Book excerpt: Written by renowned author and 3D artist Kelly L. Murdock Autodesk Maya 2019 Basics Guide is designed to give new users a solid understanding of the fundamental skills needed to create beautiful 3D models and stunning animations with Autodesk Maya. Using clear and easy to follow instructions this book will guide you through learning all the major features of Maya. The text is complemented by video instruction. Each chapter has a corresponding video tutorial that introduces you to the topics and allows you to watch and learn how functions are performed in a way that a text alone cannot do. Autodesk Maya 2019 Basics Guide makes no assumptions about your previous experience with Autodesk Maya. It begins by helping you get comfortable with the user interface and navigating scenes before moving into modeling, texturing, lighting, animating, rendering and more. Additionally, more advanced features such as character rigging, skinning, animating with dynamics and MEL scripting are also introduced. Each chapter begins by examining the concept behind each task, the goal and the necessary features that are involved. Then you go in-depth with the objective of your task as you study examples and learn the steps necessary to complete it. Working your way through the comprehensive, step-by-step lessons, you'll develop the confidence you need to create incredible renderings and animations using Autodesk Maya. Who this book is for This text was created specifically for users with no prior 3D modeling or animation experience. If you want to work in a creative field or are just curious about how 3D animated movies are made this book is the perfect way to get started. Users who are migrating from another 3D application or upgrading from a previous version of Maya will also benefit greatly from this text. What you'll learnHow to create models using curves, NURBS, Polygons and moreHow to assign materials and textures to make realistic-looking modelsHow to use Paint Effects to paint on and quickly create complex 3D ModelsHow to use lights, cameras, and depth of field to render captivating scenesHow to use keyframes, motion paths and the Graph Editor to create animationsHow to use character rigging, skinning, and inverse kinematics to animate realistic movementsHow to add influence objects, skin weights and hair to a character for a more realistic lookHow to use dynamics to create fire, smoke, lightning, explosions, cloth and ocean effectsHow to enable raytracing, motion blur, and fog effects for increased realismHow to render stills and animations using Maya Vector and Mental Ray for different looksHow to use the Command Line and MEL Scripting to work fasterAbout Autodesk Maya Maya is a program, created by Autodesk, used to model, animate, and render 3D scenes. 3D scenes created with Maya have appeared in movies, television, advertisements, games, product visualizations, and on the Web. With Maya, you can create and animate your own 3D scenes and render them as still images or as animation sequences.