# Learning Autodesk Maya: Foundation is a full-color book that offers students a hands-on approach for learning how to use Maya, the industry-leading 3D animation and effects software. You will work with real movie footage, interactive tutorials and step-by-step lessons to understand the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects. The companion DVD, which includes instructor-led tutorial videos and other resources for extended learning, will further reinforce the topics covered in the book so that you can become better acquainted with the Maya User Interface.
DVD Companion Included

# Learning Autodesk Maya: Foundation is a full-color book that offers students a hands-on approach for learning how to use Maya, the industry-leading 3D animation and effects software. You will work with real movie footage, interactive tutorials and step-by-step lessons to understand the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects. The companion DVD, which includes instructor-led tutorial videos and other resources for extended learning, will further reinforce the topics covered in the book so that you can become better acquainted with the Maya User Interface.
DVD Companion Included

Learning Autodesk Maya: Foundation is a full-color book that offers students a hands-on approach for learning how to use Maya, the industry-leading 3D animation and effects software.

The basic and fundamental skills that are required by students and newcomers to 3d animation are thought with this product. The material covered in this training series is vital and builds the foundation for further advancement into 3d animation. Without the fundamental skills learned in this training series, it will be difficult to impossible to be able to continue into advanced 3d animation and digital content creation. Because the material in this training series is geared towards beginners to the world of 3d animation and 3dsMax, this training series is not recommended to experienced 3d artists. However, if you have just begun working in 3d, are thinking about it, or have little to no experience, then this training is for you. The aim of this training series is to take someone who is new to 3d animation in general and get them up and running with 3dsMax as quickly and easily as possible. If you have never worked on a real production with any 3d software, then this training series is right for you. This product was designed for 3dsMax 2009 and up.

Autodesk Softimage Face Robot 1.9 - program for quick and easy modeling and animating a large number of three-dimensional entities. The program is designed for creators of computer games and CG-movies, and opens new possibilities for creating facial expressions. At its core - a new computer model of the soft tissues, re-creating any faces that have screwed up under the force of a living person. Using Autodesk Softimage Face Robot 1.9 allows animators to feel at ease and concentrate on the emotions, facial expressions and behavior of the characters. Export of objects in Autodesk Maya allows you to move the character's head ready to create an integrated computer graphics character.

Autodesk® Maya® 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and visual effects software offers artists an end-to-end creative workflow. Autodesk Maya 2010 software is the first release to unify the Autodesk® Maya® Complete 2009 and Autodesk® Maya® Unlimited 2009 feature sets, advanced matchmoving capabilities, and high dynamic range compositing into a single affordable package*. Also included for a complete CG workflow are 5 additional mental ray® for Maya batch** rendering nodes and the Autodesk® Backburner™† network render queue manager.

Autodesk Maya is 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and visual effects software offers artists an end-to-end creative workflow. Autodesk Maya 2010 software is the first release to unify the Autodesk® Maya® Complete 2009 and Autodesk® Maya® Unlimited 2009 feature sets, advanced matchmoving capabilities, and high dynamic range compositing into a single affordable package. Also included for a complete CG workflow are 5 additional mental ray® for Maya batch rendering nodes and the Autodesk Backburner network render queue manager.

Autodesk® Maya® 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and visual effects software offers artists an end-to-end creative workflow. Autodesk Maya 2010 software is the first release to unify the Autodesk® Maya® Complete 2009 and Autodesk® Maya® Unlimited 2009 feature sets, advanced matchmoving capabilities, and high dynamic range compositing into a single affordable package. Also included for a complete CG workflow are 5 additional mental ray® for Maya batch rendering nodes and the Autodesk® Backburner™ network render queue manager.

Award-winning Autodesk® Maya® software is a powerful, integrated 3D modeling, animation, effects, and rendering solution. Because Maya is based on an open architecture, all your work can be scripted or programmed using a well-documented and comprehensive API (application programming interface), or one of two embedded scripting languages. This, combined with an industry-leading suite of 3D tools, means Maya enables you to realize your creative ideas.

