Maya Studio Projects Texturing and Lighting - Softcover

Lanier, Lee

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470903279 ISBN 13: 9780470903278

Publisher: Sybex, 2011

Synopsis

Learn to create realistic digital assets for film and games with this project-based guide

Focused entirely on practical projects, this hands-on guide shows you how to use Maya's texturing and lighting tools in real-world situations. Whether you need to sharpen your skills or you're looking to break into the field for the first time, you'll learn top industry techniques for this important skill as you follow the instructions for several specific projects. You can even create your own version, using final Maya scene files to validate results. The companion DVD includes supplemental videos, project support files, textures, tools, professional shaders, and more.

• Lighting and texturing projects are often an excellent way for new animators to break into the business
• This is the only project-based book dedicated to understanding and implementing Maya's texturing and lighting tools for creating realistic digital assets for film, video, and games
• Walks you step by step through lighting and texturing objects, characters, and locations
• Written by a professional CG artist who has worked on high-profile films including Antz and Shrek
• Includes a DVD with supplemental video instruction, additional tools, and more

Practical, project-based instruction in this guide will help you perfect your skill with Maya's texturing and lighting tools.

About this title

About the Author

Lee Lanier is a 3D animator, digital compositor, and director. His films have played in more than 200 museums, galleries,and film festivals worldwide. Before directing the shorts Millennium Bug, Mirror, Day Off the Dead, Weapons of Mass Destruction, 13 Ways to Die at Home, and Blood Roulette, he served as a senior animator in the lighting and modeling departments at PDI/DreamWorks on Antz and Shrek. He created digital visual effects for such films as Mortal Kombat while at Walt Disney Studios. He is the author of Professional Digital Compositing, Advanced Maya Texturing and Lighting, and Maya Professional Tips and Techniques. You can view his work at BeezleBugBit.com.

From the Back Cover

Your project guide to Maya's texturing and lighting tools

LIGHT UP THE SCREEN WITH THESE TECHNIQUES

Improve your own projects with these professional how-to's from industry veteran Lee Lanier. This guide shows you how to texture and light for film and video using Maya's state-of-the-art shading and rendering tools.

The techniques covered here offer real-world solutions for creating more realistic renders. Learn by doing as you move through a series of step-by-step, hands-on projects, mastering a wealth of studio-worthy techniques as you go.

• Learn efficient approaches for product, character, vehicle, and environment lighting with Autodesk® Maya® 2012

• Successfully texture with Maya materials and mental ray shaders

• Paint custom bitmap textures and set up custom shading networks

• Apply advanced lighting tools, including Final Gathering, Global Illumination, portal lights, and mental ray contribution maps

Spice up product renders

Add realism to environments

Add realism to characters

VALUABLE COMPANION DVD

The Companion DVD is an essential part of the book. It includes Maya 2012 .ma scene files and bitmap textures.

Edition details

• Publisher: Sybex
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470903279
• ISBN 13: 9780470903278
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272