Learning Autodesk Maya 2008,
(Official Autodesk Training Guide,
includes DVD): Foundation by
Autodesk Maya Press
For The Student Of Architecture
Learning Autodesk Maya 2008 I Foundation is your key to unlocking the
power of Autodesk Maya software, directly from the creators of one of the
worlds most powerful 3D animation and effects software products. Get
hands-on experience with the innovative tools and powerful techniques
available in Autodesk Maya 2008. Youll gain a sense of the entire
production process as you work on creating and animating characters from
Sony Pictures Animations feature film, Surfs Up. Youll even learn about
compositing your characters into alternate environments in a bonus
chapter on Autodesk Combustion software. Explore the Maya user
interface, create organic structures with NURBS, apply forward and
inverse kinematics, deform surfaces, learn to use Trax non-linear
animation, discover rendering techniques, and so much more with this
easy to follow guide to Maya. Includes bonus DVD with scene files,
instructor-led podcasts, and other reference guides to give you a solid
foundation in the art of animating with Maya.
Personal Review: Learning Autodesk Maya 2008, (Official
Autodesk Training Guide, includes DVD): Foundation by
Autodesk Maya Press
Maya strikes me as a program that is intensely difficult to learn if you don't
already have an objective in mind. As a student of architecture in one of
the few programs that encourages its use for design purposes I have found
this book indispensable not only for its easy introduction to the virtually
limitless Maya interface, but also for its excellent explanations of the three
common 3D techniques available within (polygon, NURBS, and subD
modeling). Although in general I had no use for the animation or effects

chapters they did serve to give a glimpse into the overwhelming
possibilities of the program.
The book is not for beginners per se, but if you have a working familiarity
with a computer interface, a little 3D modeling under your belt and a
reason to be lurking around in the machine then the book will provide a
solid 'foundation', as its title suggests. If what you need is rather an
'introduction' then you might look elsewhere.
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Learning Autodesk Maya 2008, (Official Autodesk Training Guide, includes DVD):
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