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Learn Maya – A Beginners guide to Creating Realistic Scenes

A well-structured Maya course that equips beginners with foundational modeling, rigging, and rendering skills needed for film, games, and VFX.

access

Lifetime

level

Beginner

certificate

Certificate of completion

language

English

What will you learn in Learn Maya – A Beginners guide to Creating Realistic Scenes Course

  • Navigate Maya’s interface: view panels, outliner, attribute editor, and custom layouts

  • Model 3D assets using polygon and NURBS workflows: extrusion, edge loops, and subdivision surfaces

  • Apply UV mapping and texture assignment using Maya’s UV Editor and Hypershade

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  • Rig characters with joints, skinning, and control curves for basic animation

  • Light scenes with Arnold: standard lights, HDRI setups, and render settings for photoreal output

Program Overview

Module 1: Introduction & Maya Setup

⏳ 45 minutes

  • Topics: Installing Maya, workspace customization, navigation hotkeys

  • Hands-on: Configure your first project, set preferences, and organize assets

Module 2: Polygon Modeling Basics

⏳ 1.5 hours

  • Topics: Primitives, component selection, extrude, bevel, merge, and quad modeling

  • Hands-on: Model a simple asset (e.g., coffee mug) using efficient topology practices

Module 3: NURBS & Advanced Surface Modeling

⏳ 1 hour

  • Topics: NURBS curves, lofting, revolve, stitching, and conversion to polygons

  • Hands-on: Create a sleek bottle shape with precise NURBS operations

Module 4: UV Mapping & Texturing

⏳ 1 hour

  • Topics: UV seams, automatic and manual unwrapping, checker-map validation

  • Hands-on: Unwrap your polygon model and assign a basic texture in Hypershade

Module 5: Rigging Fundamentals

⏳ 1.5 hours

  • Topics: Joint placement, skeleton creation, skinCluster binding, weight painting

  • Hands-on: Rig a simple biped armature and test deformations with basic poses

Module 6: Animation Basics

⏳ 1 hour

  • Topics: Keyframing, graph editor, playback options, simple walk cycle overview

  • Hands-on: Animate your rigged model through a basic two-pose cycle

Module 7: Lighting & Arnold Rendering

⏳ 1 hour

  • Topics: Area and directional lights, HDRI setup, Arnold render settings, AOVs

  • Hands-on: Light a product shot scene and render a beauty pass with Arnold

Module 8: Project Organization & Export

⏳ 30 minutes

  • Topics: Naming conventions, namespaces, referencing, FBX export for game engines

  • Hands-on: Prepare and export your final model and animation for Unity or Unreal

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Job Outlook

  • Maya skills are essential for roles like 3D Modeler, Character Rigger, and Technical Animator

  • Widely used in film, TV VFX, and game development; entry-level salaries start around $50,000, rising to $80,000+ with experience

  • Mastery of Maya’s core toolset opens pathways into animation studios, visualization firms, and indie game teams

9.7Expert Score
Highly Recommendedx
This course delivers clear, project-driven lessons on modeling, rigging, and rendering in Maya—ideal for beginners aiming to build practical skills quickly.
Value
9
Price
9.2
Skills
9.4
Information
9.5
PROS
  • Hands-on projects cover both polygon and NURBS modeling techniques
  • Balanced rigging and animation module gives a taste of character workflows
  • Arnold lighting and rendering section prepares you for industry-standard outputs
CONS
  • Limited depth on advanced animation (e.g., graph-editor finesse) and dynamics (FX)
  • No coverage of scripting (MEL/Python) for pipeline automation

Specification: Learn Maya – A Beginners guide to Creating Realistic Scenes

access

Lifetime

level

Beginner

certificate

Certificate of completion

language

English

Learn Maya – A Beginners guide to Creating Realistic Scenes
Learn Maya – A Beginners guide to Creating Realistic Scenes
Course | Career Focused Learning Platform
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