Introducing Autodesk Maya 2012 E-Book

Dariush Derakhshani

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 896

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

A practical, step-by-step guide to Maya 2012 This book is the ideal primer to getting started with Maya, the premier 3D animation and effects software used in movies, visual effects, games, cartoons, short films, and commercials. You'll learn the Maya interface and the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects. Professional visual effects artist and instructor Dariush Derakhshani explains the nuances of the complex software, while creative tutorials offer realistic, professional challenges for those new to 3D. You'll be up and running in no time with the world's most popular professional 3D software application. * Provides a thorough, step-by-step introduction to Maya 2012 * Explains the core concepts of CG and working in 3D * Covers modeling, rigging, HDRI lighting, mental ray rendering, and more * Concepts are reinforced with tutorials that offer realistic challenges and clear explanations * Color insert provides real-world examples from talented beginning Maya users Build your Maya and animation skills from the ground up with this practical, thorough guide.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Credits

Copyright

Publisher's Note

Dedication

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Introduction

Chapter 1: Introduction to Computer Graphics and 3D

Art?

Computer Graphics

The Stages of Production

The CG Production Workflow

Core Concepts

Basic Film Concepts

Summary

Chapter 2: Jumping in Headfirst, with Both Feet

You Put the U in UI

Project Overview: The Solar System

The Preproduction Process: Planning

Creating a Project

The Production Process: Creating and Animating the Objects

Hierarchy and Maya Object Structure

The Solar System Resumed

Outputting Your Work: Playblasting

Summary

Chapter 3: The Maya 2012 Interface

Navigating in Maya

Maya’s Layout

Building a Decorative Box

Mapping the Box’s Reference Planes with Hypershade

Organizing Workflow with Layer Editor

Modeling the Decorative Box

Editing the Decorative Box Model Using the Shelf

Continuing the Decorative Box Model

Finishing the Decorative Box Model

Summary

Chapter 4: Beginning Polygonal Modeling

Planning Your Model

Polygon Basics

Poly Editing Tools

Putting the Tools to Use: Making a Simple Hand

Creating Areas of Detail on a Poly Mesh

Modeling a Classic Steam Locomotive

Suggestions for Modeling Polygons

Summary

Chapter 5: Modeling with NURBS, Subdivisions, and Deformers

NURBS! NURBS!

Using NURBS Surfacing to Create Polygons

Converting a NURBS Model to Polygons

Editing NURBS Surfaces

Patch Modeling: A Locomotive Detail

Using Artisan to Sculpt NURBS

Modeling with Simple Deformers

The Lattice Deformer

Animating through a Lattice

Subdivision Surfaces

Creating a Starfish

Building a Teakettle

Summary

Chapter 6: Practical Experience

Beginning the Wagon Project

Modeling the Side Panels

Creating the Wagon Body

Modeling the Wheels

Making the Wood Railings

Adding Extra Details

Summary

Chapter 7: Maya Shading and Texturing

Maya Shading

Shader Types

Shader Attributes

Texturing the Axe

Textures and Surfaces

Textures and UVS for the Red Wagon

Photoreal Mapping: The Decorative Box

For Further Study

Summary

Chapter 8: Introduction to Animation

Keyframe Animation—Bouncing a Ball

Throwing an Axe

Replacing an Object

Animating Flying Text

Rigging the Locomotive, Part 1

Animating a Catapult

Summary

Chapter 9: More Animation!

Skeletons and Kinematics

Skeletons: The Hand

Inverse Kinematics

Basic Relationships: Constraints

Basic Relationships: Set-Driven Keys

Application: Rigging the Locomotive

Summary

Chapter 10: Maya Lighting

Basic Lighting Concepts

Maya Lights

Light Linking

Adding Shadows

Raytracing Soft Shadows

mental ray Lighting

mental ray Physical Sun and Sky

Lighting Effects

Lighting the Decorative Box

Further Lighting Practice

Tips for Using and Animating Lights

Summary

Chapter 11: Maya Rendering

Rendering Setup

Previewing Your Render: The Render View Window

Reflections and Refractions

Using Cameras

Motion Blur

Batch Rendering

Rendering the Wine Bottle

mental ray for Maya

Render Layers

Final Gather

Ambient Occlusion

HDRI

Rendering the Decorative Box

Summary

Chapter 12: Maya Dynamics and Effects

An Overview of Dynamics and Maya Nucleus

Rigid and Soft Dynamic Bodies

Animating with Dynamics: The Pool Table

nParticle Dynamics

Emitting nParticles

Animating a Particle Effect: Locomotive Steam

Introduction to Paint Effects

Toon Shading

Customizing Maya

Summary

Where Do You Go from Here?

