Work better and faster in Maya with the quick-hit tips and techniques in this practical book. Designed for busy Maya users, this guide offers dozens of how-tos, workarounds, and shortcuts culled from years of experience in a fast-paced, deadline-driven production pipeline. You'll discover tricks and timesavers on texturing particles, customizing Paint Effects brushes, modeling polygon faces, creating facial rigs with wire deformers, and much more-while useful, full-color illustrations reinforce the concepts. From modeling, animating, and rigging to texturing and lighting, this book will help you streamline workflow and improve your skills.

• Create simple to complex MEL windows
• Master NURBS modeling tricks
• Clean up imported polygons
• Animate realistic camera moves
• Build easy leg and spine controllers
• Combine simple textures for complex results
• Apply naturalistic and HDR lighting techniques
• Import ZBrush displacement and normal maps
• Prep your animation for video or 35mm film

The enclosed CD contains bonus content including valuable Maya demo software, scene files, and texture bitmaps to match many techniques in the book.

Build a polygon head by extruding edges.

Import normal maps from ZBrush to obtain more accurate render detail over bump maps.