How This Book Is Organized
Chapter 1, Introduction to Computer Graphics and 3D, introduces you to the 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, The Maya 2008 Interface, presents the entire Maya interface and shows you how it is used in...
Suggestions for Modeling Polygons
Poly modeling lends itself nicely to a wide range of objects practically anything you can think of, and some things you can't. Try modeling the following objects to fine-tune your skills and explore the toolset. Dining room table and chairs This is an easy place to start. There is good amount of leeway in the design, which will give you as much a challenge as you feel you can handle. Computer monitor With all its angles and overall surface details, a monitor makes for a great extrusion and...
Polygon Modeling
Polygons are made up of faces. A single polygon face is a flat surface made when three or more points called vertices are connected. The position of each vertex defines the shape and size of the face, usually a triangle. The line that connects one vertex to another is called an edge. Some polygonal faces have four vertices instead of three, creating a square face instead of a triangular one. Polygonal faces are attached along their polygonal edges to make up a more complex surface that...
The Control Panel
You can load the scene file RocketModel_04.ma from the Scenes folder in the Red Rocket project to skip to this point or to check your work. Now let's create the Control panel. 1. Choose Create NURBS Primitives Sphere , set the Number of Spans to the default value of 4, and create a sphere. 2. Place the sphere where the Control panel is in the top view and shape it to the panel's general shape, as shown in Figure 5.68. Figure 5.68 Starting the Control panel Figure 5.68 Starting the Control panel...
Scene File Icons
The tools in the first section of the Status line deal with file operations Displays a window in which you can find and open any scene file you've saved Displays a window in which you can specify a filename and location to save a new scene or, if the current scene has already been saved and named, saves it to that location
Taking the Kettle Further
Try creating more detail for the kettle or experimenting with your own designs. An easy addition is a whistle cap for the spout. You can also create a matching set of teacups and saucers with subdivision surfaces. With the skills you have acquired here, you should feel confident to tackle an entire kitchen full of models. Also, try your hand at creating the models suggested at the end of Chapter 5, Modeling with NURBS, using subdivision techniques instead of NURBS. Subdivisions, sometimes...
Tips for Using and Animating Lights
When lighting a scene, invoking a lighting mode in your perspective or camera View panel will give you great feedback on the relative brightness and direction of your lights. Most computer system's graphics cards can handle a maximum of eight lights in Lighted mode, with some professional cards increasing this capability. You invoke Lighted mode by pressing the number 7 on your keyboard not through the number pad on the side . You must first be in Shaded mode press 5 or Texture mode press 6 for...
Computer Graphics
CG is the abbreviation for computer graphics imagery, also known as CGI. CG literally refers to any picture or series of pictures that is generated with the aid of a computer. However, the industry convention is to use the terms CG and CGI to refer to 3D graphics and not to images created using 2D image or paint programs such as Photoshop. Most 2D graphics software is bitmap based, and all 3D software is vector based. Bitmap software creates an image as a mosaic of pixels, filled in one at a...
D and Environment Textures
As you saw earlier with the axe, 3D textures are projected within a 3D space. These textures are great for objects that need to reflect an environment, for example. Instead of simply applying the texture to the plane of the surface as 2D textures do, 3D textures create an area in which the shader is affected. As an object moves through a scene with a 3D placement node, its shader looks as if it swims, unless that placement node is parented or constrained to that object, as you saw with the...
To Hide Visibility Of Lights In Reflections In Maya
eizei 610 ISO zoom 1.000 mental ray Frame 0 Render Time 0 34 Camera persp1 You can select all the other shaders and set these attributes in the Channel box, or you can select each shader individually and make the adjustments in the Attribute Editor. 4. The render is still a bit dark overall. Let's add an environment to the scene in the form of a light dome, as you did earlier in this chapter. Because we have a floor object, we don't need to cut the sphere in half this time. Create a NURBS...
Adding Shadows
Don't be too quick to create an abundance of light in your scene, eager to show off your models and textures. Shrouding objects in darkness and shadow is just as important as revealing them in light. You can say a lot visually by not showing parts of a whole, leaving some interpretation to the audience. A careful balance of light and dark is important for a composition. As Figure 10.22 shows, the reality of a scene is greatly increased with the simple addition of well-placed shadows. Don't be...