Index

Color Gallery

Acquisitions Editor: Mariann Barsolo

Development Editor: Amy Breguet

Technical Editor: Keith Reicher

Production Editor: Elizabeth Campbell

Copy Editor: Liz Welch

Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan

Production Manager: Tim Tate

Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley

Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde

Book Designer: Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Compositor: Kate Kaminski, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Proofreader: James Saturnio

Indexer: Nancy Guenther

Project Coordinator, Cover: Katherine Crocker

Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed

Copyright © 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-90021-5

ISBN: 978-1-118-08854-8 (ebk.)

ISBN: 978-1-118-08852-4 (ebk.)

ISBN: 978-1-118-08853-1 (ebk.)

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at [phone], outside the U.S. at [phone] or fax [phone].

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher.

TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Autodesk and Maya are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing Introducing Autodesk Maya 2012. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.

Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we’re still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we’re working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.

I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I’d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we’re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at [email protected]. If you think you’ve found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

Best regards,

Neil Edde

Vice President and Publisher

Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley

To Max Henry

Acknowledgments

As this book goes into its eighth edition, I am thrilled that the Introducing Maya series is a favorite resource for students and teachers of Maya. Education is the foundation for a happy life, and with that in mind, I’d like to thank the outstanding teachers from whom I have had the privilege to learn. You can remember what you’ve been taught—or, just as important, you can remember those who have taught you. ■ I also want to thank my students, who have taught me as much as they have learned themselves. Juan Gutierrez, Victor J. Garza, Robert Jauregui, and Peter Gend deserve special thanks for helping me complete the models and images for this book. Thanks to the student artists who contributed to the color insert and, of course, thanks to my bosses, colleagues, and friends at work for showing me everything I’ve learned and making it interesting to be in the effects business. Special thanks to HP for their support and keeping me on the cutting edge of workstations. • Thanks to my editors at Sybex and the folks at Autodesk for their support and help and for making this process fun. Thanks to the book team for bringing it all together: Mariann Barsolo, Amy Breguet, and Elizabeth Campbell. My appreciation also goes to technical editor, Keith Reicher. ■ Finally, special mad props go to my friends Bill, Mark, Frank, Terry, and Brett. • Thank you to my mom and brothers for your strength, wisdom, and love throughout. And a special thank-you to my lovely wife Randi and our son Max Henry for putting up with the long nights at the keyboard; the grumpy, sleep-deprived mornings; and the blinking and buzzing of all my machines in our apartment. Family!

About the Author

Dariush Derakhshani is a supervisor for Zoic Studios, a creative studio with offices in Culver City, California, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Dariush has been working in CG for more than 15 years and teaching classes in CG and effects production for close to 14. He is the best-selling author of a handful of books, including the popular Introducing Maya series.

Dariush started using AutoCAD software in his architecture days and then migrated to using 3D programs when his firm’s principal architects needed to show their clients design work on the computer. Starting with Alias PowerAnimator version 6, which he encountered when he enrolled in the University of Southern California Film School’s Animation program, and working for a short while in 3ds Max before moving on to Maya jobs, Dariush has been using Autodesk animation software for the past 17 years.

He received an MFA in Film, Video, and Computer Animation in 1997 from USC. Dariush also holds a BA in Architecture and Theatre from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and worked at a New Jersey architecture firm before moving to Los Angeles for film school. He has worked on feature films, music videos, and countless commercials as a 3D animator and VFX supervisor, garnering honors from the London International Advertising Awards, the ADDY Awards, the Telly Awards, and a nomination from the Visual Effects Society Awards. He is bald and has flat feet.

Introduction

Welcome to Introducing Autodesk Maya 2012 and the world of computer-generated imagery (CGI). Whether you’re new to 3D graphics or venturing into Autodesk’s powerhouse animation software from another 3D application, you’ll find this book a perfect primer. It introduces you to Maya and shows how you can work with Maya to create your art, whether it’s animated or static in design.

