38 Autodesk Maya ideas | autodesk, maya, maya modeling. Autodesk maya 2018 modeling free download
From 3D Animation to rendering to photo-realistic events, this is all one tool that makes you possible to do all these tasks at one place. With the latest updates and changes still there are loads of buttons, menus, and toolbars which makes you drag and drop all the features.
Like if you want to design and sketch a new model. Models in it are all highly customizable and you can create a unique design from it such as in Maya Version. This software comes packed an impressive set of tools, effects and the controls for the Advanced users. Now You can easily create a virtual reality from scratch using the drag and drop feature.
Also, you can simulate the model you have created and present it in preview. You can also create Vector graphics and photo-realistic images. It also supports a wide range of file formats and it needs a heavy workstation for it. There are various new file formats added which makes the software advance as compared to many other alternatives. All the main, drawing and editing tools are collected on top divided in several tabs.. You can hover over each tool to get additional information on it.
To draw regular curves. All the other tools allow to create customized curves. Choose Three Point Circular Arc to draw an arc by fixing three points on your workspace. Choose EP Curve Tool to draw a completely customized curve by fixing continuous points on your workspace. To stop drawing right-click on your workspace And drag your pointer on Complete Tool.
To draw freehand, you can use the Pencil Curve Tool and click and drag the curve as you like. If you need. At the very top, you can enable and disable snappings to either the 2D grid any curve path or any object, point.
Check Maya Version now. When you draw an object, this is dropped when the last point required is fixed.. If you want to get a preview of the object in progress before it is applied, you can hold on your click and drag it. Choose the Save button to save the scene.
Choose the Cancel button to cancel the saving procedure. The Open a scene button is used to open a file created earlier. To do so, choose this button from the Status Line; the Open dialog box will be displayed, as shown in Figure In this dialog box, specify the location of the file that you want to open and then choose the Open button; the selected file will open in the Maya interface.
This dialog box is divided into different sections and some of them are discussed next. The bookmarks section is used to access the folders in your computer.
You can also rearrange the default location of the folders in this section by dragging them up and down using the left mouse button. This button is used to set a new project by replacing the current project. On choosing this button, a new window named Set Project will be displayed.
You will learn about this window later in this book. The Save the current scene button is used to save the current scene. On choosing the Save the current scene button, the Save As dialog box will be displayed. Enter a name for the file in the File name text box, specify the location to save the current scene, and then choose the Save As button to save the current scene. Maya provides you with various options that can be used while saving a file.
These options are given on the right side of the dialog box in the Options section. The Undo the last action button is used to remove the last applied action and the Redo the last undone action button is used to apply the last undone action again. The Selection Set Icons group shown in Figure is used to define the selection of objects or the components of objects from the viewport.
This group comprises of three buttons that are discussed next. The Select by hierarchy and combinations button is used to select a group of objects in a scene in a hierarchical order. For example, if four objects are combined under a single group, clicking on a single object with this button chosen will select the entire group of objects. The Select by object type button is used to select only a single object from a group of objects in a scene.
For instance, if four objects are combined under a single group, this button will enable you to select only the desired object from the group, and not the entire group. The Select by component type button is used to select the components of an object, such as vertices or faces.
The Selection Mask Icons group comprises of selection filters that help you in selecting objects or their components in the viewport. The selection mask icons group depends on the selection mode button chosen. If the Select by hierarchy and combinations button is chosen, then the icons under this group will change, as shown in Figure These icons represent the tools that enable you to select the objects based on their hierarchy.
Similarly, on choosing the Select by component type button and the Select by object type button, the icons under these groups will change accordingly, and this will enable you to select either the entire object, or its components, refer to Figures and The most commonly used group is the icons group displayed on choosing the Select by object type button.
Various buttons in this selection masks icons group are discussed next. The Set the object selection mask button is used to switch all the selection icons on or off. To do so, choose the Set the object selection mask button from the Status Line; a flyout will be displayed, as shown in Figure Choose the All objects on option from the flyout to make all selection icons on or select the All objects off option to switch off all selection icons from the menu. If the All objects off option is chosen, you cannot select any object in the viewport.
The Select handle objects button allows you to select IK handles and selection handles. You will learn more about this button in the later chapters. The Select joint objects button is used to select only the joints of the objects while animating or rigging them.
The Select curve objects button is used to select the NURBS curves, curves on the surface, and paint effects strokes in the viewport. The Select deformations objects button is used to select the lattices, clusters, nonlinear, and sculpt objects in the viewport.
The Select dynamic objects button is used to select the dynamic objects in the viewport. The Select rendering objects button is used to select the lights, cameras, and textures in the viewport. The Select miscellaneous objects button is used to select miscellaneous objects such as IK End Effectors, locators, and dimensions in the viewport. The Highlight Selection mode is on button is used to turn off the automatic display of the components.
