How To Go From Stepped Animation To Final In Maya

8 Ultra useful Maya tips for beginners in Nether four minutes!

At first glance Autodesk'due south Maya can be extremely daunting, the endless options and massive user interface.  Today I'm going to show yous 8 workflow tips to aid overcome some necessary basics that will assistance you get started every bit a 3d modeller or animator.  All you need is 4 minutes of your time!

Easily pick and cull which tips are most helpful for y'all with the easy to watch tutorial video I've created.  If you need more explanation read below for a written breakdown which goes into more detail, plus a few bonus tips!  You ready? Let's do this.

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Table of contents

click any content below to spring to that tip

TIP 01:  Focus the camera on 1 expanse  | Video timecode: 0.05
Finding it hard to rotate the camera around a small surface area and stay on it?

TIP 02:  Snapping similar a pro| Video timecode: 0.22
Learning to align one object to another or movement a single vertex to some other edge is essential

TIP 03:  Move multiple keyframes| Video timecode: 0.54
Learn here to movement multiple keyframes quickly and by an exact amount

TIP 04:  Move the pivot point| Video timecode: 1.xv
Learn here to motion multiple keyframes quickly and by an exact amount

TIP 05:  Soft pick| Video timecode: ane.36
Learn to movement a selection of vertices with a soft autumn off to get smooth results

TIP 06:  Duplicate special| Video timecode: 1.53
This is a fun and very useful tool.  Unlike normal duplicate it allows you to add together an incremental transform to each duplicate, you tin add, a move in any direction, rotation and or scale

TIP 07:  Texture to polys| Video timecode: ii.24
Convert a solid texture to bodily polygon geometry quickly

TIP 08:  Combine two objects & Bridging| Video timecode: two.58
A 3d modelling necessity to combine objects here we take i further and create archways with the bridge tool

TIP 01: Focus the camera on a small expanse

Sometimes when moving the camera around a model it can jump effectually or the movement exist too big, you simply want to pinpoint the camera on a certain surface area and have the view rotate around this.

This is simple by using the "F" fundamental.  Endeavour selecting any object in your scene, then printing the "F" primal, the camera will zoom straight into that object.  Allow's take this further like in the video.

1. Right click your model and cull "vertices" or "faces" then select a single or few vertices or faces
2. striking the "F" fundamental

.. Voila!  The photographic camera jumps to that point and at present when yous dolly the camera around if stays focused on that area.

Back to the video

Correct mouse button click your model to bring up the options

TIP 02: Snapping like a pro

Learning the dissimilar snapping modes is fundamental to working in 3d.  Snapping is the procedure of aligning the position of an object or objects vertex to another location.

The controls are:

Snap to Filigree:

Snap to Curves & Edges:

Snap to Vertex:

Snap to grid

Grid snapping. - The grid in Maya is the plane on the flooring, information technology'southward divided into units. Each unit equals one unit which can be prepare as millimetres, centimetres or metres which are set in your preferences.  Snapping to the grid is very useful for modelling.

To snap an object to any betoken on the grid

1. Select your object
2. Actuate the move tool or use the quick key "W"
3. HOLD the "X" cardinal and then Middle mouse push button click any point on the grid and your object will jump to it "Snapping"

Now lets snap a unmarried vertex of your geometry to the filigree.

1. Right middle mouse push on your geometry > then select vertices option (TIP - correct clicking on your object is the quick way of choosing whether you want to edit Vertices, Edges or Polygon faces)
2. Activate the move tool or use the quick key "W"
3. Heart mouse button click any indicate on the grid and that single vertex will snap to the filigree

Right mouse button click your model to bring up the options

Snap to Curve / Edges

Border or Bend snapping –  align / snap any object or vertex to whatsoever curve or whatsoever geometry edge

1. Right middle mouse push on your geometry > then select vertices pick
2. Select a vertex yous want to move
3. HOLD the "C" key and then middle mouse push click on whatsoever edge.  You lot tin click and concord and then move around to your leisure whilst being constrained to that border.

Snap to Vertex

Vert snapping –  align / snap whatever object or vertex to a curve or whatever geometry border

1. Correct center mouse button on your geometry > so select vertices pick
2. Select a vertex you want to move
3. HOLD the "V" fundamental then center mouse push click on any other vertex.  This vertex you are snapping to can be on the aforementioned geometry or a completely different object

TIP 03: Move multiple Keyframes with ease

Moving multiple keyframes in the fourth dimension slider tin become very tricky,  allow me show you a quick tip to move keys hands and quickly and by an exact corporeality.

1. Navigate to> Windows >Blitheness editors >Graph editor
2. Select the blithe geometry or control curves that contain the blitheness you lot would like to change timings.  You will see all the blitheness curves appear in the Bend Editor (TIP – the bend editor is where you can really edit the timings and smoothness of any animation)
3. Select all the keyframes or just a section of keyframes

The side by side footstep involves typing a very short bit of mel script.   Mel is the programming language that Maya runs on.  In that location is a mel control for everything even when y'all merely movement or rotate an object, that is converted to a mel control.

four)  The terminal pace is to simply type  "+=numberofkeyframes" so for example+=50 would movement all the keys 50 frames forward, +=203 would move them 203 frames.

You lot type this is the second input box next to the give-and-take "Stats"

As yous progress yous will find mel tin can assistance speed up and automate circuitous processes, just don't worry yous tin normally merely notice plenty of already written mel scripts y'all just copy and paste

This likewise works the other way using the minus instead of plus symbol.
So  -=50  would move the keyframes backwards in time by 50 frames

This technique is so quick and useful, once yous start using information technology you will rely on it daily!
An instance would exist you may want to filibuster merely one arm of a character past 8 frames, select the arm controls so  type +=8 and your done!  And it's much easier to visualise.

