Introduction to AutoDesk Maya

Autodesk Maya is a very popular 3D animation software. Maya, as it is also known, is used to create i professional looking animations which are in 3D, as well as interactive 3D applications, including video games, animated film, TV series, or visual effects. It is an open architecture software that runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

It is used by video professionals for making animated videos for films and video clippings that are used in TV programs, video games, websites, presentations etc. In fact anywhere you need 3D animated videos of characters, animals or objects for entertainment or education; it can be done with the help of Autodesk Maya.

This software was developed by Autodesk. It was originally developed by Alias Wavefront in 1998 , and was later acquired in 2005 by Autodesk.

What can you do using Autodesk Maya?

Those who have seen blockbuster movies and animation films like Transformers, Finding Nemo and in several action sequences of movies, will be happy to know that the special effects or SFX in the movies are now rendered by Maya. During the development of Maya, Walt Disney Animation collaborated in making of its films.

Maya was used in the Transformers films to great effect. It helped making Autobots transform into robots from automobiles and drawing their facial expressions. Maya was extensively used in films like Harry Potter series, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Golden Compass, Salt and many more.

Maya offers several tools such as the grease pencil, automatic joint centering, camera sequencer, and weight distribution tools are some of the features that make adding special effects very easy as compared to the earlier manual method.

It has Viewport 2.0 and DX11Shader rendering engine which make it easy to work on blurred reflections and shader effects. Translucency effects and textures can be worked upon to one’s satisfaction. Other tools that Maya has, are Volume Attributes, Paint Effects Surface, Clip Matching, etc.

While using Maya, everything is rendered in real time, so while making 3D models and visual effects, one can see the final output and make changes. The use of Maya in livening-up animation with life-like effects, are limited only to the creativity of the artists.

Video game companies can use the scene assembly and modeling tools to create a world fpr their games by incorporating features such as roads, trees, forests etc. in the foreground or background.

Maya also helps companies in creating and designing their digital layouts and models. In case of architecture, the ease and flexibility with which complex architecture models can be created is amazing. It saves time as well as brings to the fore several new facets that would not have been explored otherwise.

Advantages of using Autodesk Maya

It has become very popular with the film industry, as earlier this was done manually and required several artistes to work on the animations, which can now be done easily with Maya.

Maya has almost become an industry standard for animation, as such there are several institutes offering courses on Maya. There are certified courses that guarantee jobs. The future of those learning Maya is good as there are several opportunities.

The world is becoming more and more graphics-oriented. Animation is being used everywhere, whether it is a personal blog or website or a news channel. From cookery to yoga classes, animation helps in teaching people and has become a part of the learning system.