The Snap Buttons group comprises of different snap options, as shown in Figure These options are used to snap the selected objects to specific points in a scene. The buttons in this group are discussed next.
The Snap to grids tool is used to snap an object to the closest grid intersection point. Next, press the middle mouse button over the sphere and drag it; the sphere will be snapped to the closest grid intersection point, refer to Figure The Snap to curves button is used to snap an object to the curve in the viewport.
Next, choose Move Tool from the Tool Box and align the cube over the curve. Choose the Snap to curves button from the Status Line. Press the middle mouse button over the cube and drag it; the cube will move over the curve while remaining snapped to the curve, refer to Figure The Snap to points button is used to snap the selected objects to the closest control vertex or pivot point.
Now, set the Width divisions and Height divisions to 10 , and then click in the viewport to make a plane. Next, create a cube in the viewport, as discussed earlier. Next, select the cube and choose the Snap to points button from the Status Line and drag the cube with the middle mouse button; the cube will snap to the closest control vertex of the polygonal plane.
The Snap to Projected Center button is used to snap an object joint or locator to the center of the other object. Now, select the locator and choose the Snap to Projected Center button from the Status Line; the locator will snap to the center of the polygonal plane.
The Snap to view planes button is used to snap the selected object to the view plane of the viewport. The Make the selected object live button is used to make the selected surface a live object. A live object is used to create objects or curves directly on its surface. To create a cube on the surface of the sphere, choose the Make the selected object live button from the Status Line; the sphere will appear in green wireframe.
This group in the Status Line helps you control various objects. The objects with input connections are affected or controlled by other objects, whereas the objects with output connections affect or control other objects. The Inputs to the selected object button is used to edit all input connections for the selected object such that the selected object gets influenced by another object.
The Outputs from the selected object button is used to select and edit the output operations of an object.
The construction history is used to track the changes made on an object at a later stage. Sometimes, the construction history may make a particular file size heavy. To decrease the file size, you can deactivate this option.
This group in the Status Line is used to access all render controls in Maya. The Render the current frame button is used to render the selected viewport at the current frame using the Arnold renderer. Choose the Render the current frame button from the Status Line; the Render View window will be displayed. The Render View window shows the rendered view of the selected scene, refer to Figure , whereas Output Window will display all the rendering calculations made for rendering the active scene, refer to Figure This tool helps you to adjust the lighting or the shading attributes of the rendered scene and then update it as per the requirement.
To render the current frame, choose this button from the Status Line; the Render View window will be displayed. Now, press the left mouse button and drag it in the Render View window to set the selection for IPR rendering. As a result, Maya will render the selected part only. In other words, it will help you visualize your scene dynamically. Now, if you make changes in the color or lighting attribute of the scene using Attribute Editor , the selected part will be rendered automatically.
On choosing the Display render settings window button, the Render Settings window will be displayed, as shown in Figure This window comprises of all controls needed for rendering.
These controls help you adjust the render settings such as resolution, file options, ray tracing quality, and so on. On choosing this button, the Hypershade window will be displayed. Using this window, you can create shading networks. The Hypershde window is discussed in detail in the later chapters. On choosing this button, the Render Setup Editor window will be displayed, with the Render Setup editor on the left and the Property Editor on the right. The Render Setup editor allows you to create layers, collections and overrides, whereas the Property Editor allows you to set their corresponding values.
On choosing this button, the Light Editor Global Mode window will be displayed. This window lists all lights in the scene with commonly used attributes for each light. This group in the Status Line helps you quickly select, rename, and transform the objects that are created in the viewport.
Some of the options in this group are in hidden modes. To view them, move the cursor over the arrow on the left of the input field and then press and hold the left mouse button on it; a flyout will be displayed. Now, select the required option from the flyout; the corresponding mode will be displayed. By default, the Absolute transform mode is active.
The transform modes are discussed next. The Absolute transform area is used to move, rotate, or scale a selected object in the viewport. To do so, invoke the required transformation tool from the Tool Box and enter values in the X , Y and Z edit boxes in the Absolute transform area, refer to Figure Now, press ENTER; the selected object will be moved, rotated, and scaled according to the values entered in the edit boxes.
The Absolute transform area takes the center of the viewport as a reference for transforming an object. The Relative transform area is also used to scale, rotate, or move a selected object in the viewport, refer to Figure This area is similar to the Absolute transform area with the only difference that the Relative transform area takes the current position of the object as a reference point for transforming an object.
The Rename area is used to change the name of a selected object. To rename an object, select the object from the viewport whose name you want to change; the default name of the selected object will be displayed in the text box in the Rename area, refer to Figure You can select an object in the viewport by entering its name in the text box in the Select by name area, refer to Figure The Sign In option is used to sign in to the Autodesk account.
