The Complete Reference Maya 8 by Tom Meade, Shinsaku Arima  (Paperback, Tom Meade, Shinsaku Arima)

Learn cutting-edge 3D animation techniques

Create breathtaking content for film, TV, games, print media, and the Web using Autodesk Maya and the detailed information contained in this comprehensive resource. Maya experts and special effects gurus Tom Meade and Shinsaku Arima cover every step in the Maya production workflow using easy-to-follow tutorials, real-world examples, and insider tips and tricks.

Maya 8: The Complete Reference shows you how to use the latest version of Maya to its full potential. You'll learn to integrate motion, create complex effects, manipulate lighting, render your final animation, and prepare for postproduction.

• Build 3D models using polygons, NURBS, and subdivision surfaces
• Use displacement maps to enhance geometry
• Create and skin skeletons
• Connect the attributes of any nodes together
• Build a control rig to manipulate skeletons
• Create your own tools using MEL scripts
• Master the Hypershade to control textures, cameras, and lights
• Work with the Artisan tools, Paint Effects tools, and 3D Paint tools
• Render your animation for postproduction

Ready-to-use sample files on DVD

Key Features

• Details some of the new features, including Maya Hair, Full Body IK, and Render layers
• Provides information and tutorials on the latest Maya 8 features, showing how they work and how to get the best results from them
• Includes an interview with some short filmmakers with a breakdown of one of their pieces from storyboard to completion
• 16-page color insert showcases spectacular examples from film and game projects as well as book material (shown in previously in black and white)
• DVD packed with finished movies and video demonstrations of the tutorials in the text