1. 3D Modeling & Animation Software
Introduction to Maya
3D Modeling & Animation Software
James Tedder

2. Aims & Objectives
Understand the use 3D and 3D Modelling and it’s application
Understand the interface and controls of Autodesk Maya 2017 Update 4
Understand and be able to create basic 3D models using polygons and surface nurbs
Export and upload models to sketchfab.com

3. What is 3D?
adjective 1.
of, pertaining to, or representing something in three dimensions; three-dimensional: 3-D movies.
noun 2.
a three-dimensional form or appearance: My dreams are always in 3-D.
3D Modeling:
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface or object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model. It can be displayed as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D rendering or used in a computer simulation. The model can also be physically created using 3D printing devices.

4. Where is maya used? Computer Games – Halo 4, Insomniac Studios
Movie & TV special effects – Transformers, Avatar, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead & loads more
Art – Ray Ceasar
Military, Science, Engineering, Medicine

5. the 3 dimensions - x, y, z

6. Polygons
Face : This is what we intuitively think of as the polygon. It’s the surface that we actually see. While it has a width and height, it has no depth – it’s infinitely thin.
Normal : A polygon’s normal is simply its front. The simplest way to think of this is that every polygon has a front and a back, and the normal (by default) runs perpendicular to the front of the face. This can be a little abstract until it’s seen in action (which we will examine in a little bit); but this becomes very important in situations like game creation because games (in order to draw things faster) don’t draw the backs of polygons. So, if the normal of a polygon is facing the wrong way, the polygon isn’t seen within a game engine. Normals can be further tough to understand because they aren’t shown by default when selecting a component and can be a little obscure to control. Not to worry though; we’ll spend some good time talking about them and especially getting them to face the direction they need to.
Edge : A face is surrounded by edges. These edges define the limitations of the polygon and the face. These edges also exist within 3D space, but actually contain no geometry of their own – they simply help describe the geometry of the polygon. When an edge is moved, rotated, or scaled, it changes the shape of the face and thus the polygon.
Vertex : Each edge has a vertex on either end of it. Vertices are one dimensional components that exist in 3D space. When a vertex is moved (one vertex cannot be scaled or rotated), it changes the length of the edges it is a part of, thus changing the shape of the polygons those edges contain. Do note, that a collection of vertices can be rotated or scaled which really is simply moving their relative location to each other.
UVs : These are really less of a “what” and more of a “where.” They are a coordinate system that allows Maya (or any 3D program) to know how to attach a texture to a collection of polygons. They are not particularly modifiable in 3D space – and really need to be handled in 2D space – most particularly in something we call “texture space.”

7. In a nutshell Polygons: Easy to manipulate/use.
Can have their uv’s mapped out for texturing.
Surface is made up of vertices, edges and faces.
Are used to create video games. (triangulated polygonal faces only).

8. Nurbs
NURBS stands for Non- Uniform Rational B-Splines which in context of a 3D environment denotes that the shape of an object is defined mathematically much like a complex formula.
NURBS are not used in games. Neither Direct3D or OpenGL can render NURBS. They have an extremely high computational cost. They are primarily used in pre-rendered scenes.

9. In a nutshell Nurbs: Smoother. Cannot map out uv’s.
Surfaces are made up of curves. (lofted together you might say) You modify the curves to manipulate the nurbs surface.
Are not used in PC or video games. (not counting the rendered movies you see)
Take up less data space.

10. Primitive objects
Primitive objects can be used as a starting point for a wide variety of shapes and forms. The most common workflow when using primitive objects is:
Set the construction options for the primitive when you initially create it so that it appears in the Maya scene roughly in the size and shape that you require.
Move, scale, and rotate the primitive object into its final position either by direct manipulation (the move, scale, and rotate tools), or by entering numeric values through an editor.
Duplicate the primitive objects to create multiple copies of the original or create different variations from your original primitive object.

11. Extrude Tool
Select Edit Mesh > Extrude, click in the Modeling Toolkit or press Ctrl + E..
You can add polygons to an existing mesh by extruding polygon faces, edges, or vertices using the Extrude command.

12. Edge Loop
The Insert Edge Loop Tool lets you select and then split the polygon faces across either a full or partial edge ring on a polygonal mesh.
Useful when you want to add detail across a large area of a polygon mesh or when you want to insert edges along a user-defined path.

13. Maya User Interface Overview

14. Maya User Interface Overview

15. the main tools

16. the maya workspace

17. main Menus

18. status line

19. shelf

20. channel box

21. attribute editor

22. tool box
The Tool Settings panel displays many working options for the currently selected tool. 

23. Q W E R T Y

24. 1 Min start up

25. Tutorials available at jamestedder.net
Task 1
1: Create a barrel:
2: Create a coliseum:
Tutorials available at jamestedder.net

26. Task 2 1. Create a 3D wine glass using surfaces
2. Create a table and chairs with materials/textures