The Art of Maya (Paperback)

~ Alias Wavefront (Author), Alias|Wavefront (Author) "Animation is an art form created and cultivated over the last century..." (more)
Key Phrases: projection type maps, deformer handle, animation pipeline, Paint Effects, Graph Editor, Render Globals (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[The Art of Maya] should be the first book you buy for your collection." -- Ian Cairns, Editor, MAYA Association

Product Description

An Introduction to 3D Computer Graphics

Maya is a 3D modeling, rendering, animation, and paint software package that delivers all the tools and features 3D artists need to produce animation and visual effects on the computer. From feature films to interactive video games, Maya lets you play the role of director, actor, set designer and cinematographer as you build, render and animate digital characters and scenes.

In The Art of Maya, every page is full of diagrams and illustrations that show you how to build and manipulate geometry, skeleton joints, deformers, particles, shading groups, lights and cameras. The diagrams describe these computer graphic concepts in a way that will help you understand how you can use Maya in your own work.

This book is an excellent resource for all Maya users and includes an introduction to computer graphics that will help people new to the world of 3D animation. The book finishes with articles that outline how Maya was used in actual productions for film, television, and interactive games.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Sybex; 2nd edition (January 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894893131
• ISBN-13: 978-1894893138
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #110,165 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If your new to Maya, or 3D in general, this book is #1 pick!, January 21, 2003

By	James Mowery (Windsor, VA United States) - See all my reviews

The book starts off introducing you to the world of Maya and 3D, and how they are used. At first glance, you may not relize it, but this book is jam packed with information on Maya.
It explains Modeling, Animation, Character Development, Splines, Nurbs, Use of Maya for Games,and many other subjects. Now, if your a person that knows all of Maya, and has already made great 3D animations that could appear on TechTv's "EyeDrops", then this book is not for you. But if you need a detailed understand of how the program works with you and how you can get the most of of Maya. Then get this book.

It is 225 pages long, and includes Maya Personal Learning Edition, SO EVEN IF YOU NEVER USED A 3D PROGRAM, YOU CAN START RIGHT AWAY. If you are really serious in 3D, and you want to put in that effort to go the distance, then start here. Then I might suggest purchasing more books and checking out www.digital-tutors.com as well with the video tutorials. It is an awesome combination.

Warning: Buy this book from Amazon!!!! this book is tons cheaper then when I got it in the store, so please save yourself about 20 bucks and pick this one up online.

...

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful & Inspiring, April 5, 2003

By	L. Seplow "Video Junkie" (New York City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The ART of Maya is just that, it is first about the art one can create using A|W's Maya software package. It is part coffee table book, part inspirational book, and a general how-to as well. It does not provide nitty-gritty details of how to accomplish many things, but rather gives a good overview and direction towards possible ways to accomplish certain goals.

This may not be the first book you want when studying 3D, but it is well worth reading for its inspirational qualities. This will apply to 3d artists using any software, though Maya users will of course gain more.

The point of this book is that most volumes out there are straddled with the obligation of teaching some hard and cold how-to facts. They get bogged down with numbers, workflow directions and lots and lots of dialog boxes. There is no way around this. But it leaves little room on the pages, nor time from the author to show what can be done and how beautiful your work can be. This book is specifically about those subjects, and quite obviously is not trying to be an instructional book.

Think of purchasing this book after you have gone through much of the learning curve and are looking to take your work to a higher technical and AESTHETIC level. At that point it will be well work your time.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful explanation of 3D, March 19, 2003

By A Customer

There are dozens of manuals and "how to" books out there for 3D artists. However, there are very few that help the reader understand the fundamentals of how the software works and why the workflow is set up the way it is. The Art of Maya explains the process of working in 3D better than anything out there. I've been a professional animator and 3D artist for over ten years and this book blew me away. The illustrations are terrific, the text is very clear, and the illustrations are amazing. Nope, it's not a manual. You won't learn which button to click while holding down the alt key, but you will come away with a better understanding of the software and the field. A great book, buy it!