to Maya (Paperback)
Interested in game animation for a long time. The book is a good starting point. The book is well written and laid out. Also comes with a educational version of Maya which is a definite plus, which allows anyone to work on 3D animation for games and CGI projects. Definitely recommend for anyone wishing to learn animation for games or otherwise.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, May 1, 2007
This review is from: The Game Animator's Guide to Maya (Paperback)
As with his former book on Maya, McKinley explains the process in a very clear an easy to follow way. This book is an excellent guide to character animation in Maya. Simply brilliant!

R.L.Borsheim
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
More often than not, games are created through a partnership between two distinct companies known as a developer and a publisher. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Graph Editor, Set Driven Key, Calamity Jane, Paint Skin Weights Tool, Dire Wolf, Giant Kraken, Handle Tool, Animation Editors, Dope Sheet, Trax Editor, Quick Select Set, Artist Profile, Smooth Bind, Bind Skin, Component Type, Edit Smooth Skin, Freeze Transformations, Army Men, Load Driver, Max Influences, Press Enter, Taking Flight, Which Maya, Full Body, Pole Vector
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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