The first edition of this book was written out of the author’s desire for a solid, comprehensive, and yet open-ended teaching material about Maya for his classes. This book exposes you to all the facets of Maya by introducing and explaining its tools and functions to help you understand how Maya operates. In addition, you’ll find hands-on examples and tutorials that give you firsthand experience with the toolsets. Working through these will help you develop skills as well as knowledge. These tutorials expose you to various ways of accomplishing tasks with this intricate and comprehensive artistic tool.

Finally, this book explains workflow. You’ll learn not only how specific tasks are accomplished, but why—that is, how they fit into the larger process of producing 3D animation. By doing that, these chapters should give you the confidence to venture deeper into Maya’s feature set on your own or by using any of Maya’s other learning tools and books as a guide.

It can be frustrating to learn a powerful tool such as Maya, so it’s important to remember to pace yourself. The number-one complaint of readers of books like this is a sense that either the pace is too fast or the steps are too complicated or overwhelming. That’s a tough nut to crack, to be sure, and no two readers are the same. But this book offers you the chance to run things at your own pace. The exercises and steps may seem challenging at times, but keep in mind that the more you try—even the more you fail at some attempts—the more you’ll learn about how to operate Maya. Experience is the key to learning workflows in any software program, and with experience comes failure and aggravation. Nevertheless, try and try again, and you’ll see that further attempts will be easier and more fruitful.

Above all, this book aims to inspire you to use Maya as a creative tool to achieve and explore your own artistic vision.

What You’ll Learn from This Book

Introducing Autodesk Maya 2012 will show you how Maya works and introduce you to every part of the toolset to give you a glimpse of the possibilities available with Maya.

You’ll learn the basic concepts underlying animation and 3D and how to work with the Maya interface. You’ll then learn the basic methods of modeling—creating objects and characters that appear to exist in three-dimensional space and that can be animated. You’ll also explore shading and texturing—the techniques of applying surfaces to the objects you create—and you’ll learn how to create lights and shadows in a scene. Animation is an enormously rich topic, but the practice and theory provided here will give you a solid footing. Next, you’ll learn how to control the process of rendering, turning your images into files that can be viewed. Perhaps Maya’s most dazzling capability is its dynamics engine, software that allows you to make objects behave as if controlled by the real-world laws of physics.

After you’ve finished this book and its exercises, you’ll have experience in almost everything Maya offers, giving you a solid foundation on which to base the rest of your Maya and CGI experience.

The goal of this book is to get you familiar enough with all the parts of Maya that you can work on your own and start a long, healthy education in a powerful and flexible tool.

You will, however, learn the most from yourself.

Who Should Read This Book

Anyone who is curious about learning Maya or who is migrating from another 3D software package can learn something from this book. Even if you’re highly experienced in another 3D package such as NewTek’s LightWave or XSI, you’ll find this book helpful in showing you how Maya operates, so you can migrate your existing skill set quickly and efficiently. By being exposed to everything Maya has to offer, you’ll better understand how you can use its toolset to create or improve on your art and work.

If you already have cursory or even intermediate experience with Maya, culled from time spent learning at home, you can fill many holes with the information in this book as well as expand your experience. Self-education is a powerful tool, and the more you expose yourself to different sources, opinions, and methods, the better educated you’ll be.

In addition, this book is invaluable for teachers in the CG field. This book was written to cater to those who want to pick up the fundamentals of Maya as well as those who want to teach classes based around a solid body of course material. You won’t find a better basis for a class when you combine this book with your own curriculum.

How to Use This Book

Introducing Autodesk Maya 2012 approaches the subject in a linear fashion that tracks how most animation productions are undertaken. But the book has numerous cross-references, to make sure the chapters make sense in any order you may want to tackle them. You can open this book to any chapter and work through the tutorials and examples laid out for the Maya task being covered. Feel free to browse the chapters and jump into anything that strikes your fancy. However, if you’re completely new to CG, you may want to take the chapters in order.

Although you can learn a lot just by reading the explanations and studying the illustrations, it’s best to read this book while you’re using Maya 2012 so that you can try the exercises for yourself as you read them. If you don’t already have Maya, you can download an educational license or a 30-day trial version of the software at www.autodesk.com/maya. This book refers to a companion web page (www.sybex.com/go/intromaya2012) that contains all the example and support files you’ll need for the exercises in the text, which is valuable as an educational aid. You can use the example files to check the progress of your work, or you can use them as a starting point if you want to skip ahead within an exercise. The latter can save the more experienced reader tons of time. You’ll also find it valuable to examine these files in depth to see how scenes are set up and how some of the concepts introduced in the book are implemented. Because Maya is a complex, professional software application, the exercises are both realistically ambitious and simple enough for new users to complete. Take them one step at a time and find your own pace, accepting aggravations and failures as part of the process. Take your time; you’re not working on deadline—yet.

