MAYA NOTES - BASICS

ESSENTIALS

• Basic object creation
  To create polygon object e.g. sphere, cube, use pulldown menu and then use the mouse to drag out the appropriate dimensions, e.g.:

  Polygon->Cube
  

• Zoom, pan and roll: navigation essentials
  • F - frame data
  • Alt-LMB - spin or rotate
  • Alt-MMB - track or pan
  • Alt-RMB - dolly or zoom
  • space bar - alternate between 4 panel and perspective view
• Move, rotate, scale For interactive object transformations, select the function on the left menu and manipulate the 'handles' (including the central handle for scale and translate):
  • Translate
  • Scale
  • Rotate
• Create and view objects
  • Create-> Polygon-> ; click and drag to create shape
  • Create-> NURBS-> ; keys '1', '2', '3' control resolutiond
  • Channel box (on right) to see attrib; click on inputs for parameters
  • '5' to shade; '4' for wireframe
• Component selection
  • object mode v. component mode
  • press & hold RMB over object; select element
  • select all elements
  • shift select to select more
  • cntrl select to deselect
  • RMB & select to work on entire object again
• Discover secret menus
  • Menu sets: animation, polygons, surface, dynamics, rendering
  • menus for each panel
  • for menu options, select box at right of menu
  • press & hold RMB over object for marking menu
  • hot box - press and hold space bar for short cut to menus
• Keyframe animation
  • time slider: set total frames and current working frame span in boxes
  • select object, press 's' to set keyframe
  • LMB click in time slider to set time
  • transform object & set keyframe with 's'
  • playback controls: play, stop
• Material properties
  use attribute editor to change color, assign texture. click in window & '6'; preview, render settings

  RMB -> materials -> assign new material
  

• Modify object parameters
  To modify parameters (attributes) after an object is already created, get the 'channel box' for the object by selecting the object then:

  UIelements->channel box
  

Maya basic lessons

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LESSON 1: An overview of the Maya user interface

menu bar - menu set
status line
shelf - tools

toolbox
workspace 
channel box / attribute box
layer editor

time & range slider
command line
help line

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LESSON 2 Creating, manipulating and viewing objects

file -> new scene; primitive objects
four-view, TransScaleRot
channel box; rename object
Edit -> duplicate
file -> project -> new

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LESSON 3: Viewing the Maya 3D scene

alt + LMB; alt + MMB; alt + RMB
Shading -> Smooth Shade All
Edit -> Group

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LESSON 4: Components and Attributes

template objects
Display -> Object Display -> Template
RMB: select component (e.g. vertex, edge, face)
on status line: Select by Hierarchy and Combinations
on status line: Select by  Hierarchy: template
select templated objects
Display -> Object Display -> Untemplate
on status line: Select by hierarchy: root

attribute editor
select object
on status line, select attribute error (leftmost of 3 at right)
homework: for a plane, describe each node

surface materials
RMB object, select object mode to select objects
on status line, select Rendering menu
lighting/shading -> assign new material -> blinn
rename in attribute editor
in attribute editor: click on color & choose new one & accept
view in attribute editor in shade node


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Polygon

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Introduction

3 types
Polygons
NURBS
Subdivision surfaces.

hammer:
Create > Polygon Primitives > Cube
select face; Edit Polygons > Extrude Face
manipulator: Show manipulator Tool
if disappears
  select face; Modify -> Transformation Tools > Show Manipulator Tool
  RMB polyExtrudeFace@ in channel box
Edit Polygons > Split Polygon Tool
  click edge, drag vertex
RMB object; select Vertex
Edit Polygons > Split Vertex
Edit Polygons > Extrude Face > options; set 6 divisions
scale claws
extrude faces to make hammer head and depression at top
to subdivide:
shift-select faces; Edit Polygons > Subdivide (choose 2 levels)
then select sets of vertices & scale
to smooth:
select faces; Polygons > Smooth
select vertices: turn off Retain Component Spacing under Move Snap Settings
turn on Snap to Grid (icon); move vertices until snap; turn off Snap; move back


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Subdivision surfaces

Modeling menu
Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences
	 select Subivs from Categories
	 set Components to Numbers
Create > Polygon Primitives > Cube > =; width 8; height 2.5; depth 8
Modify > Convert > polygons to Subdiv; '3'
Subdiv Surfaces > Polygon Proxy Mode
Edit Polygons > Split Polygon Tool
Edit Polygons > Extrude Face
Select end face; Edit Polygons > Delete
select end vertices; scale inward
to modify part:
Subdiv Surfaces > Standard Mode
RMB: select Vertex
RMB: display level: 1; select some vertices and scale or rotate
to refine:
switch to level 1
RMB: edge
select edges around nail
Subdiv Surface > Refine Selected Components
RMB: vertex
Modify > Transformation Tools > Move Tool > =; select Normal
shift select vertices - move in normal direction
edge selection
Subdiv Surfaces > Full Crease Edge/Vertex