Controlling the Back Wheel
Now, all that remains is to control the animation of the back wheel and its wheel arm. To set up the wheel arm animation, follow these steps 1. Using the methods described previously, create a joint to follow along the wheel arm between the middle control wheel and the back wheel. The root of the joint will be set at the control wheel. 2. As before, create an IK handle for the end joint of this new bone, where it meets the back wheel, as shown in Figure 9.47. Figure 9.47 Create a joint and an...
Introducing Maya 1
Acquisitions Editor Mariann Barsolo Development Editor Laurene Sorensen Technical Editor Keith Reicher Production Editor Debra Banninger Copy Editor Kathy Carlyle Production Manager Tim Tate Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Richard Swadley Vice President and Executive Publisher Joseph B. Wikert Vice President and Publisher Neil Edde Media Associate Project Manager Laura Atkinson Media Assistant Producer Josh Frank Media Quality Assurance Angie Denny Book Compositor Maureen Forys,...
Creating Active and Passive Rigid Body Objects
Any surface geometry in Maya can be converted to a rigid body. Once converted, that surface can respond to the effects of fields and take part in collisions. When one Maya object hits another in a dynamic simulation, Maya calculates the animation of the colliding objects according to their velocity and other dynamic properties such as mass. Sounds like fun, eh The two types of rigid bodies are active and passive. An active rigid body is affected by collisions and fields. A passive rigid body is...
What Your Scene Needs
Ideally, your scene needs areas of highlight and shadow. Overlighting a scene flattens everything and diminishes details. This is perhaps the number one mistake of beginners. Figure 10.1 shows a still life with too many bright lights, which only flatten the image and remove any sense of color and depth. Similarly, underlighting your scene makes it muddy, gray, and rather lifeless, and it covers your details in darkness and flattens the entire frame. Figure 10.2 shows the still life underlit....
Converting to a Subdivision Surface
Now that you have the basic polygonal shape for the starfish, convert it to a subdivision surface. Follow these steps 1. Select the star, and then choose Modify Convert Polygons to Subdiv. The star will turn into a smooth subdivision surface, as shown in Figure 6.28. 2. Although you have all but lost the points of the star by converting it to smooth subdivisions, you now have far greater control. Press the 3 key to increase the display resolution of the surface. As they do with NURBS objects,...
Basic Relationships Set Driven Keys
A favorite feature for character riggers is the set driven key SDK . A set driven key establishes a relationship for objects that lets you create controls that drive certain features of a character or an object in a scene. Before you can use an SDK, you must create extra attributes and attach them to the top node of a character. These new attributes drive part of the character's animation. The term character is used broadly here. For example, you can set up a vehicle so that an SDK turns its...
Converting Back to Polygons
Most models created with subdivision surfaces should really be converted back to polygons once the modeling is finished and rendering setup is ready to begin. Because subdivisions are a more intricate surface type than polygons, you will probably have better performance while animating if you work with a polygonal model rather than a subdivision. Professionals frequently use subdivision tools and surfaces to create their models, but they convert back to polygons once they are finished to avoid...
Combining Techniques
You can use certain surfacing techniques in conjunction to create intricate models. For example, whenever a curve is required for a surface, you can use an isoparm instead to create a surface between two existing surfaces. Try This Take a couple of lofted surfaces and connect them with a third surface. Figure 5.13 shows two surfaces with two intermediate curves in between them. Notice that the View panel's option Shading X-ray is turned on so you can see through the shaded surfaces. You will...
Selection Modes
The second section between the black horizontal lines is the Selection Mode field. This drop-down menu lets you use presets for selection masks. Selection masks give you the chance to pick one kind of an object, but not another, so you can, for example, select all the particles in the scene and none of the polygon models. Using a selection mask, you can select some object types in a scene and not others. For example, in a heavily layered scene, you might want to select only the faces of a...