On selecting Explore Purchase Options from this drop-down list, open the Autodesk Store web page from where you can buy various Autodesk products. The toggle buttons in the Sidebar Buttons group are used to invoke tools, editors, and windows. The Modeling Toolkit window is used to perform multiple modeling specific operations. The tools in this window allow you to define and control multiple character setups in a single window.
The Attribute Editor is used to control different properties of the selected object. On choosing this button, the Tool Settings window of the selected tool will be displayed.
The Channel Box is used to control the transformation and the geometrical structure of the selected object. The Layer Editor is used to organize the objects in a scene when there are many objects in the viewport.
Multiple objects can be arranged in the layer editor to simplify the scene. By default, the keyable attributes of selected object s are displayed in the Channel Box. In this window, three areas will be displayed in the Keyable tab: Keyable , Nonkeyable Hidden , and Nonkeyable Displayed. Next, choose the Close button. The Shelf is located below the Status Line, as shown in Figure The Shelf is divided into two parts.
The upper part in the Shelf consists of different Shelf tabs and lower part displays the icons of different tools.
The icons displayed in this area depend on the tab chosen, refer to Figure You can also customize the Shelf as per yourrequirement. To do so, press and hold the left mouse button over the Menu of items to modify the shelf button, refer to Figure ; a flyout will be displayed, as shown in Figure Various options in this flyout are discussed next.
The Shelf Tabs option is used to toggle the visibility of the Shelf tabs. On choosing this option, the Shelfs tabs will disappear, and only the tool icons corresponding to the selected tab will be visible.
The Shelf Editor option is used to create a Shelf and edit the properties of an existing Shelf. When this option is chosen, the Shelf Editor will be displayed in the viewport, as shown in Figure In the Shelf Editor , you can change the name and position of shelves and their contents. You can also create a new shelf and its contents using the Shelf Editor.
The Navigate Shelves option is used to choosethe previous or next Shelf of the currently chosen Shelf. On choosing this option, a cascading menu will be displayed, as shown in Figure The options in the cascading menu are discussed next. The Previous Shelf option is used to choose the Shelf that comes before the currently chosen Shelf. For example, choose the Rendering tab; the rendering specific icons will be displayed.
Next, press and hold the left mouse button over the Menu of items to modify the shelf option; a flyout will be displayed. Choose Navigate Shelves from the flyout; a cascading menu is displayed. From the cascading menu, choose Previous Shelf ; the Animation tab is chosen displaying the dynamic specific icons.
The Next Shelf option is used to choose the shelf that comes after the currently chosen Shelf. The Jump to Shelf option is used to choose the specific Shelf by entering its name.
On choosing this option, the Jump to Shelf window will be displayed, as shown in Figure Enter the name of the shelf in the Shelf Name text box and choose the OK button; the Shelf tab with icons specific to the corresponding shelf are displayed. The New Shelf option is used to add a new Shelf tab to the existing Shelf. On choosing this option, the Create New Shelf window will be displayed, as shown in Figure Enter a name for the new Shelf and choose the OK button; a new Shelf will be created, as shown in Figure The Delete Shelf option is used to delete a shelf.
On choosing this option, the Confirm message box will be displayed, as shown in Figure Choose the OK button to delete the selected Shelf. The Load Shelf option is used to load the shelf that was saved previously.
When this option is chosen, the Load Shelf window will be displayed. You can choose the previously saved shelf from this window; the desired Shelf tab will be displayed in the shelf. The Save all Shelves option is used to save the shelves, so that you can use them later while working in Maya.
The Tool Box is located on the left side of the workspace. It comprises of the most commonly used tools in Maya. In addition to the commonly used tools, the Tool Box has several other options or commands that help you change the layout of the interface.
Various tools in the Tool Box are discussed next. The Select Tool is used to select the objects created in the viewport. To select an object, invoke the Select Tool from the Tool Box and click on an object in the viewport; the object will be selected. On invoking this tool, the manipulators will not be activated. The Lasso Tool is used to select an object by using a free hand marquee selection.
This tool is very much similar to the Select Tool. To select an object, invoke the Lasso Tool ; the cursor will change to a rope knot. Next, press and hold the left mouse button and drag the cursor in the viewport to create a selection area around the object. Then, release the left mouse button; the object inside the selection area will be selected. The Paint Selection Tool is used to select various components of an object.
To select various components of an object, invoke the Select Tool from the Tool Box and select an object in the viewport. Next, press and hold the right mouse button over the selected object; a marking menu will be displayed.
Choose Vertex from the marking menu to make the vertex selection mode active. Next, press and hold the left mouse button and drag the cursor over the object to select the desired vertices. To go back to the object mode, invoke the Select Tool and then press and hold the right mouse button; a marking menu will be displayed. Choose Object Mode from the marking menu to make the vertex selection mode inactive.
