Maya: Modeling with Primitives
Tutorial for modeling and rendering a table, a lamp and a floor.
Table Top
Select the Modeling section of Maya, choose from upper left, status line.
Hit the spacebar, this is a shortcut to display four views and this displays the Hot Box, if you hit the spacebar again it will display one view, the view the mouse was last over.
Make sure the select by object type button is selected in the status line near the top. This lets you pick objects, rather than points etc.
Choose Create->Polygon Primitives->Cube A cube will appear at the origin.
Select the Move Tool button from the the tool box on the left. If your cube is still active, a manipulator icon will appear, click and drag on the green arrow to move the cube up approximately 4 units in the Y axis.
Select the Scale Tool button from the side tool box. If your cube is still active a manipulator icon will appear, use this to change the size of the cube or use the channel box on the right side of the screen and input:
ScaleX 8
ScaleY .5
ScaleZ 8
If you do not see the channel box, hit the button upper right side of the screen.
Legs
Click the front view in order to make the view active, Hit 4 on the keyboard to switch to wireframe instead of shaded.
Choose Create->NURBS Primitives->Cylinder
Select the Move Tool button from the side tool box. Use this to move the cylinder or use the channel box on the right side of the screen and input:
Translate X -3
Translate Y 3
Translate Z 3
Turn off the preference for the orientation Handle:
Select Windows->Setting/Preferences->Preferences
Select the Manipulators section
Uncheck Orientation Handle
This option gets in the way of the Pivot Handle. The orientation Handle is good for rotating the pivot center. You will not need to do this very often.
Set the pivot center:
Select the cylinder and select the Scale Tool button from the side tool box. Hold down the d key, this will switch over to change pivot mode. (You can also use the Insert key on the PC or use the Home key on a mac to toggle (not on a laptop)).
Click and drag on the manipulator's green line to move the pivot up in the Y axis to the upper edge of the cylinder.
Hit the d key until you see the scale manipulator is back. Click and drag on the square in the middle of the manipulator icon, this will scale down the entire cylinder in three axes.
Click and drag on the top square on the manipulator icon to scale the cylinder in Y. Notice it is scaling around the pivot point you changed.
Choose Edit->Duplicate Special-> (Open the dialogue window.)
Input translate 6 0 0 (6 units in the X axis, 0 in Y, and 0 in Z.)
Click on Duplicate Special
Pick the Select Tool button from the side tool box.
Hold down the shift key and click on the original leg to activate it
Two legs should be active, the table top is inactive. (wireframe: Blue = inactive, green = most recent selection, white = active.)
Choose Edit->Duplicate Special->
Select translate 0 0 -6 (0 units in the X axis, 0 in Y, and -6 in Z.)
Click on Duplicate Special
Look at the Table in Perspective.
Moving Around the Windows:
PC
Rotate or roll
PC: Alt + the left mouse button roll the camera persp view.
Pan
PC: Alt + the middle mouse button pans any view or panel.
Zoom
PC: Alt + the right button zoom any view or panel.
MAC
Rotate or roll
Mac: Option + the left button roll the camera view.
Pan
Mac no track pad: Alt + the middle mouse button pans any view or panel.
Mac with a track pad:
Open Windows/Preferences->Preferences
Under Interface (The top option) Select Two Button Mouse
Alt + Command + the track pad + the left + middle mouse button pans any view or panel.
(You only need to hit the track pad the first time you pan.)
Zoom
Mac: Option + the right button dollys any view or panel
Mac with track pad: Two fingers in track pad zoom in and out
Include the shift key to constrain horizontal or vertical.
Make a Lamp with Sculpting Tools.
Sculpting tools only work on polygons.
Hit 5 on the Keyboard to switch to Shaded from wireframe.
Dolly and track the front view so there is enough space above the table for the lamp.
Create -> Polygon Primitives -> Sphere ->
Set Axis Divisions and Height Divisions both to 50.
Click on Create
Select the Move Tool button from the side tool box.
Click and drag on the manipulator's top arrow to move the sphere up in the Y axis, on top of the table.
With the Sphere selected
Mesh Tools->Sculpting Tool ->Sculpt Tool->
Input Size: 0.4
Input Strength: 0.2
Hold left mouse key and drag over the sphere to sculpt.
Play with the Sculpt tool to create your own lamp base.
Check Invert under the Sculpt tool to push the points.
To easily access the sculpting tools, Click on theSculpting tab on the shelf.
To open up sculpting tool settings, double click a Sculpting Tool on the Sculpting shelf.
Experiment with other sculpting tools.
To sculpt textures onto your lamp base:
In Tool Settings, under Stamp, check Use Stamp.
Click on Import next to the blank texture square.
On mac, go to:
/Applications/Autodesk/maya2018/Maya.app/Contents/Examples/Modeling/Sculpting_Stamps
On PC, go to:
C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2018\Examples\Modeling\Sculpting_Stamps
Select any .tif texture. Hit Open
Click on Pick Stamp next to the texture, you should see all the other stamps available to use in the Content Browser.
Now when you use the sculpt tool, it should be textured.
You can also use Stamp with other Sculpting tools to add textures to your model.
Lamp Shade.
Hit 4 on the keyboard to switch to wireframe instead of shaded.
Choose Create->NURBS Primitives->Cylinder->
Enter Number of sections: 6
Enter Number of spans: 1
While the lamp shade is active, type f, to frame the front view in on the lamp shade.
Pick the component type button in the status line near the top.
The CVs will automatically appear. Component mode lets you pick CVs, rather than objects etc.
CV stands for control vertex, you can drag CVs to change the shape of the lamp shade.