Maya Rendering
Rendering is the last step in creating your CG work. It is the process by which the computer calculates the surface properties, lighting, shadows, movement, and shape of objects, and it saves a sequence of images. Although the computer does all the thinking at this point, you still need to set up your cameras and the render to get exactly what you want. This chapter will show you how to render out your scene using Maya's software renderer and how to create reflections and refractions. It will...
Summary Fuv
In this chapter, you extended your experience with animation and learned about rigging techniques and automation. Starting with a simple block man, you learned how to set up a hierarchy for Forward Kinematics animation to create a walk cycle. Then you revisited the hand model and used a skeleton to rig the hand for animation. You then learned how to bind the geometry of the hand to the skeleton using rigid and smooth binds and how to edit the binding. You also learned how to create an IK system...
Converting to Subdivisions
Once you complete the base polygon model for the kettle, you can convert it to a subdivision surface to round it out and make it smooth. To convert the kettle, follow these steps 1. Select the kettle, and choose Modify Convert Polygons to Subdiv. Then select the lid and convert it as well. 2. Select the converted kettle and the lid, and press 3 to view them in High-Resolution mode. Position the lid on top of the kettle. Now your model should be similar to that in Figure 6.45. 3. The only items...
Creating the Base Polygon Model
To create the base poly mesh for the kettle, follow these steps 1. The main body of the kettle will begin as a poly cylinder. Choose Create Polygon Primitives Cylinder to open the Options box. Set Subdivisions Around Axis to 8, and set Subdivisions Along Height to 4. 2. To create the lid, create another poly cylinder with eight subdivisions around the axis and 2 for the height. Scale it to fit as a lid on the first cylinder. 3. Select the upper row of poly edges on the lid and scale them all in...
Summary Vhm
In this chapter, we tackled NURBS modeling by going through the usual surfacing tools, from lofting and revolving to bevels and boundary surfaces. Then we explored the implications of surface history and how surfaces will adjust to changes when history is enabled, and then we got to work building the Red Rocket using most of the surfacing techniques in the beginning of the chapter, and some of the finessing techniques touched upon later in the chapter. During the Red Rocket exercise, we also...
Boundary Surface
A boundary surface is so named because it is created within the boundaries of three or four surrounding curves. For example, two vertical curves are drawn opposite each other to define the two side edges of the surface. Two horizontal curves are then drawn to define the upper and lower edges. These curves can have depth to them they need not be flat for the boundary surface to work, unlike the planar surface. Although you can select the curves in any order, it is best to select them in opposing...
Controlling Shadows per Object
You can specify whether an object can cast and receive shadows in Maya to better control your lighting. For example, if you have geometry casting light in front of a shadow but you do not want it to cast a shadow, you can manually turn that feature off for that object only. To turn off shadow casting for an object, select the object and open its Attribute Editor. In the Render Stats section is a group of check boxes that control the render properties of the object. Clear the Casts Shadows check...
Basic Relationships Constraints
As you know, Maya is all about the relationships between object nodes. You can create animation on one object based on the animation of another object by setting up a relationship between the objects. The simplest way to do that outside of grouping is to create a constraint. For example, you can glue one object to another's position or rotation through a constraint. A constraint creates a direct relationship between the source and the target object's Translate or Rotate attributes. This section...
Adding FollowThrough
Load the axe_v4.mb file from the Axe project on the CD, or continue with your own file. The axe is missing weight. Nothing much in this scene indicates that this is a heavy axe. You can add some finesse to the scene using follow-through and secondary motion to give more weight to the scene. In the axe scene, follow-through motion is the axe blade driving farther into the target a little beyond its initial impact. Secondary motion is the recoil in the target as the momentum of the axe transfers...
Reading the Curves in the Graph Editor
Understanding what animation curves do in the Graph Editor is crucial to getting your animation right. Using the Graph Editor to read animation curves, you can judge an object's direction, speed, acceleration, and timing. As you will see later in this chapter with the axe-throwing tutorial, you will invariably come across problems and issues with your animation that require a careful review of their curves. The ability to see a curve and translate it into what your object is doing comes with...
