Maya is a leading 3D modelling and animation software. In fact, many professionals consider it to be the industry standard for developing 3D models. Whether these models are architectural or animated characters, feature films or shorts, Maya provides the tools, from basic primitive shapes to a full scripting language. In this series, we’ll look at these tools in a simple and accessible format, finding out how to develop impressive 3D scenes.

The set-up
Before we start, we need to set up the system. First, you need to get a copy of Maya. Unless you’ve already bought one (and that’s a hefty investment!), the best way to start is to get the free Personal Learning Edition (PLE). You’ll need to register with the Alias Maya community, which also provides access to a host of supporting materials (downloaded from here ).

Once you’ve downloaded the program, installing Maya is as simple as installing any other Windows-based program (there’s also a copy available for Mac OS X, should you feel the urge). Once you’ve installed the program, it will create an icon on your desktop and a listing under the ‘Start All Programs’ menu.

Basics of 3D graphics 3D graphics differ from 2D graphics in one important aspect: depth. While 2D presents height and width, 3D adds the third dimension for a touch of reality. As a result, each point in a 3D graphic is represented by three values: X, Y and Z. However, we can’t break the paper or the screen to draw the third dimension, Z. Instead, we generate a visual illusion that enables the eye to see the third dimension. This is achieved through relating the points (pixels) on the screen to each other using geometrical equations to create the third dimension. However, the required mathematical equations are usually complex and, in some cases, may require special hardware for number crunching. This is why 3D TV is still not commercially viable. However, modern computers can deal with 3D graphics and manipulation without any additional equipment being necessary.

Touring around Maya
When you open Maya, it will start with what we refer to as a ‘scene’. This is an empty void where our models will reside. To start a new scene, click on File|New Scene. To save a scene, click on File|Save. The File menu provides the basic functions to work with scenes, while Edit menu provides editing functions, like delete and copy. Maya scenes has three dimensions. In other words, there are X, Y and Z axes.

It’s often helpful to see the scene from different views. By pressing [Space Bar], we can divide the scene into four of them: Top, Front, Side, and Overview (the default). This enables us to see all sides of the 3D object – imagine you’re painting a box, turning it around to paint each side. The create menu enables us to create primitive shapes that appear in the middle of the screen. By using one of the manipulation functions, we can move the shape or change its view side.

The Modify menu provides basic manipulation functions. Our most commonly used function is accessed from the left-side toolbox, which hosts standard tools that apply to all Maya 3D development stages. These enable us to divide the screen into different views, manipulate objects, and return to the standard pointer, and so on (see ‘Maya’s toolbox and secret menus’ below). The tab menus above the scene show the different Maya objects and functionalities. They are grouped under shape type, such as curves, or under function type, like dynamics.

Maya tools
Maya provides several tools to develop and manipulate 3D scenes. Some of these tools appear in relation to the development stage of modelling, rendering, dynamics and animation (see boxout). We’ll cover these tools through our work on modelling and animation within this series. As for the drop-down menus, the first six are shared with all the stages and provide the basic functions to manage our work. There are several alternative ways to access the same tools and options.

Starting a scene
Whether we’re using Maya for animation or for architectural design, the starting point is always the scene. Let’s assume we’re designing a stage layout or an architectural building. We start a new scene from the File menu. We establish the flooring of the architecture followed by elements such as columns or pillars, using Maya primitive shapes and our own image files that we can import into the scene.

Primitive objects
Maya provides a selection of primitive objects we can use to develop models. The basic type is the curve, which has no third dimension. The others, such as cubes, spheres and cylinders (grouped under Surfaces and Polygons), are solid objects. However, all these shapes exist in a three-dimensional field and can be manipulated from the three sides. Each shape has attributes defining its size, sections and angles. Changing these attribute results, combined with rotation and positioning, enables us to build all kind of scenes and designs. We change the attributes using the Attribute Editor. To view the Attribute Editor, click on Display|UI Elements|Attribute Editor. Select the shape you want to change and its fields will appear in the Attribute Editor.

Building the temple
We start by establishing the floor of the building using the primitive shape Polygon Cylinder. We can create that using Create|Polygon Primitives|Cylinder, or by clicking on the relevant tab. If we select from the menu, a new window will open and we can enter the exact measurements we want. Set Radius to 10, Height to one, Around Axis to eight, Along Height to one and Caps to one. Each of the pillars consists of two Polygon Cubes, one NURBS Sphere and one Polygon Cylinder. We change the size and rotation of each shape to the required form. Once one pillar is built, we select all the parts of the pillar and select Edit|Duplicate. To select said parts, we press [Shift] and click on each part we want to select. Alternatively, we can float our mouse pointer over the parts we want to select while the mouse button is firmly pressed down.

The top of the temple is made up of a NURBS Torus and NURBS Sphere. First we create NURBS Torus with settings: Radius = 8.5, Minor Radius = 0.5 and Number of Sections = 24. We move the Torus to the top of the architecture, creating the base for the dome. Then we create a NURBS Sphere with Radius = 8.75, Start Sweep Angle = 0, End Sweep Angle = 180, Number of Sections = 8, and Number of Spans = 4. We rotate the Sphere approximately 90 degrees and position it on top of the temple to complete the architecture. Changing lights, shading and material options will be covered in the next article, as part of rendering. Once we render our image, we’ll be able to see the full 3D architecture we’ve built.