Maya Tutorial (Basic part)1. The Waiter Node

The Mash Waiter node is the core Mash node that can be considered the hub of your Mash network. The Waiter node is where we have our GUI with icons to add various Mash nodes into our network. Scott will show you how to create a basic Mash network by selecting an object and creating a Mash network with this as its source.

2. The Distribute Node

The Distribute node is a core component of a Mash network and is generated automatically when a Mash network is created. The Distribute node is used to control the distribution of our source geometry allowing for a wide range of useful initial states. The Distribute node allows for linear, grid, radial, spherical, and mesh based distribution of geometry in 3D space.

3. The Repro Node

Like the Distribute node the Repro node is a core component of a Mash network and gets created automatically when you create a Mash network. Similar to Maya's particle instancer, the Repro node is where a list of source geometry for a Mash network is created and modified.

4. The Random Node

The Random node allows for the generation of static random values that can be applied to the position, rotation and scale of the objects in our Mash network. Scott shows you how to create a simple Mash network with grid distribution and randomize the position of our objects using the Random node.

5. The Noise Node

The Noise node allows for the generation of animated random values that can be applied to the position, rotation and scale of the objects in our Mash network. Scott shows you how to create a simple Mash network with grid distribution and dynamically randomize the position and scale of our objects using the Noise node.

6. The color Node

The Color node is a core component of a Mash network and gets created automatically when you create a Mash network. Scott shows you how to build a simple Mash network and use the Color node to randomize the color of objects in our Mash network. The Color node creates vertex colors which can be piped into the vertex color node of your respective renderer.

7. The Time Node

The Time node is a core component of a Mash network and gets created automatically when you create a Mash network. The Time node allows for animation looping and offsetting to create ordered or randomly influenced timing offsets for animated elements that are being distributed and replicated in the Mash network.

8. The Render Setup Window

In this video, we have an introduction to Maya’s new Render Setup Window. Learn the location of key interface items and familiarize yourself with the general layout and organization of the Render Setup window. George gets users up to speed with a look at the concept of layers in the Render Setup Window.

9. Understanding Layers and Collections

This video introduces the concepts of layers and collections from within Maya’s new Render Settings Window. Layers refer to render layers and allow users to create multiple render looks by using the same scene data. Collections live within layers and can contain geometry or rendering data, such as lights and camera.

10. Working with the Light Editor

Maya’s new Light Editor gives artists and technical directors full control over all of the lights and lighting data within a Maya scene. In this video, George goes over the controls in the Light Editor Window to change the lighting in a Maya scene. He shows how to toggle lights on and off, and change key lighting attributes such as color, intensity, and shadows.

11. Creating Layers and Collections

We take a look at how to manage layers and collections from within Maya’s new Render Setup Window. In the video, George shows how to create a render layer from scratch, then add collections to that layer. He then adds objects such as geometry by dragging them into the window and by using expressions.

12. Creating Light Collections

In this video, George shows how to manage collections of lights from within Maya’s new Render Setup Window. He shows how to create a render layer and then adds the lights within the scene by dragging them into the layer. He then shows how to use Maya’s Light Editor to adjust the lighting for that layer.

13. Creating Overrides for Object Attributes

This video introduces the concept of overrides for collections within Maya’s Render Setup window. Overrides allow artists and technicians to add and adjust individual attributes for a collection of objects. By overriding these attributes, the scene can be modified on a layer by layer basis, allowing for each layer to be rendered differently.

14. Overriding Shading Attributes

Maya’s Render Setup Window allows you to change shader attributes on a layer by layer basis. In this video, George takes a collection of objects containing the same shader, then uses Maya’s override feature to change key attributes, such as color and ambient level. These changes only happen for the current layer, leaving the original values alone on the default layer.

15. Overriding Shaders and Materials

In Maya’s Render Setup Window, shaders and materials can be overridden easily. In this video, George shows how to create a collection of objects, then how to replace the material on these objects using overrides. He demonstrates how to override with existing materials as well as how to create new materials.

16. Adjusting Camera Attributes

When working with rendered scenes, there are many times when you need to change camera settings. This video shows how to use Maya’s Render Setup Window to affect camera attributes on a layer by layer basis. George adjusts key camera attributes such as focal length and camera position for one layer, while leaving the default layer alone.

Try it (Maya project)

-The End-