Have a Seat Make Yourself Comfortable
Now we need to create a place for the seat in the body of the rocket. This involves adjusting the body geometry as well as creating a simple surface for the seat itself. 1. Select the bodyGeom node. We need to create a soft indentation where the seat goes use the top view as your reference . Add three isoparms to that area as shown in Figure 5.91. Figure 5.91 Add isoparms for the seat area. 2. Using the new CVs, and moving some of the existing CVs, create a dip in the rocket's body for the seat...
Rigging the IK legs
Now it's back to the block man. Switch to that project and load your version or the block_man_skeleton_v02.mb file from the Block_Man project on the CD. You will create an IK chain from the hip to the ankle on each foot. Creating the IK from the hip to the toe will not work as well. Because IK automatically bends the joints in its chain according to where its end effector, or IK handle, is located, it has to choose which way to bend at a particular joint. To prevent IK from choosing the wrong...
mental ray Light Attributes
Every light in Maya has a section of attributes that define its mental ray capabilities. Because rendering with mental ray is becoming much more popular with Maya, it is a good idea to have an idea of how mental ray treats Maya lights. For Caustics or GI to work, mental ray lights need to emit photons. These photons are emitted from enabled lights to bounce in the scene and create indirect lighting that leads to the caustic and GI effects. In reality, light photons are reflected from surfaces...
Area Lights
Area lights emit light from a flat rectangular shape only see Figure 10.17 . They behave similarly to Point lights except that they emit from an area and not from a single point. You can still set a decay rate, just as you can with Point lights. Area lights are the only lights whose scale affects their intensity. The larger an Area light, the brighter the light will be. Because you can control the size of the area of light being emitted, these lights are good for creating effects such as a...
The CG Production Workflow
Because of the nature of CG and how scenes must be built, a specific workflow works best. Modeling almost always begins the process, which then can lead into texturing and then animation or animation and then texturing . Lighting should follow, with rendering pulling up the rear, as it must. Of course, the process isn't completely linear you'll often go back and forth adjusting models, lights, and textures throughout the process. Chapters 4 through 12 follow this overall sequence, presenting...
Editing NURBS Surfaces
As you've experienced, Maya provides numerous NURBS tools you'll find useful when editing your surfaces. Besides tools for moving CVs, some important functions and tools allow you to add realism to your model. This section gives you a quick overview of these tools some you've already used with the rocket and others you'll need to try out for yourself. The following functions are all accessed through the Edit NURBS menu. Open and tear off the Edit NURBS menu to allow it to remain open as you...
Command LineHelp Line
Maya Embedded Language MEL is the user-accessible programming language of Maya. Every action you take invokes a MEL command or script that runs that particular function. You can write your own commands or scripts, using either the Command line or the Script Editor. Use the Command line see Figure 2.7 to enter single MEL commands directly from the keyboard in the white text box portion of the bar. The Command line also displays command feedback and messages from the program in the gray portion...
Creating an IK Walk Cycle
Because the block man's feet will stick to the ground, creating a walk cycle with IK animation will be far easier than using FK. Making the animation look good is still a tough job that requires a lot of practice. Load block_man_IK_v01.mb from the Block_Man project on the CD, or use your own IK-rigged block man with handles at the ankles and feet. The white leg and arm are again on the far side of the character. You'll set keys at every five frames again for the gross animation. To keep this...
Ways to Make NURBS
You can create a NURBS surface in several ways. The easiest way is to create a NURBS primitive. You can sculpt the primitive surface by moving its CVs, but you can also cut it apart to create different surface swatches or patches to use as needed, which you will see in both the Red Rocket model as well as a Steam Pump model for the locomotive later in this chapter. A primitive need not retain its original shape and frequently can be shaped to fit the artist's needs. Using the surfacing tools...
Spot Lights
Spot lights are arguably the most often used lights in Maya because they can be used for keys, fills, or rims, and they are highly efficient, casting light in specific areas, just like real spotlights. Figure 10.14 A Point light with a Decay Rate set Figure 10.14 A Point light with a Decay Rate set Figure 10.16 The Penumbra Angle attribute controls the softness of the edge of a Spot light. Similar to a Directional light, Spot lights emphasize direction. But these lights, unlike Directionals,...
