Mastering Maya 7

Mastering Maya is the complete resource for beginning, intermediate, and advanced users. This Maya Press title begins with a "Quick Start" overview of the workflow and tools in Maya, then offers detailed, thorough instruction on the Maya interface and all modeling, texturing, animation, and special effects tools. The lessons and techniques are reinforced with excellent tutorials, and the CD includes tutorial files as well as the latest Maya Personal Learning Edition software.

Table of contents :
Introduction
· The Maya Interface
· Quick Start: Creating an Animation in Maya 7
· Polygonal Modeling
· NURBS Modeling
· Subdivision Surfaces
· Advanced Modeling
· Basic Animation
· Character Setup and Rigging
· Character Animation
· Nonlinear Animation
· Lighting for Animation
· Shading and Texturing for Animation
· Rendering Basics
· Advanced Rendering with mental ray.
· Maya Embedded Language (MEL)
· Paint Effects
· Rigid Body Animation
· Using Particles
· Fluid Effects
· Maya Hair
· Maya Fur
· Maya Cloth
Summary
Index

Market Description :
Maya users, instructors, students, and hobbyists will use this book to better understand Maya and 3D concepts as well as improve their modeling, texturing, animating, and special effects skills and techniques. While this book is appropriate for savvy beginners, the contents skew toward an intermediate and advanced audience.

About Author :
Dariush Derakhshani is an award-winning Maya animator, author, and educator. He has worked on everything from movies to the South Park TV series to commercials and music videos. He teaches Maya and writes the best-selling Introducing Maya books.

John Kundert-Gibbs is director of the Digital Production Arts program at Clemson University and an accomplished author.

Eric Kuzendorf has been teaching animation for over a decade and is co-chair of Electronic Arts at the Atlanta College of Art.