You tin can see the project I used this on from the video here:  http://fullrotation.com/portfolio/pip-the-squirrel-3d-blithe-series/

TIP 04: Motility the pivot signal

1. Select the object
2. Press the "Insert" key and you will run across the gismo change modes
3. Either snap the gismo to the the objects ede, some other vert, or just merely move it farther away
4. Printing the "Insert" key again
5. Select rotation mode or hit the quick key "R"  now you lot tin rotate using your new pivot point

Back to the video

TIP 05: Soft selection

If you were to select a few vertices then motion them information technology would not be smooth, there would exist no "fall off" to your option. Using a mode called "Soft Option" allows this and command the exact amount of autumn off you require.

1. Select a single or bunch of vertices on your model. (call up from before yous tin can just right click and go into the quick marking menu to select vertices mode quickly)
2. Press the "B" key to enter Soft Selection way.  Y'all will see the pick change where yellow is the strongest and it falls off to Red which is the weakest, showing y'all how it well alloy and polish out the choice.
3. To edit exactly how much "Autumn Off" you lot desire merely press and this time Concur the "B" fundamental, then you can click the middle mouse button and gently drag right ti increment the selection or left to subtract how much is selected.
4. Now striking the Due west key for move if you non already in move manner and move the vertices out to encounter it.

This is neat for making quick hills in terrain, organic modelling, like pulling the cheeks or nose out further on a graphic symbol etc.

Back to the video

TIP 06: Duplicate special

Duplicate special is a fun and very useful tool.  Dissimilar normal duplicate it allows you to add together an incremental transform to each duplicate, you can add, a movement in whatever management, rotation and or calibration.

1. To really run across its ability move the pivot bespeak of your object away.  In the video I move the object to the left then snap the pivot point (Equally per tip 02) dorsum to the center grid using theX key
2. Select the object so navigate to the menuEdit > Indistinguishable special then hit the little box to the correct, this little box opens up the options, this applies to ALL menu items
3. Ok this is where we have some fun.  The first column is the Ten airplane, the 2d the Y and third the Z.  Endeavour irresolute the Y rotation to xv degrees and slide the number of copies up to approx 25 then hitUtilise

Instantly you will see it makes a ring of your object

Dorsum to the video

Instantly y'all will see it makes a ring of your object

1. Undo that by striking "Control Z" on the keyboard.  Now go back into the Duplicate special bill of fare again and this time add a trivial top eg0.5 to the translateY
2. Change the number of copies to much more than like 70 or fourscore and hitAPPLY

Instantly you will see information technology makes a ring of your object

BONUS TIP !

Instead of irresolute the number of copies you tin just do it with 1, and so afterward hitting Employ only repeatedly hit the "D" primal and information technology volition only continue repeating with the increments added.

You can employ this to create a filigree of objects, make many duplicates evenly spread out, spiral staircases, fences, but play with information technology!

TIP 07: Texture to polys

This is a useful feature not widely know, it allows you to apply an epitome texture to a aeroplane then simply convert that texture to actual geometry polygons, it can salvage on modelling complex shapes.

To become started:

1. Open up the hypershade,Windows > Rendering editors > Hypershade, this is where all materials are made and edited, and create a new lambert or blinn material.
2. If y'all don't already know how to apply a texture to a textile merely select your texture file (jpeg, png etc)  in windows explorer and drag and driblet information technology onto to your fabric in the hypershade
3. Middle mouse push drag the material onto your geometry

1) Select your polygon aeroplane, the navigate to:Modify >  Catechumen > Texture to polygons click the options box

2) You can choose here to alter the color of the new material that gets created, you volition meet information technology added to the hypershape with the name of your texture file.

3) It's now been converted to geometry but its flat, a quick mode of selecting the correct poly faces is in the hypershade Correct mouse button click the new material you will see and choose "Select objects with fabric"  This is a really useful tip for selecting faces with a certain material instead of one by 1

4)  Hit the extrude button in the polygons shelf, or a longer way, navigate toEdit mesh > Extrude

5)  This extrude happens only remains in the same identify, just use the move tool to move the faces up by dragging the blue axis , and that'southward it!

Now you lot accept a full polygon model of your texture

TIP 08: Combine two objects & Bridging

Very oftentimes when modelling you will need to combine two pieces of carve up geometry.  Whether you're joining a head to a body or a leg to a table pinnacle it's essential.   Here are the basics plus a swell mode of bridging to grade perfect arches.

one)  Select both objects and nether the "Polygons Carte prepare" navigate to:Mesh > Combine
This will at present combine the objects so they are every bit one.

2) Correct mouse button click and choose "Faces" fashion

4) Right mouse push button click again this time enter "Edges" mode

4) Correct mouse push button click over again this time enter "Edges" mode

v) Double click one edge and it will automatically select the whole ring of edges.
To select the other sides edges do the same holding down "Shift" to add together to the selection

6)  Navigate toEdit Mesh > Bridge

vii)  Change the "Curve Type" option to: "Blend"  ( Don't worry if you don't become this pop up y'all tin make the same changes on the right in the attribute editor) information technology just ways you are non choosing to show the HUD in the prove submenu

eight)  Yous volition see its apartment, that's because we haven't set whatsoever divisions.  You can click and set this manually but the more intuitive interactive way in Maya is toCenter mouse button click and drag in the divisions window to the correct to increase.   At present you lot will come across a perfect entrance being formed

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Source: https://fullrotation.com/maya-tips-for-beginners/

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