You can also increase the size of the Paint Selection Tool cursor. To do so, press and hold the B key on the keyboard. Next, press and hold the left mouse button in the viewport and drag the cursor to adjust the size of the brush.
The Move Tool is used to move an object from one place to another in the viewport. To do so, invoke Move Tool from the Tool Box; the cursor will change to an arrow with a box at its tip. Select the object in the workspace that you want to move. To use the Move Tool , you need to create an object in the viewport. A sphere will be created. Now, invoke the Move Tool from the Tool Box and select the object created by clicking on it; the Move Tool manipulator will be displayed on the selected object with three color handles, as shown in Figure These three color handles are used to move the object in the X, Y, or Z direction.
The colors of the handles represent three axes; red represents the X-axis, green represents the Y-axis, and blue represents the Z-axis. At the intersection point of these handles, a box will be displayed that can be used to move the object proportionately in all the three directions. Press and hold the left mouse button over the box and drag the cursor to move the object freely in the viewport. Change the settings as per your requirement in this window.
By default, the pivot point is located at the center of the object. To change the pivot point, make sure that the Move Tool is invoked and then press the INSERT key; the pivot point will be displayed in the viewport, as shown in Figure Move the pivot point to adjust its position. You can also put the pivot at the center of the object.
You can also adjust the pivot point by pressing and holding the D key and moving the manipulator. A pivot is a point in 3D space that is used as a reference point for the transformation of objects. To rotate an object in the viewport, select the object and invoke the Rotate Tool from the Tool Box; the Rotate Tool manipulator will be displayed on the object, as shown in Figure The Rotate Tool manipulator consists of three colored rings.
The red ring represents the X axis, whereas the green and blue rings represent the Y and Z axes, respectively. Moreover, the yellow ring around the selected object helps you rotate the selected object in the view axis. On selecting a particular ring, its color changes to yellow.
You can change the default settings of the Rotate Tool by double-clicking on it in the Tool Box. This window contains various options for rotation. You can change the settings in this window as required. To scale an object in the viewport, select the object and invoke Scale Tool from the Tool Box; Scale Tool manipulator will be displayed on the object, as shown in Figure The Scale Tool manipulator consists of three boxes.
The red box represents the X axis, whereas the green and blue boxes represent the Y and Z axes, respectively. Moreover, the yellow colored box in the center lets you scale the selected object uniformly in all axes. On selecting any one of these colored scale boxes, the default color of the box changes to yellow. You can also adjust the default settings of Scale Tool by double-clicking on it in the Tool Box.
While rotating, moving, or scaling an object, different colored handles are displayed. These handles indicate different axes. You can use this color scheme while working with three transform tools as well. The red, green, and blue colors represent the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. The Last Tool Used tool is used to invoke the last used or the currently selected tool.
This tool displays the icon of the last used tool or currently active tool. Using the buttons in the Quick Layout buttons area, refer to Figure , you can the toggle the display of layouts as required. You can also change the display of layout buttons. To do so, right-click on one of the Quick Layout buttons; a shortcut menu with various layout options will be displayed, as shown in Figure Next, choose any of the layout from the shortcut menu as per your need; the current layout will be replaced by the chosen layout.
Using these buttons, you can also edit the current layout. To do so, right-click on the Quick Layout buttons; a shortcut menu will be displayed. Choose Edit Layouts from the shortcut menu; the Panels window will be displayed, as shown in Figure The Time Slider and the Range Slider, as shown in Figure , are located at the bottom of the viewport.
These two sliders are used to control the frames in animation. The Time Slider comprises of the frames that are used for animation. There is an input box on the Time Slider called Set the current time , which indicates the current frame of animation. The keys in the Time Slider are displayed as red lines. The Time Slider displays the range of frames available in your animation. In the Time Slider, the grey box, known as scrub bar, is used to move back and forth in the active range of frames available for animation.
The Playback Controls at the extreme right of the current frame help you to play and stop the animation. The Range Slider located below the Time Slider is used to adjust the range of animation playback.
The Range Slider shows the start and end time of the active animation. The edit boxes both on the left and right of the Range Slider direct you to the start and end frames of the selected range. The length of the Range Slider can be altered using these edit boxes. At the right of the Set the end time of the animation input box is the Set the active animation layer button. This feature gives you access to all the options needed to create and manipulate the animation layers.
This option helps you to blend multiple animations in a scene. The Set the current character set is located on the right of the Range Slider. It is used to gain automatic control over the character animated object. There are two buttons on the extreme right of the Range Slider: Auto keyframe toggle and Animation preferences. These buttons are discussed next. The Auto keyframe toggle button is used to set the keyframes.
This button sets the keyframe automatically whenever an animated value is changed. Its color turns blue when it is activated. The Animation preferences button is used to modify the animation controls. On choosing this button, the Preferences window will be displayed, as shown in Figure
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