Hot Maya How-Tos « Maya

How To: Model a human head with great edge flow in Maya

Learn the most efficient and quick way to model a head with polygonal modeling. The proper edge flow is easy to achieve this way.

How To: Model a human body in Maya

This tutorial series shows you how to model anatomy of the human body in Maya and gives specific tips on how to eventually be able to do it from memory. Part one starts with the head, part two the torso, part 3 the legs, part four the foot, part 5 the arm, part 6 attaching the parts and part 7 modeling hands.

How To: Create a Helix-Shaped NURBS Curve in Maya

There are several ways you can go about creating your NURBS helix curve in Maya; I will demonstrate the two easiest ones.

How To: Insert joints in a joint chain in Maya

If you are working on characters or rigs, you are definitely working with joints. This video shows you how to insert a join in a joint chain if you need more or happened to miss one.

How To: Create intricate tree leaves in Maya

Creating realistic trees in Maya is hard enough without the leaves, but when you add the lively green leaves onto the branches, the difficulty level doubles. An animated leaf needs to mimic a real life, living leaf, which is intricate, to say the least. So, if you've been having problems with making tree leaves in Maya, this two-part video tutorial will show you the tricks to success. But it's only the beginning of what you can accomplish in Maya.

How To: Construct a metal shader in Maya 7

This Maya 7 video tutorial teaches you how to construct a metal shader in Maya 7 from Autodesk. This video is from the "Game Lighting and Color" course.

How To: Convert NURBS to polygons in Autodesk Maya 2011

Need to convert a NURBS surface to plain old polygons when working in Maya 2011? This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're new to Autodesk's popular modeling software or a seasoned 3D artist just looking to better acquaint yourself with the Maya 2011 workflow, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For specifics, watch this free video guide.

How To: Work an Advanced Rig for character animation in Maya

Character rigging is important. Advanced Rigging makes it easier to animate your character. View joints and nerves so that you may easily select parts of the character.

How To: Turn a 3D Model in Maya into a 3D Print

When turning your 3D model into a 3D print, Maya requires some extra editing before you end up with a printable piece: the wall thickness needs to be checked, the model needs to be watertight, and your final printing size needs to be defined. To make your life easier, Autodesk Maya expert Russ Ogi has put together a step-by-step tutorial about how to make your Maya 3D model printable. See more at: 3D Printing with Maya: Step-by-Step Tutorial on How to Turn Your 3D Model into a 3D Print.

How To: Extrude polygons in Maya

Learn how to extrude polygon faces and start to really make objects. Extruding is the most important and most often used method for manipulating and modeling with polygons in Maya so if you are learning Maya, you definitely want to check out this tutorial.

How To: Revolve, extrude and loft nurbs curves in Maya

Learn how to manipulate NURBS surfaces using the Revolve, Extrude and Loft methods in Autodesk's Maya 3D modeling and animating software.

How To: Create a logo in Maya

In this two part tutorial from Alvaro Castaneda you will learn how to create a logo in Maya. We begin by tracing the logo in a vector app, then use that to start building the logo, using Maya to bring it to life. In part two we add shaders to our geometry to later light and render our final logo. Create a logo in Maya - Part 1 of 2.

How To: Create realistic smoke and dust particles in Maya

The key to being able to animate realistic smoke or dust is being able to master the particle texture rate technique in Maya. Once you have gotten this down, you can create any sort of particle effect, such as sand or bubbles in addition to smoke and dust. This three part tutorial series goes in depth into the subtleties of Maya, showing you how to get the most out of working with particles to lend an extra layer of realism to your project.

How To: 3D model a skeleton torso using Maya

The human skeleton may not be that artistically satisfying by itself, but a good realistic model of one is the basis of much of the most anatomically correct and natural-looking art. This three-part video will teach you how to 3D model a skeleton using Maya, starting with the vertebrae, then the spine, then the ribcage. If you can create this, you are well on your way to 3D modeling all sorts of natural human forms.

How To: Animate a bouncing ball in Maya

The bouncing ball animation is a classic beginning point for animating in every 3D software package. This tutorial shows you how to do it in Maya. Part two will concentrate on keyframes. Part three will turn the bouncing ball into a character set. Part four will cover using the Trax editor when animating.

How To: Model a human ear in Maya

In our opinion, human body parts are some of the hardest things an artist can draw. When it comes to parts like hands and ears, we generally settle for a basic, rudimentary rendering because achieving a realistic portrayal seems so hard. If you're looking for quality, though, then Maya modeling software is an excellent way to achieve it.

How To: Make a rock with Maya

If you're an Autodesk Maya user and you're looking to create rocks, boulders or rock walls, check out this excellent 7 part tutorial and learn how it's done. Maya is a massive 3D creation tool with so many aspects it's really mind blowing. This tutorial will help you improve your skills for your game building or just for you own art.

How To: Use NURBS in Maya Modeling to Model a Chess Bishop

The bishop is widely regarded as the most powerful of chess pieces. This video by Andrew Klein will teach you how to make a 3D model of one using Maya. It is meant to help beginners learning the basics of Maya, and focuses on the use of NURBS as part of a 3D model.

