Maya 6 Killer Tips [Paperback]

Eric Hanson (Author), Kenneth Ibrahim (Author), Alex Nijmeh (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321278534 | ISBN-13: 978-0321278531 | Publication Date: September 3, 2004 | Edition: First Edition

With more than 90 percent of film effects houses and half of the North American game studios using Maya in their projects, the pressure is on for 3D modelers to prove their Maya chops! It's not enough to just know how to use the program; you need to demonstrate that you can do so swiftly, efficiently, and with dazzling results! Here to ensure you do is a fun, full-colored guide that's been pared down to just the essentials: the hundreds of tips, shortcuts, and tricks the pros use every day to speed their Maya 6 workflows. Along with tips for customizing the Maya interface, polygonal modeling, rendering, and more, veteran author Eric Hanson also provides tons of insider techniques for working with Maya 6's newest features including tips for working with new tools like the Soft Modification Tool, Animation Retargeting, and High Quality Shading; advice for working with the new particle behavior features; cool new hotkeys; and insight into streamlining the texting process with Maya's new Photoshop integration, to name only a few. You'll quickly find that the techniques revealed here allow you to work faster, smarter, and more creatively!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

With more than 90 percent of film effects houses and half of the North American game studios using Maya in their projects, the pressure is on for 3D modelers to prove their Maya chops! It's not enough to just know how to use the program; you need to demonstrate that you can do so swiftly, efficiently, and with dazzling results! Here to ensure you do is a fun, full-colored guide that's been pared down to just the essentials: the hundreds of tips, shortcuts, and tricks the pros use every day to speed their Maya 6 workflows. Along with tips for customizing the Maya interface, polygonal modeling, rendering, and more, veteran author Eric Hanson also provides tons of insider techniques for working with Maya 6's newest features including tips for working with new tools like the Soft Modification Tool, Animation Retargeting, and High Quality Shading; advice for working with the new particle behavior features; cool new hotkeys; and insight into streamlining the texting process with Maya's new Photoshop integration, to name only a few. You'll quickly find that the techniques revealed here allow you to work faster, smarter, and more creatively!

About the Author

Visual effects designer Eric Hanson creates digital backgrounds for feature films. He has worked for Digital Domain, Sony Imageworks, Dream Quest Images, Walt Disney Feature Animation, and more. He is also a teacher and lecturer on the topic of visual effects as well as the author of the previous edition of this book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press; First Edition edition (September 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321278534
• ISBN-13: 978-0321278531
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,309,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn with Confidence, April 6, 2005

By 

Adaera (Vancouver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maya 6 Killer Tips (Paperback)

As a complete newbie to anything Maya, I was hoping that Maya 6: Killer Tips would be different from the other Maya how-to books I've ventured to look at in the local bookstore (and promptly placed back on the shelf once my eyes finished glazing over.)
I was not disappointed; in fact I was bordering on elation. Here finally is a well-laid out, very easy to understand Maya 6 manual. While the authors state in the introduction that this book is designed for the advancing intermediate Maya artist, I had no problems whatsoever understanding what they were trying to show. This book is well illustrated, with clear screenshots showing exactly what the tip is saying.
The tips themselves are not highly technical, long-drawn out explanations that only a Maya programmer would understand. They are concise and are sometimes interspersed with humour. Humour can go along way when one is ready to send Maya to the land of "click the red x" never to be seen again.
Reading through Maya 6: Killer Tips actually made me feel some enthusiasm for attempting once again to conquer the Maya beast. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who uses Maya 6, from the newbie like myself to the advanced artist who thinks there is nothing more to learn about using Maya. This book is definitely a five star edition.
-Adaera-

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Murderous, rampaging, maiming, Killer Tips., November 26, 2004

By 

Fr. Weber - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maya 6 Killer Tips (Paperback)

I just recieved this book and I've already learned 10 new things, and I've only read 10 pages. If the bible was this concise I know I'd be a better person. I would however not recommend this book to begginners - who should be looking for instruction manuals, not 'Tips'.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars worth its weight in gold, October 28, 2004

By 

VFX pro (Hollywood,CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Maya 6 Killer Tips (Paperback)

This book is a must have for anyone from students to industry professionals. Concise, to the point info that can cut your worktime in half and totally boost your performance!