The Input Line Operations Menu and Fields
In this section, you can input values directly into Maya for several purposes. Clicking the icon for the menu of line input operations Tfg gives you access to features including Absolute transform, Relative transform, the Rename utility, and Select by name. Absolute transform Allows you to type in the XYZvalues for how you want to move, rotate, or scale the selected object in the scene absolutely this lets you give it coordinates that are absolute to the coordinates of the 3D space. For...
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sise 610 180 zoom 4.000 mental ray Frame 0 Render Time 0 33 Camera perspl Eighty percent of the look of a render comes in the final 20 percent of the workflow. Tweaking the settings on the shaders, lights, and Render settings will greatly improve the look of the render, even if the tweaks are subtle. First, let's make the red parts of the body look glossier, like shiny plastic. 1. To start, select bodyShader in the Hypershade window. To make this Blinn shader glossier, we need to make its...
Moving a Rigid Body
Because Maya's dynamics engine controls the movement of any active rigid bodies, you cannot set keyframes on their translation or rotation. With a passive object, however, you can set keyframes on translation and rotation as you can with any other Maya object. Because the object is not active, the dynamics engine does not regulate its movement with fields or collisions. You can easily keyframe an object to be either active or passive, however, for the widest of options. Standi imnnlKx i Fields...
mental ray Lighting
mental ray lighting and rendering opens up a large range of possibilities within Maya. As with all rendering, lighting plays the primary role. We will cover mental ray rendering more in the next chapter, but because rendering and lighting go hand in hand, it's tough to ignore in this chapter. This section is a primer on mental ray light functionality. Open the Render Settings window by choosing Window Rendering Editors Render Settings. If you don't see the mental ray for Maya or any other, such...
Embrace the Art
Art, in many instances, requires transcendence of its medium it speaks of its own accord. Learning to look past what you're working with and seeing what you're working for is key to learning CG art. So don't view this as learning a software package but as learning a way of working. As you begin learning 3D with Maya, you acquire a new language, a new form of communication. Keep in mind that the techniques you acquire should remain only a means to the end of expression. In short, relax and enjoy...
Converting NURBS to Polygons
Some people prefer to model on NURBS curves and either create poly surfaces or convert to polygons after the entire model is done with NURBS surfaces. Ultimately, you will find your own workflow preference, but it helps greatly that you can use all surfacing methods. Most modelers choose one way or another but are familiar with both methodologies. In the following section, we will convert a NURBS model to polygons. Try This Convert a NURBS modeled axe into a poly model like one that might be...
Practical Lighting
Practical lighting is a theatrical term describing any lights in a scene that are cast from lighting objects within the scene. For example, a desk lamp on a table in the background of a scene would need practical lighting when it's on. You never want the practical lighting to interfere with the main lighting of the scene, unless the scene's lighting is explicitly coming from such a source. Each light-emitting object in your CG scene doesn't necessarily need its own Maya light. Rendering tricks...
Controlling the Wheel Arms
We've now automated the animation of the wheels. Next we will figure out how to connect the wheel arms to the wheels and drive their motion as well. To do so, follow these steps 1. Create a single joint that lines up with the first wheel arm. The root joint will be placed where the wheel arm meets the middle wheel control wheel , and the end joint will be placed where the wheel arm meets the pump arm, as shown here. The pump arm has been templated in this graphic displays in light gray...
Raster Images
Raster images synonymous with bitmapped images make up the world of computer images today. These images are displayed through the arrangements of colored pixels on screen or dots on a print to display an image. Everything you create in Maya will eventually be seen as a raster image, even though you create it using vectors. Raster image programs, such as Photoshop, let you adjust existing settings such as color, size, and position for all or part of an image. They let you paint onto a scanned...
The Attribute Editor Window
To use the Attribute Editor, select Window Attribute Editor Ctrl A . It is arguably the most important window in Maya. Every object is defined by a series of attributes, and you edit these attributes using the Attribute Editor. This window displays every attribute of an object, and you can use it to change them, set keyframes, connect to other attributes, attach expressions, or simply view the attributes. The Attribute Editor has tabs that correspond to the object's node structure. You'll learn...