How This Book Is Organized

Chapter 1, “Introduction to Computer Graphics and 3D,” introduces you to common computer graphics terms and concepts to give you a basic overview of how CG happens and how Maya relates to the overall process. This chapter explores the basics of CG creation and its core concepts. In addition, it describes the process of CG production and discusses how to establish a commonly used workflow.

Chapter 2, “Jumping in Headfirst, with Both Feet,” creates a simple animation to introduce you to Maya’s interface and workflow and give you a taste of how things work right off the bat. By animating the planets in our solar system, you’ll learn basic concepts of creating and animating in Maya and how to use its powerful object structure.

Chapter 3, “The Maya 2012 Interface,” presents the entire Maya interface and shows you how it’s used in production. Beginning with a roadmap of the screen, this chapter also explains how Maya defines and organizes objects in a scene while you are set to the task of building a decorative box model.

Chapter 4, “Beginning Polygonal Modeling,” is an introduction to modeling concepts and workflows in general. It shows you how to start modeling using polygonal geometry to create various objects, from a human hand to a complex locomotive engine.

Chapter 5, “Modeling with NURBS, Subdivisions, and Deformers,” takes your lesson in modeling a step further. It shows you how to model with deformers and surfacing techniques, using NURBS to create a patch model detail for the locomotive you modeled in Chapter 4. You’ll also use subdivision surfaces, a hybrid between polygons and NURBS, to create a starfish.

Chapter 6, “Practical Experience,” rounds out your modeling lessons with two comprehensive exercises showing you how to model a child’s toy wagon using polygons as well as NURBS surfacing.

Chapter 7, “Maya Shading and Texturing,” shows you how to assign textures and shaders to your models. Using the toy wagon you created in Chapter 6, you’ll learn how to texture it to look like a real toy wagon as well as lay out its UVs for proper texture placement. Then, you’ll create detailed photorealistic textures based on photos for the decorative box model. You’ll also learn how to take advantage of Maya 2012’s ability to work with layered Photoshop files.

Chapter 8, “Introduction to Animation,” covers the basics of how to animate a bouncing ball using keyframes and moves on to creating more complex animation—throwing an axe and firing a catapult. You’ll also learn how to import objects into an existing animation and transfer animation from one object to another, a common exercise in professional productions. In addition, you’ll learn how to use the Graph Editor to edit and finesse your animation as well as animate objects along paths.

Chapter 9, “More Animation!” expands on Chapter 8 to show you how to use Maya’s skeleton and kinematics system to create a simple walk cycle. This chapter also covers how to animate objects by using relationships between them. A thrilling exercise shows you how to rig your locomotive model from Chapter 4 for automated animation, one of Maya’s most productive uses.

Chapter 10, “Maya Lighting,” begins by showing you how to light a 3D scene as you learn how to light the wagon you modeled and textured earlier in the book. It also shows you how to use the tools to create and edit Maya lights for illumination, shadows, and special lighting effects. mental ray for Maya’s Physical Sun and Sky feature is explored in this chapter as an introduction to some sophisticated techniques for mental ray lighting.

Chapter 11, “Maya Rendering,” explains how to create image files from your Maya scene and how to achieve the best look for your animation using proper cameras and rendering settings. You’ll work with displacement maps to create details in a model. You’ll also learn about the Maya renderer, the Vector renderer, and Final Gather using HDRI and image-based lighting through mental ray for Maya, as well as raytracing, motion blur, and depth of field. You’ll have a chance to render the decorative box to round out your skills.

Chapter 12, “Maya Dynamics and Effects,” introduces you to Maya’s powerful dynamics animation system as well as nParticle technology. You’ll animate pool balls colliding with one another using rigid body dynamics, and using nParticle animation, you’ll create steam to add to your locomotive scene from Chapter 4. This chapter also shows you how to use Paint Effects to create animated flowers and grass within minutes, and it introduces you to using toon shading to achieve a cartoon look to your renders.