The award-winning Autodesk Maya software is a powerful, integrated 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, and rendering solution. Because Maya is based on an open architecture, all your work can be scripted or programmed using a well-documented and comprehensive API (application programming interface) or one of two embedded scripting languages, the Maya Embedded Language (MEL) or Python®. This level of openness, combined with an industry-leading suite of 3D visual effects, computer graphics, and character animation tools, enables you to realize your creative vision for your film, television, game development, and design projects.

Autodesk® ImageModeler™ image-based modeling and photogrammetry software generates 3D models from 2D digital images, giving architects, designers, and entertainment content creators a new approach to 3D modeling.

Bridging the 2D and 3D worlds, Autodesk ImageModeler enables you to capture the reality as-built, take measurements of buildings, and easily create photorealistic 3D models. Editing, modeling, and texturing tools allow you to further edit, refine, and texture your rendered objects. Your 3D objects can then be exported into different formats.

Features
Autodesk® ImageModeler™ image-based modeling software is easy to learn, enabling architects and designers to create a 3D model, starting from 2D images, in just a few hours. Creating a 3D model becomes as simple as drawing lines on images. ImageModeler also has editing, modeling, and texturing tools.

* Calibration Engine
* 3D Measurement Toolset
* CAD and Other Interoperability
* Modeling Technology
* Texturing
* User Interface

Autodesk® 3ds Max® software is a powerful, integrated 3D modeling, animation, and rendering application. Its easy-to-learn environment enables artists to quickly ramp up for production. 3ds Max is used by film and video artists, game developers, multimedia designers (print and web), design visualization professionals, and 3D enthusiasts to achieve stunning results in less time. 3ds Max is the leader in 3D animation for game development, design visualization, visual effects, and education.

Create stunning 3D in less time with Autodesk® 3ds® Max software. This full-featured 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and effects solution is used to produce top-selling games and award-winning film and video content. Those looking to quickly and efficiently generate convincing characters, seamless CG effects, or jaw-dropping games will want to explore this latest release of the software.

With 3ds Max 2009, Biped now offers animators a more efficient workflow for rigging quadrupeds, together with other features that facilitate the character animation process. The release also delivers new UV editing features including a UV spline mapping tool, and enhanced Pelt and Relax toolsets that streamline the UVW unwrap workflow.

Autodesk® Toxik™ software is a node-based digital compositing and visual effects solution with advanced image processing capabilities. The software’s architecture is built around its ultra-high resolution interaction and high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) core, which allows you to work interactively and intuitively with virtually any visual media, regardless of bit depth or image size.

With its intuitive toolsets, open architecture, and high level of interoperability with Autodesk® Maya® software, Toxik is the ideal compositor for independent 2D visual effects artists to large-scale film and broadcast facilities.

Autodesk Toxik software brings compositing and visual effects tools to high-end 2D effects artists working at HD, 2K, 4K or above, in film, television, and design.

Find out more about why Toxik is the ideal companion to Autodesk Maya 3D modeling, animation, and visual effects software.

Key enhancements include Render Pass and Render Layer Import from Autodesk Maya and a suite of tools to support stereoscopic productions.

Autodesk® ImageModeler™ image-based modeling and photogrammetry software generates 3D models from 2D digital images, giving architects, designers, and entertainment content creators a new approach to 3D modeling.

Bridging the 2D and 3D worlds, Autodesk ImageModeler enables you to capture the reality as-built, take measurements of buildings, and easily create photorealistic 3D models. Editing, modeling, and texturing tools allow you to further edit, refine, and texture your rendered objects. Your 3D objects can then be exported into different formats.

Features
Autodesk® ImageModeler™ image-based modeling software is easy to learn, enabling architects and designers to create a 3D model, starting from 2D images, in just a few hours. Creating a 3D model becomes as simple as drawing lines on images. ImageModeler also has editing, modeling, and texturing tools.

