Introduction to Maya - University of Warwick is Maya? •Integrated 3D modeling, texturing, rigging,...

Introduction to Maya

Elmedin Selmanovic

Vedad Hulusic

The Digital Laboratory

WMG

elmedin.selmanovic@warwick.ac.uk

What is Maya?

• Integrated 3D modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, visual effects, and rendering solution

• Used in film, television, game development, and design projects • Allows scripting in Maya Embedded Language (MEL) or Python

Modeling in Maya

• Polygons o Vertices, edges and faces o Polygonal surfaces can be described with the smallest amount of data of all the 3D

surface types

• NURBs (Non-Uniform Rational B-splines) o Define the profile of the shape that you want for a surface o Create the finished surface using a specific construction method o Can be converted to a poly mesh

• Subdivision surfaces

o Possess characteristics of both NURBs and polygonal surfaces o Capable of producing smooth organic forms (NURBs) o Extrude specific areas and create additional detail in your surfaces (polygons) o Switching between different levels of detail

Modeling in Maya

• Polygons o Vertices, edges and faces o Polygonal surfaces can be described with the smallest amount of data of all the 3D

surface types

• NURBs (Non-Uniform Rational B-splines) o Define the profile of the shape that you want for a surface o Create the finished surface using a specific construction method o Can be converted to a poly mesh

• Subdivision surfaces

o Possess characteristics of both NURBs and polygonal surfaces o Capable of producing smooth organic forms (NURBs) o Extrude specific areas and create additional detail in your surfaces (polygons) o Switching between different levels of detail

Maya learning movies

• Essential Skills:

• Create and view objects

• Zoom, pan and roll camera

• Move, rotate, scale objects

• Component selection

• Keyframe animation

• Preview render

Shortcuts • QWERTY (tools)

o Q: select o W: move o E: rotate o R: scale o T: show manipulators o Y: last tool used

• Camera o ALT + LMB: tumble/rotate camera o ALT + MMB: track/move camera o ALT + RMB: dolly/zoom camera o A: Zoom all o F: Zoom selected

• Panels o SPACE: panel layout (1 view / 4 views exchange)

• Display o 1, 2, 3: low / medium / high quality o 4: wireframe o 5: shaded o 6: shaded and textured o 7: use all lights

Modeling a windmill

What we will learn here:

• Creating, manipulating

and editing primitives

• Using tools and deformers

• Assigning the material

• Animating / key framing

Modeling a windmill

•Create a new project (File → Project Window) •Click New button •Enter the name: Windmill •Set location to C:\CGcourse\Tutorials •Click Accept button - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • Save the scene (File → Save)

Modeling a windmill

• Create a polygonal plane: Create → Polygon Primitives → Plane

• Open the Channel Box

• In INPUTS group click on polyPlane1

• Set Width and Height to 50x50

• Press Key 5 to see smooth shaded object

Modeling a windmill Creating the windmill object

• Create a Cylinder 2x7 and set Height Subdivisions to 7

• Translate cylinder in Y direction to 3.5

• Create a Sphere and set its Radius to 2

• Press and hold RMB over the sphere and select Face

• Select and delete the faces of the bottom half of the sphere

Modeling a windmill

• Delete the faces at the top of the cylinder

• Select half-sphere then using SHIFT select cylinder

• Align objects: Modify → Align Tool

Modeling a windmill • Select both objects and combine them: Mesh → Combine

• It is one object now, but not fully connected.

We need to merge vertices of those two sub-objects: Edit Mesh → Merge

• Assign Lattice deformer to the object:

Animation menu: Create Deformer → Lattice or Deformation shelf → Lattice

• Change T Divisions to 2 (in the Channel box)

• Choose Lattice point (RMB over the lattice frame) and select four bottom points

• Scale them up uniformly

Modeling a windmill

Creating the windows and door on the windmill object

• Create a Cube with dimensions 0.8 x 1 x 1

• Align the objects using Modify → Snap Together Tool as described:

click on the cube side face, then on the windmill face, where you want the window,

and press Enter

Modeling a windmill

• Move the box a bit inside the windmill object

• Select the windmill and the cube respectively (using Shift)

• Cut out the box from the windmill object using Mesh → Booleans → Difference

Alternatively

• Select faces on the windmill for windows and extrude them: Edit Mesh → Extrude

Modeling a windmill

Creating the blades • Try it yourselves

Modeling a windmill

Creating the blades • Create a Cylinder and set Height to 1.5, Radius to 0.1 and Subdivisions Height to 8

• Select the faces as on the figure and smooth them: Mesh → Smooth

• Move it to the top front of the windmill

Modeling a windmill

Creating the blades • Create a Cube with dimensions of 1 x 6 x 0.02 and set Subdivisions Height 3

• Select the middle vertices and scale them down along the x axis, then

scale them down along the y axis

Modeling a windmill • Duplicate the cube Edit → Duplicate Special and Rotate Z by 90

• Select both objects and combine them: Mesh → Combine

• If pivot is not in the centre of the object go to Modify → Center Pivot

• Use Snap Together Tool to align blades to the pole (centre of rotation)

• Move blades slightly backwards (onto the pole)

Modeling a windmill

Create a door and steps • Edit Mesh → Extrude faces for door

• To create steps we want to split bottom (three) faces into three vertical subdivisions

• Go to Edit Mesh → Interactive Split Tool (click on the edges where you want to

place vertices and press Enter to finish)

Modeling a windmill

• Select created (sub)faces under the door and extrude them

• Deselect the top row and extrude the rest

• Repeat until you get complete staircase

Organising things better

Delete history and name the objects • Select all the objects in the scene and go to Edit → Delete by Type → History

• Open the Outliner (Window → Outliner) to see the scene elements

• Rename four polygonal objects to:

o ground

o tower

o pole

o blades

• Select ground, tower and pole and group them (Edit → Group)

• Rename the Group1 to Windmill

• Go to Window → Hypergraph: Hierarchy and look at the relations between objects

Assigning the materials

• Select ground object, then hold RMB: Assign New Material → Lambert

• Click on the (grey) Color box and pick a green colour

• Name the material ground_mat

• Select the windmill and create new Lambert material

• Assign it the red colour and name it to windmill_mat

• Select the pole and hold RMB:

Assign Existing Material → windmill_mat

• Select the blades and assign it white Lambert material

• Name it blades_mat

Animating the blades - keyframing • Click on the Animation preferences button in the bottom right corner

• Set the Playback and Animation end to 160

• Select the blades and press "s" key (it will set a keyframe on the first frame of the

animation - blades' initial position)

• Move slider to frame 20 and rotate blades for 45 degrees

• Press "s” key

• Move slider to frame 40 and rotate another 45 degrees

• Press "s“ key

• Repeat the procedure until the frame 160 (360 degrees)

• Play the animation

Congratulations!

What we have learned here:

• Creating, manipulating and editing primitives • Combining and grouping objects • Aligning objects • Snap together tool • Merging vertices • Using Lattice deformer • Boolean - difference • Extruding faces • Smoothing geometry • Center pivot • Split polygon tool • Deleting history • Assigning the material • Animating / key framing