"If you're just beginning to dive into the world of 3D, this is the book for you."_Animation MagazineAlias' Academy Award winning Maya 3D animation and effects software leads the industry in technological innovation. Film and video artists, computer game developers, and design professionals rely on Maya to create brilliant digital imagery, animation, and visual effects. Now you can enter this exciting, imaginative world and learn to build, render, and animate your own digital characters and scenes.Brought to you by Maya Press, a publishing partnership between Sybex and Alias, Introducing Maya 6: 3D for Beginners is the ideal initiation to 3D and Maya. Written explicitly for the Maya novice, the easy-to-grasp text offers a practical and fun approach to learning Maya's core features. Clear-cut, engaging lessons let you try out these features using working files provided on the CD. You'll also find an abundance of instructional and inspirational art on the CD and full-color insert.Enter a New DimensionGet a solid grasp of the core Maya and 3DLearn to navigate the new Maya 6 interfaceExperiment with Maya modelingExplore the basics of NURBS, polygons, and subdivision surfacesDiscover the nuances of shading and texturingTry your hand at animationGet a feel for Maya lighting, rendering, and dynamicsFind out how to use Maya and Photoshop in unisonNote: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Dariush Derakhshani is an award-winning animator currently working on national TV commercials and music videos and teaching Maya and animation classes in Los Angeles