How To: Render Wireframe in Maya Software Render

This is a very essential tutorial for Modelers to present their showreel. In this tutorial we are going to learn how to render a wire frame of a model. Wireframe render in Maya is bit tricky but easy also, just you have to know right button to press. This tutorial will cover the output in Autodesk Maya Software renderer. Later we will discuss through Mental Ray render engine. Hope you will enjoy.

How To: UV map a human head in Autodesk Maya

These videos will show you how to create a UV map in Autodesk Maya. Using the proper software and this human head model you will be able to follow the step-by-step instructions in this series of three videos and learn what UV mapping is and how it works.

How To: Create a Simple Procedural Brick Texture in Maya

This is a guide to making a very simple procedural texture for Maya. As with all procedural textures, the basic texture can be refined and added to.

How To: Produce a 3D house/building model using Maya

Autodesk Maya, affectionately known as just Maya to its users, is a 3D computer graphics software that makes it easy to create impressive, realistic models of real-life - or imagined - objects. Super useful for graphic designers, film makers and web designers, the program is one that you should study if you're looking to go into one of the fields above.

How To: Model an object using the CV Curve tool in Maya

3D modeling tool Mayafrom Autodesk is a monster of a program, able to do SO many things. One of the things you'll need to learn is how to use the CV Curve tool. This will allow you to create objects with curves of any shape or dimension you desire. Let's be honest, most of your models will require curves, so check out this tutorial and find out how to do it. Maya is used in everything from small animation to feature films like Spiderman. If you want to be in the biz, expand your skill set wit...

How To: Apply normal maps when creating textures and shaders in Maya 2011

In this tutorial, we learn how to work with normal maps within Maya 2011. Whether you're new to Autodesk's popular modeling software or a seasoned 3D artist just looking to better acquaint yourself with the Maya 2011 workflow, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this video guide.

How To: Rotate & revolve cameras in Maya

In this tutorial, we learn how to rotate and revolve cameras in Maya. First, go to create primitives on the menu at the top. Next, create a camera and pull it out onto the circle. Now, click the camera and then the circle, then hit the 'p' key on the keyboard. Now, you can rotate your circle around and it will rotate on the y axis. To set this, click on 50, then type in 360 on the 'y axis' space. After this, hit 's' an you will have a key frame. You can change the settings as you prefer, then...

How To: Create a 3D model of a knurl using Maya

For those who aren't familiar with them, knurls (can also be a verb: knurling) are the textured parts on the end of screws and other metal pieces that make them easier to grab. This video will teach you how to use Maya to create 3D models of knurls. You probably won't need too many knurls in your 3D art, unless you work in industry, but the lessons learned here can be applied to all sorts of other 3D modeling projects.

How To: Easily create a normal map in Maya

Creating beautiful 3D images in Maya is easier than doing so by hand, but not by much! This video will teach you how to use Maya to create a normal map form a high poly geometry easily using the render pass feature that came out in Maya 2009.

How To: Master Maya modeling by making a 3D airplane

Maya is arcane, complex, but incredibly powerful software. It is the industry standard for 3D modeling in games and film. This video for Maya beginners will teach you how to create a model of an airplane as a means of teaching you a lot of the basics of Maya. It is meant to be watched after the previous two tutorial series by the creator: modeling a chair and modeling a toy. It builds on the lessons therein, and watching the whole series will ensure that you learn more than you would have wat...

How To: Create and edit Bézier curves in Autodesk Maya 2011

Want to know how to create Bézier parametric curves when working in Maya 2011? This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're new to Autodesk's popular modeling software or a seasoned 3D artist just looking to better acquaint yourself with the Maya 2011 workflow, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For specifics, watch this free video guide.

How To: Create and edit edge loops in Autodesk Maya 2011

Want to know how to work with edge loops in Maya 2011? This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're new to Autodesk's popular modeling software or a seasoned 3D artist just looking to better acquaint yourself with the Maya 2011 workflow, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For specifics, watch this free video guide.

How To: Test Photoshop-made textures in Maya 7

This Maya 7 video tutorial teaches you how to test Photoshop-made textures in Maya 7 from Autodesk. This video is from the "Tiling Textures" course.

How To: Animate in Maya

Animation controls run on the bottom of the screen. The time slider is the most important control for designing frames in Maya. Playback is exactly intuitive. This is a basic overview of Maya animation protocol and a lesson in using Maya tools.

How To: Create a water shader in Maya

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a pretty decent looking water shader in Maya without many nodes. Water materials are a great and fast way to get around creating real 3D water effects so watch this Maya tutorial and create your own water shader.

How To: Model a basic candle in Maya

This software tutorial teaches you how to model a basic candle out of polygons in Maya. Polygonal modeling is the easiest to learn so follow along and watch how to model a used candle in Maya.

How To: Do a duplicate mirror merge in Maya 8.5

If you're in a 3D modeling class, then you might want to check out this Autodesk Maya 8.5 two-part video tutorial. These videos cover how to do a duplicate mirror merge. So, if you want to build an animated character in Maya, just watch for these tips on a dup mirror merge.