Introduction to Maya 1001

Learn the fundamentals of Autodesk Maya to begin your 3D journey

Introduction to Maya is an on-demand course where students will be taught the basics of using Autodesk Maya and what is going on under the hood in order to prepare you for different aspects of using Maya throughout the 3D pipeline.

Throughout the course, we’ll be using basic geometry to teach you the fundamentals (so no fancy characters, creatures or environments) in order that you have clarity on how a 3D application such as Maya works. We’ll cover topics such as the UI, navigation, dealing with shapes and transforms, grouping, parenting and constraints.

We’ll also introduce you to working with cameras, lenses, shaders and lights, in order that you have a generalist knowledge, and are able to problem-solve as you progress through your 3D journey.

Once you’ve completed the course, you should feel confident in using Autodesk Maya and ready to move onto training in other aspects of 3D, such as modelling, texturing, look development, animation, and beyond.

For this course, we’ll be working with Autodesk Maya 2024 but any version from Maya 2022 onwards should do the trick.

Course Details

Type: On-demand
Level: Foundation
Lessons: 06
Duration: 16.5 Hours
Format: Video on-demand
Assignments: 01
Tools: Maya
Prerequisites: None
Course Access Time: Lifetime
Course Release Data: December 2023

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Lessons in this course

01. Navigation, UI and File Management

We’ll be kicking off the course off with a breakdown of how to navigate in Maya, the user interface (such as exploring the Channel Box and the Attribute Editor), project directories, loading and saving scene files, working with the Outliner and more.
02. Creating and Transforming Objects

For lesson 02, we'll look at creating and transforming objects. We'll compare transforms with shape nodes, world v object transformations, component modes, object history, pivot points, duplicating object, and rotation order and gimbal lock. Phew!
03. Grouping, Parenting and Constraints

Here we will turn our attention to relationships, specifically: groups, parent/child relationships and constraints. By understanding these relationships, you'll be better able to organise your scenes and assets.
04. Cameras, Lenses and Image Planes

For lesson 04, we'll focus our attention on how we view our digital world. We'll play with the cameras and the lenses in order to get a better angle on our viewport, and ultimately, how we visualise the data within our scenes.
05. Shaders, Lights and Texture Maps

Here we will explore shaders and lights. This will allow us to add some colour into our scenes and better visualise our assets through the use of light. We'll create our own 'Cornell Box' to explore the Arnold Standard Surface Shader and look at how to work with HDR images for the purpose of lighting.
06. Bringing it all Together

For our final lesson, we'll bring all the learning together by aligning a digital camera to a reference image. We'll then look at matching the objects in the shot, creating shaders and textures, adding lights and playing with projections.
BONUS. Introduction to lighting in Maya and Arnold

This lesson was recorded back in 2020 for Introduction to CG Tools and Techniques. Much of the content is covered between lessons 01 and 06 but we've popped this in as a little bonus as it gives you a different perspective on the topics covered.

Tutor: Jahirul Amin

CAVE Academy Founder | VFX Teacher

Jahirul Amin is a Computer Animation and Visual Effects Teacher and Consultant. He specialises in designing and delivering courses to create solid and diverse production ready skills in all 3D related departments and across a number of facilities worldwide. His background in academia feeds into his ongoing connections with Universities and Colleges which provide Computer Animation and Visual Effects courses. He is also involved in course and examination design as well as lecturing, running workshops and mentoring.

Course Fee: £74.99

Enrol on Course

Introduction to Maya 1001

In this course, we'll introduce you to Autodesk Maya, so you are confident using the application as you progress into different aspects of the 3D pipeline.