Meet Maya from Autodesk. Maya is one of the most popular 3D animation and modeling programs in the history of computer graphics. In fact, it’s so widely used that probably everyone with eyes has been exposed to something designed with Maya software. If Autodesk is analogous to Adobe, than Maya is as popular as Photoshop.
History
However, Maya didn’t start out as part of Autodesk. It was acquired from the Canadian corporation Alias/Wavefront, who released the first version of Maya in 1998. It’s only been an Autodesk product since 2005, but this software is actually twenty years old: it was formed by combining Advanced Visualizer, PowerAnimator and Alias Sketch. The most famous animation house of all time, Disney, played a big role in the development of Maya as well. During the production of the 2000 film Dinosaur, the studio offered valuable testing and modification of the software UX/UI. It’s all history after that: It’s been an industry standard ever since. In 2003, Maya even won an Academy Award for Outstanding Technical and Scientific achievement. Huge film franchises like Transformers and Harry Potter use Maya technology to produce their awe-inspiring visual effects and animation.
Pros
Maya can do a lot of things, but it’s generally accepted that it is best at animation, especially when compared to Autodesk’s other 3D design product, 3DS Max — it’s easier to make realistic animations and effects with Maya. Add that to the incredible motion-capture handling Maya can do, and it makes sense that it’s often the first choice for the film industry. Maya has a free-form approach to 3D modeling: instead of using only modifiers, you can apply modeling layers. There are great poly tools in Maya that make organic modeling, character rigging, and animation super-intuitive and practically limitless. Maya also shines when it comes to nurbs modeling. There’s also Paint Effects, which lets you make 3D shapes by drawing free-hand. Rendering is also pretty great in Maya out-of-the-box — although you can add on any plugin you’d like, of course.
Cons
Ah, the dreaded learning curve of 3D. It’s here in Maya, too. Besides the basic reality that powerful software requires dedication and practice, the node editor is a bit cumbersome to work with, and scene hierarchy is a known headache-inducer. Although its an Autodesk product and therefore seamlessly integrates into a lot of other Autodesk software, there are some compatibility issues that require a mess of plugins to smooth out. And finally, the price tag: a single license means a $1,470/year subscription from the Autodesk website — after the free trial, of course.
Resources
Now that you’ve been introduced to Autodesk Maya, it’s time to start training! Here’s just a taste of the help and resources out there:
- Autodesk Knowledge Network — Autodesk’s resource hub all of their products
- Autodesk AREA: Maya — An extensive collection of help and resources including plugins, libraries, tutorials, and forums
- SimplyMaya — Video instruction from industry experts; extensive resources and insight
- Maya Tutorials Facebook page — Community space with plenty of Maya tutorials and support
- Andy Rig — a free rigged character for quick animation help for beginners
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