ANIM 262



This class is an introduction to animating in Maya. The first few weeks will concentrate on moving around Maya and also building a set and props. Each week I will post a new posting onto top of the previous one.

If you have any questions, please email me: heyjimr@gmail.com. If you like this page, please click on the ads to show your support.
Thank you.
Jimr 




WEEK_08 Friday March 9
Maya Mid-Term Exam Study Guide

Maya uses both graphic formats: Bitmap and Vector

 


 


How do you make a Key Frame on the Timeline?

What do the Hotkeys Q, W, E, R do?

When using these Hotkeys, what happens when you press the + or - buttons?
 
What is the Graph Editor for?





WEEK_05 Friday February 16

The Animation Rig

DUE: Project 2: Bouncing Ball



Lecture/Demo: The stages of animation workflow in CG and Key posing.


Project 3: Posing Malcolm: 5 standing/5 sitting poses. Be sure to add a floor and some sort of simple background for Malcolm to stand in. Other wise he will be surrounded in solid black background.
Here are some Malcolm poses with a free maya set.



NOTE: Maya now renders with a new render named Arnold which has a little trick to turning it on. Here's a tutorial explaining the process when you want to shoot your Malcolm poses.

Arnold render settings:

SELECT the Light or lights in your scene
Open attribute editor
click on arnold tab, you have to scroll down quite a bit.
set on Constant
Presto?

This video explains it better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcDlYq8vGM8

Reading/Watching/Listening:
o   Watch Big Buck Bunny - http://www.bigbuckbunny.org/index.php/download
o   James Baxter Notes on Acting for Animation http://floobynooby.blogspot.fr/2012/04/james-baxter-notes-on-acting-for.html
Additional Independent Optional Tool Learning:
Basics of Maya Keyframe Animation - http://www.3dtutorialzone.com/tutorial?id=96
Importing Audio Into Maya - http://www.3dtutorialzone.com/tutorial?id=74





WEEK_04 Friday February 9


Class 4 - Bouncing Ball continued:

DUE: Work in Progress: Bouncing Ball

Lecture/Demo: Class critique of student animation. 

How to set up scenes and create playblasts.

Project 2 continued: Bouncy ball - Second Pass, block out Box

Reading/Watching/Listening:
o   Animation Mentor - podcasts - http://www.animationmentor.com/resources/podcasts



WEEK_03 Friday February 2


Bouncing Ball rig

DUE:  Your Animation Stage set

Lecture/Demo:  Animating  a bouncing ball rig

Animation workflow in CG - Bouncy Ball Rig demo. Bouncy ball rig here: http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/character-rigs/c/thebouncin-ball

o   First pass at bouncy ball (needs to tell a STORY!!!)
                Block out Ball with an Attitude, it bounces over to a new location
o   Import rigs into a Maya scene. Save Master scene and then a _v001 file.
                Animate changes in v001 and save different versions. Intro to Step tangents, Key Framing, Graph Editor and Playblasts.

Reading/Watching/Listening:
o   Animation Mentor Timing and Spacing Webinar - http://www.animationmentor.com/webinar/timing-and-spacing-webinar/

Project 2: Bouncing ball: Animate a bouncing ball on your set. Save a playblast. Make sure you label the file: yourname_ballproj02_v001 or whatever version # it is.



WEEK_02 Friday January 26

Modeling in Maya: Polygon and Nurbs

Lecture/Demo: Modeling in Maya- (Build a simple set and props)
Maya Basics - Creating primitive objects - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q54XbeGspD4

Additional Independent Optional Tool Learning:
○ Maya Basics - Selecting Components - https://youtu.be/BnZLpoD5NqQ

Reading/Watching/Listening:
○ Maya Basics - Creating primitive objects - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q54XbeGspD4

Additional Independent Optional Tool Learning:
How to make 3D text in Maya -
Project 1: Build a Set for your rigs to play in for next class




WEEK_01 Friday January 19




Class 1 - Introductions / Pipeline / User Interface (UI)

Lecture/Demo: Introduction to Autodesk Maya

CG Production Workflow
Modeling:     Polygon, Nurbs, Subdivision and Deformers.


Rigging:       Building and attaching a rig   skeleton to the character model.



Texturing:     Colors, Textures and Shading


Animation:   Staging, Blocking, Key Poses, Inbetweens,Previews and Final  
             

Lighting:      Lighting the objects and environment in the camera view.


Rendering:  Renders out all the information one frame at a time.

Maya uses both graphic formats
 
Vector graphics used                Bitmap Graphics used
in modeling                               in Rendering Images


Shortcuts to Navigating

Alt+MMB+Click: Track around window

            (Left, Right, Up or Down)

Alt+RMB+Click: Dollies In or Out  
Scroll Wheel: Acting as a MMB, Same Action

  
 Alt+Click: Rotates or Orbits around in Persp. Window

Alt+Ctrl+Click & Drag: Rotates or Orbits around in      Persp. Window
 
  Always create a Maya project file first!




Always name this file properly…

Myfirstprojectwhichisthesolarsystem = BAD

   
Solar_System = GOOD



Solar System =  Project Folder

planets_001   =  Scene file version



Save Versions of your work

Planets_001, planets_002, planets_003 … planets_085



Save Early, Save Often!
 


Setting a Maya Project:



Class requirements: class introduction account at the AREA (http://area.autodesk.com)









Additional Independent Optional Tool Learning:

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