Select the Scale Tool button from the side tool box.
Select the top row of CVs and scale them. Then scale the next row, etc.
Insert a Floor.
Choose Create->Polygon Primitives->Plane
Select the Scale Tool button from the side tool box.
Interactively scale the floor larger.
Delete Unwanted Objects.
Pick the object type button in the status line near the top.
Click anywhere in a view where there are no objects. This will turn off all objects.
Click and drag over the object you do not want.
Choose Edit->Delete, or hit the delete or backspace key on the keyboard.
Type z to undo, if you change your mind. (You can setup a lot of undos.)
Type Shift z to redo, if you change your mind again.
Add a Light or Two to the Scene.
Click anywhere in a view where there are no objects. This will turn off all objects.
While nothing is selected, type f, to zoom each view one at a time around everything in your scene. This will give you more room to position your lights.
Choose Create->Lights->Point Light
Select the Move Tool button from the side tool box.
Click and drag on the manipulator's arrows or center to move the light above the scene.
Click in the background of the Perspective or camera view to activate that window.
Hit 5 6 then 7 on the keyboard to switch to shaded, texture view with scene lights. 4 will put it back to wireframe.
4 = display active window wireframe
5 = display active window shaded with default lights
6 = display active window shaded and textured with default lights
7 = display active window shaded with first 8 scene lights
Set up your lights for Arnold Renderer. Choose Windows->Rendering Editors->Hypershade
Switch to the Lights tab
Double click the pointLightShape node..
Under the Attribute Editor, click on the Arnold drop down menu
Set Exposure to 10.000
Click on the Render View button located at the top of the screen to render a test
Color Choose Windows->Rendering Editors->Hypershade
Switch to the Materials tab
Click on the Phong icon in the create list 3 times to create 3 shader balls.
Click on the Lambert icon three times as well.
Select one or more objects from the scene. (Use object type button near the top) In the Hypershade window:
U right mouse key over one of the shader balls to bring up the marking menu, select Assign Material to Selection.
Double click the shader ball you just assigned.
Click on the box next to the word Color, this brings up the Color Chooser.
Rename the phong shader if you like.
Assign shaders to everything in your scene.
Animation
Move the time line over to frame 1 at the bottom of the screen.
Select the lamp base.
Use the channel box on the right side of the screen.
If you do not see the channel box, hit the button upper right side of the screen.
Highlight Rotate Y in the Channel Box
Use the right mouse key to bring up mini menu, choose Key Selected.
Move the time line over to frame 150 at the bottom of the screen.
Rotate the lamp base 360 degrees in the Y axis
Highlight Rotate Y in the Channel Box
Use the right mouse key choose Key Selected.
Preview the animation:
Move the time line over to frame 1 at the bottom of the screen.
Hit the play arrow on the time slider.
Stop the playback by clicking the mouse on the red square over the play arrow.
Setup a project area to work off your external hard drive:
Create a folder on your external hard drive, name it something like ucla156_assignments
Maya will create folders in this directory: scenes and images
When you save files they will save to your external drive.
Anytime you switch to a new computer run the Set Project utility again.
exFAT or NTSF drive formats work across platforms.
PC:
In Maya Choose File->Set Project...
Select My Computer
Find your external drive, highlight the ucla156_assignments folder, choose Set
Mac:
Know the name of your external drive, change the name to something easy to remember
In Maya Choose File->Set Project...
Type /Volumes/name of your drive/ucla156_assignments in top line after Lookin:
hit Enter key
(You may need to try twice to see the Volumes folder.)
Store a Copy of Your Model.
Choose File->Save Scene As
Type a descriptive name such as tablelamp.
Click the Save button.
A file will be stored in your scenes directory. A scene file contains almost everything:
Objects, Color information, Transformations, Animation, Backgrounds, Hierarchy, Lights, Windows, Dynamics, etc. This is stored locally on the hard drive of your computer. You may want to back it up somewhere else too.
Read a Stored Model Back On.
Choose File->Open Scene
Select the file you want to retrieve.
Render Settings.
Turn off Color Management:
Select Windows->Settings/Preferences->Preferences
Select Color Management
Uncheck Enable Color Management
Select Save
Press this icon upper right or middle
Under the Common tab:
Under the File Output arrow:
Choose Image format: Tif
Uncheck Dither
If you want to render your animation:
Choose Frame/Animation ext: name.#.ext
Input End frame: 150
Under the Image Size arrow:
choose 960x540
With these settings below, your scene will render faster with a preview quality.
Under the Arnold Renderer tab:
Under the Sampling arrow:
Set Camera (AA) to 2 (default 3)
Set Diffuse to 2 (default 2)
Set Specular to 1 (default 2)
Set Transmission to 0 (default 2)
Set SSS to 0 (default 2)
Set Volume Indirect to 0 (default 2)
Under the Ray Depth arrow
Set Total to 1 (default 10)
Set Diffuse to 1 (default 1)
Set Specular to 1 (default 1)
Set Transmisssion to 0 (default 8)
Set Volume to 0 (default 0)
Set Transparency Depth to 0 (default 10)
Click Close to close the window
Render to File(s)
Change to the Rendering Module
Select Render->Render Sequence from the top menu bar.
You can always hit the Esc button to stop the render.
Where are the files?
The image is stored locally in the images folder on your computer. You can change the location.
PC: C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\maya\projects\default\images
Mac: /users/$user/Documents/maya/projects/default/images
View the Animation with fcheck
PC: Use C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2018\bin\fcheck.exe
Mac: Use Applications\Autodesmaya2018\Fcheck
Select File->Open Animation Select the first frame.