How to Cheat in Maya 2012: Tools and Techniques for Character Animation

by Eric Luhta, Kenny Roy

Overview

The Maya guide for animators, How to Cheat in Maya 2012 presents everything you need to know about character animation in Maya. Fully updated for the latest revision of Maya, this book provides you with complete, step-by-step walkthroughs of essential animation techniques to increase your efficiency and speed. This is an animator's workflow in book form, written by professional animators-not a software book with a few animation pointers thrown in.

In addition to all the gold-mine coverage and interviews with expert animators from the previous edition, How to Cheat in Maya 2012 also features a new in-depth chapter on the principles of animation, updated information on camera settings and animation using Maya's new Camera Sequencer tool, the ins and outs of the brand new Editable Motion Trails tool, new techniques for working with characters in multi-shot animation tests and short films, a new cycles chapter covering actions like flying and walks, time-saving scripts, and advanced tricks with the new Graph Editor. The proven "How to Cheat" series gets you up to speed quickly, and in a way that's fun.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780240816982
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/20/2011
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Eric Luhta is a professional animator whose recent credits include Bioshock 2, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, Horton Hears A Who!, and numerous television commercials. Eric has extensive experience with Autodesk's Maya, including teaching it, as an instructor for the Maya Training Program at AnimationMentor.com. He currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and 3 computers.

Table of Contents

How to Cheat in Maya 2012 -

Chapter 1 - Animation Principles in Maya

Anticipation

Overlap and Follow Through

Squash and Stretch

Staging (Cameras)

Arcs

Timing

Ease In/Ease Out

Chapter 2 - Splines
All cheats revised for new interface

Chapter 3 - Graph Editor

All cheats revised for new interface

Chapter 4 - Techniques

smear frames

bendy arms

Possible material for tools added in Maya 20XX

Chapter 5 - Constraints

All cheats revised for new interface

Chapter 6 - Gimbal Lock

All cheats revised for new interface

Chapter 7 - Cameras and Layout

In-depth cheats on cameras and staging, applicable to multi-shot dialog tests and short films

cheats for new Camera Sequence tool

Chapter 8 - Blocking

New project for the chapter, so all cheats will be revised

Chapter 9 - Cycles

Shorter examples of walk and run cycles with new character

Older walk cycle material will be put on the website

Tips for personality walks

Chapter 10 - Polishing

New chapter project, all cheats revised

Chapter 11 - Facial Animation

New chapter project, all cheats revised

Mouth shapes

Eye shapes

Chapter 12 - Animation Layers

New chapter project, all cheats revised


Chapter 12 from the first book is retired to the website