* Calibration Engine
* 3D Measurement Toolset
* CAD and Other Interoperability
* Modeling Technology
* Texturing
* User Interface

Autodesk® MotionBuilder® is the industry-leading, real-time 3D character animation software for games, feature film, and television productions. With its core focus on interactive real-time workflows, MotionBuilder enables creative and technical artists to take on demanding, animation-intensive projects. MotionBuilder is a professional package designed for 3D data acquisition, manipulation, and visualization, which makes it not only an animation productivity solution, but a tool that drives the iterative process of creativity.

What’s New in Autodesk Motion Builder 2009:
With its unique real-time, interactive 3D environment, Autodesk® MotionBuilder® 2009 software is an ideal choice for both animation production and virtual cinematography. Production teams are discovering that the real-time interactivity of Autodesk MotionBuilder not only makes animators far more productive, but it puts the creative control back in the hands of directors and cinematographers. This new release gives animators, technical directors, and moviemakers high-quality, interactive visualizations within the 3D viewport, an intuitive toolset for creating real-time simulations and expanded script development for tighter pipeline integration.

Autodesk Maya® (formerly Alias Systems Corporation) - Academy Award® winning software is the world’s most powerfully integrated 3D modeling, animation, effects, and rendering solution. Because Maya is based on an open architecture, all your work can be scripted or programmed using a well-documented and comprehensive API (Application Program Interface), or one of two integrated scripting languages. This, combined with an industry-leading suite of 3D tools, means Maya enables you to realize your creative ideas. Maya also adds to the quality and realism of 2D graphics. That’s why Autodesk Maya is used by film and video artists, game developers, design visualization professionals, and students to create engaging, lifelike digital images, realistic animation, and extraordinary visual effects.

The ultimate version of Maya—Autodesk® Maya® Unlimited—is the choice of digital artists who are looking to make their 3D projects stand out. Maya Unlimited includes all the functionality found in Autodesk Maya Complete and provides professional artists and animators with additional industry leading-innovations such as Maya Fluid Effects, Maya® nCloth, Maya Hair, Maya Fur and Maya Live, for the creation of superior digital content.

Autodesk Maya Unlimited contains everything in Autodesk Maya Complete, plus:
- Maya Hair
- Maya Fluid Effects
- Maya Cloth
- Maya Fur
- Maya Live

Autodesk® 3ds Max® software is a powerful, integrated 3D modeling, animation, and rendering application. Its easy-to-learn environment enables artists to quickly ramp up for production. 3ds Max is used by film and video artists, game developers, multimedia designers (print and web), design visualization professionals, and 3D enthusiasts to achieve stunning results in less time. 3ds Max is the leader in 3D animation for game development, design visualization, visual effects, and education.

Create stunning 3D in less time with Autodesk® 3ds® Max software. This full-featured 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and effects solution is used to produce top-selling games and award-winning film and video content. Those looking to quickly and efficiently generate convincing characters, seamless CG effects, or jaw-dropping games will want to explore this latest release of the software.

With 3ds Max 2009, Biped now offers animators a more efficient workflow for rigging quadrupeds, together with other features that facilitate the character animation process. The release also delivers new UV editing features including a UV spline mapping tool, and enhanced Pelt and Relax toolsets that streamline the UVW unwrap workflow.

With 3ds Max 2009, you get the information you want, the way you want it. Greater OBJ translation fidelity and more import/export options mean more accurate data transfers between 3ds Max and Autodesk® Mudbox™ or other digital modeling packages. 3ds Max 2009 also delivers improved Autodesk FBX® memory management and new import options that support interoperability between 3ds Max and other products such as Autodesk® Maya® and Autodesk® MotionBuilder™.

3ds Max 2009 Features:
With each new release, Autodesk software solutions become more intuitive and user friendly, while gaining functionality and a broader tool set. The following videos introduce the new features and functionality of Autodesk® 3ds Max® software.

Modeling and Animation
With the introduction of the ForeFeet option, Biped now fully supports four-legged characters, In this video, animators see that the center of mass can be animated using external pivots, like the working pivot, making it easier to create realistic body movements like falling forward. Animators also see how the Walkthrough Assistant simplifies the process of creating walk-throughs and how soft selections can be interactively adjusted with a few mouse-clicks.