Hardware and Software Considerations

Because computer hardware is a quickly moving target, and Maya now runs on three distinct operating systems (Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7, Linux, and Mac OS X), specifying which hardware components will work with Maya is something of a challenge. Fortunately, Autodesk has a “qualified hardware” page on its website that describes the latest hardware to be qualified to work with Maya for each operating system. Go to the following site for the most up-to-date information on system requirements:

www.autodesk.com/maya

Although you can find specific hardware recommendations on these web pages, some general statements can be made about what constitutes a good platform on which to run Maya. First, be sure to get a fast processor; Maya eats through CPU cycles like crazy, so a fast processor is important. Second, you need lots of RAM (memory) to run Maya: at least 2 GB, but 8 GB is good to have, especially if you’re working with large scene files or are on a 64-bit system. Third, if you expect to interact well with your Maya scenes, a powerful video card is a must—although Maya will mosey along with a poor graphics card, screen redraws will be slow with complex scenes, which can quickly become frustrating. You may want to consider a workstation graphics card for the best compatibility (rather than a consumer-grade gaming video card). Several companies make entry-level through top-performing workstation cards to fit any budget. A large hard disk is also important—most computers these days come with huge drives anyway.

Fortunately, computer hardware is so fast that even laptop computers can now run Maya well. Additionally, even hardware that is not officially supported by Autodesk can often run Maya—just remember that you won’t be able to get technical support if your system doesn’t meet the company’s qualifications.

The Next Step

By the time you finish IntroducingAutodeskMaya 2012, you’ll have some solid skills for using Maya. When you’re ready to move on to another level, be sure to check out other Maya titles from Sybex at www.sybex.com.

You can contact the author at www.koosh3d.com. You may also go to the book’s web page at www.sybex.com/go/intromaya2012.

Chapter 1

Introduction to Computer Graphics and 3D

This book will introduce you to the workings of 3D animation (called computer graphics, or CG) with one of the most popular programs on the market, Autodesk Maya. It will introduce you to many of Maya’s features and capabilities with the intent of energizing you to study further.

Having said that, let’s face a basic fact: The best way to succeed at almost anything is to practice. Prepare to go through the exercises in this book, but also try to think of exercises and projects that can take you further in your learning process. A book, class, or video can take you only so far; the rest is up to you. Imagination and exploration will serve you well.

This is not to say you can’t be a casual visitor to working in CG—far from it. Playing around and seeing what you can create in this medium is just flat-out fun. Don’t lose sight of that. If you feel the enjoyment slipping away, step away from the screen for a while. Understanding your own learning pace is important.

Throughout this book, you’ll learn how to work with Maya tools and techniques at a pace you set for yourself. This chapter will prepare you for the hands-on study that follows by introducing the most important CG concepts and the roles they will play in your Maya work. When you’re learning how to work with Maya, the most important concept is discovering how you work as an artist. If you have a basic understanding of the methodology and terms of computer art and CG, you can skim or even skip this chapter and jump right into working with Maya.

Topics in this chapter include:

Art?Computer graphicsThe stages of productionThe CG production workflowCore conceptsBasic film concepts

Art?

Art, in many instances, requires transcendence of its medium; it speaks of its own accord. Art goes beyond the mechanics of how you create it (whether by brush or mouse) and takes on its own life. Learning to look beyond what you’re working with and seeing what you’re working for is the key to creating art with CG. Try not to view this experience as learning a software package, but as learning a way of working to an end. As you begin learning CG with Maya, you acquire a new language—a new form of communication. Keep in mind that the techniques you acquire are only a means to the end.

Relax and enjoy yourself.

It’s hard to relax when you’re trying to cram so much information into your brain. But keep in mind that you should try not to make this experience about how a software program works; instead, make it about how you work with the software. Maya is only your tool.

When hiring professional 3D artists, CG studios keenly look for a strong artistic sense, whether in a traditional portfolio or a CG reel. Therefore, it’s paramount to fortify the artist within yourself and practice traditional art such as life drawing, photography, painting, or sculpture as you learn CG, beginning with the core principles introduced in this first chapter. Keep in mind that the computer you’ll be using for 3D work is nothing more than a tool. You run it; it doesn’t run you.

3D is a part of the daily visual lexicon. With the availability of inexpensive and fast computers, everyone can create their own CG projects. Artists everywhere are adding the language of CG to their skill set. So before you start learning a particular CG tool—Maya, in this case—make sure you have a grasp of the fundamental issues underlying CG. It’s important that you do.