[Adam Watkins]Getting Started in 3D with Maya Create a Project from Start to Finish - Model, Texture, Rig, Animate, and Render in Maya(pdf){Zzzzz}

Deliver professional-level 3D content in no time with this comprehensive guide to 3D animation with Maya. With over 12 years of training experience, plus several award winning students under his belt, author Adam Watkins is the ideal mentor to get you up to speed with 3D in Maya.

Using a structured and pragmatic approach Getting Started in 3D with Maya begins with basic theory of fundamental techniques, then builds on this knowledge using practical examples and projects to put your new skills to the test. Prepared so that you can learn in an organic fashion, each chapter builds on the knowledge gained in the previous chapter, showing you all the essentials of 3D in Maya, from modeling and UV layout, to texture creation, rigging animating and rendering. As you go from project to project you'll develop a strong arsenal of skills that combined will form a complete end to end process to creating complete projects in Maya.

The accompanying website provides all the tools you need to develop your skills. Project files to accompany the practical examples used throughout the text, so you can work along with the examples. Additional textures and models will give you all the resources you need to start making your own projects in no time at all.

Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (February 9, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0240820428
ISBN-13: 978-0240820422

From the Back Cover

Deliver professional-level 3D content in no time with this comprehensive guide to 3D animation with Maya. With over 12 years of training experience, plus several award winning students under his belt, author Adam Watkins is the ideal mentor to get you up to speed with 3D in Maya.

Using a structured and pragmatic approach Getting Started in 3D with Maya begins with basic theory of fundamental techniques, then builds on this knowledge using practical examples and projects to put your new skills to the test. Prepared so that you can learn in an organic fashion, each chapter builds on the knowledge gained in the previous chapter, showing you all the essentials of 3D in Maya, from modeling and UV layout, to texture creation, rigging animating and rendering. As you go from project to project you'll develop a strong arsenal of skills that combined will form a complete end to end process to creating complete projects in Maya.

The accompanying website provides all the tools you need to develop your skills. Project files to accompany the practical examples used throughout the text, so you can work along with the examples. Additional textures and models will give you all the resources you need to start making your own projects in no time at all.
About the Author
Adam Watkins is Associate Professor, 3D Animation, School of Interactive Media & Design at the University of the Incarnate Word. He is currently on a research sabbatical at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where he is part of the VISIBLE effort creating virtual simulation games for use in non-proliferation exercises. Watkins has headed the 3D Animation program for over ten years and is the author of several books and over 100 articles on 3D Animation. His students are the winners of multiple national and international animation awards and festivals.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

A great book to get started in modeling in Maya
By Gina l on March 20, 2012
If you are new to Maya or modeling, this is the book to get.I just received this book and started to read it and I have to say that I'm sorry I didn't have this book six months ago when I started the animation/modeling progam I'm enrolled in.
The book starts by giving you a quick but through rundown of the main tools in Maya. It not only shows you how to use the tools, but gives you the why's of using specific tools. Thoughout the book, the author tells you why, you are doing what you do. After a chapter on how to use the tools, it goes into a chapter on Architectural modeling where the reader is guided step by step on building a set for a video game. The next chapter goes into Organic modeling of an alien creature-the one featured on the cover.Other chapters are :UV's and Uv Layouts, Material creation snd Texture Painting, Lighting and Rendering, Skinning and Rigging, and Animation in Maya. Also included are Tips and Tricks for working in Maya and Warnings and Pitfalls, which are things that you should lookout for while working. I've been working with Maya for less than a year and I'm still a newbie, and I found these to be very useful. So far, I'm impressed, not only by the content, but by how easy it is to read and understand. The author walks you through the projects, and then gives you homework to work on, so that you can work on what you learned on your own and use the skills on your own projects. As you read, you will find a link to the book's website, where you can download the extra files you might need to work on the assignments. And when I say this book is readable, I mean that I read it, while commuting by bus to work and I actually read it, unlike other books of it's kind, it was interesting and I can't wait to get started working on the projects.


Great book for 3D Artists looking to learn a new program.
By Juniper on March 24, 2013
While I was in Art school, I took a class in 3D Computer Modeling and I loved it. In our class we learned how to use Cinema 4D, instead of the industry-standard, Maya. Which was OK, but now that I am out of school, I was really interested in learning how to use the program I feel like I missed out on. I tried delving right in, hoping my experience with Cinema 4D would help, but it didn't, Maya was pretty different and I felt overwhelmed. I tried watching and reading tutorials online, but I found the prospect of listening to hours of video without actually doing the work, boring. Then I remembered I had a handy book I used in school for Cinema 4D and I decided I would try one for Maya too.

I picked Getting Started in 3D, because it was from the same publisher as the Cinema 4D book (Focal Press) and it seemed to follow the same format. Having you delve right into projects, starting from the most simple states and getting more complicated as it goes. I am on Chapter 3 and I have learned and done more in Maya than ever before. The book is well explained, well paced and you feel like your working on this big project little by little which makes it incredibly satisfying and encouraging to keep on working. One of the defeats of the aforementioned Cinema 4D book was that it had small, inclusive projects, where more difficult topics (like animation) where introduced right away. That method of learning was frustrating at times and I ended up giving up many times. Where Getting Started in 3D shines is that it builds upon topics, having you work on a larger project little by little and I have yet to lose encouragement or interest in the project after a few weeks of owning the book

Great
By Charlie on June 15, 2012
This book is the go to book for beginners. It is packed with great instructions and shortcuts that make learning easier. I started using Maya around 6 months ago and I'm still learning (it's a dense program) but this book has uncovered many secrets and contains loads of helpful information. It goes into architectural modeling, like another book I have, but then it goes into organic modeling and how to approach it. So wonderful and helpful! I definitely recommend this book to all beginners and even intermediate users.