Wednesday
Introduction to Maya
In Wednesdays lesson was the start of our journey with Maya. Nick Introduced us to the software and how to navigate the interface, including how to add an object how to zoom or Dolly in and out a scene, Tumble and how to Track. We started the session by adding a cube to the scene. I learnt that the hot keys are Q, W, E and R.
- Q is Selection
- W is Translate
- E is Rotate
- R is Scale
Basics of Modelling
We started with the basics and getting to grips with the modelling and sculpting tools. Maya is node based, which I learnt means that each object is made of several components, “What is the object”, “Where is it in space” and “What colour/shade is it”. Nick demonstrated that there is a difference between the Object and the Shape. The object is where it is in space, the shape is what it is made out of e.g the Vertices, Edges and Faces.
We changed the shape of a sphere by manipulating the vertices, edges and faces. Then we changed the display of the shape by pressing the hotkeys, 1, 2, and 3. 4 is wireframe mode, 5 is shaded, 6 is textured, 7 is lighting
I then learnt how to use the subdivision surfaces to change the resolution of our primitive object
I then practiced using the sculpting tools in Maya. There are several tools under the sculpting tab. I mainly used the Grab and the Smooth tool.
We then moved on to exploring lighting and texturing our objects. We firstly used the spot light and used the settings to adjust how big and intense the light was. I learnt that if you press T I could use a target for the light and direct it at the object more precisely.
I learnt about the Attribute Editor. Once the attribute editor is open, I could use the different settings to increase or decrease the intensity of the light or the softness etc.
Then from there I used learnt how to use the renderer, Arnold
We then played around with the sun light. I used the Azimuth to rotate the scene around, and in turn, adjust the direction of the light. By adjusting the Elevation, this changed the time of day and therefore, the brightness and how high the light source or the sun was in the sky.
I then experimented with the texture of the object by going in to aiStandardSurface. After my object was textured, Nick then showed us how to download a HDR from Poly Haven. I downloaded a Hilly Terrain and placed the little piggy object in it.
We moved on to animation and experimenting with the graph editor. We created three very basic shapes that we called our “Slugs”. We then animated them moving on the X axis. By using those shapes we then experimented with the Graph editor to adjust the curve, and therefore adjust the speed of the slugs to give them the appearance of finishing at different speeds.
Thursday
On Thursday was George’s Lesson. George showed us how to use Maya to animate a bouncing ball. Firstly, we used a pre-made rig of a ball which we referenced in our scene. George taught us that by using the reference tool we could use the same rig over and over again but create different animations with it. It was also helpful to do this if the rig happened to have a fault during the animation process. It could be deleted and reuploaded without disrupting the animation.
I then used the rig to create several animations of the ball. I started off with the ball just bouncing on the Y- Axis from a height, gradually getting lower each time. It was important to use different rings around the ball to do different functions. I used the large middle ball to move the ball in the Y-axis and the ring on top of the ball to control the squash and stretch.
This is my ball rig on a plane with some pink directional lights (because why not?)
I went in to the graph editor after I set up my key frames and used it to slightly adjust the height and speed of the ball falling on the Y-Axis
This is a screen shot of the graph editor looking at the rigs that control the squash and stretch. As the ball is falling I decreased the amount of squash and stretch.
This is a screen shot of ball bouncing on the y axis whilst moving on the x axis