While some rigging books focus too much on the theory of rigging and provide little instruction, others do the exact opposite and offer no reasoning behind the button-pushing. An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging, 2nd Edition, however, offers a perfect balance. Cheryl Briggs' text is built for the classroom, with step-by-step tutorials that guide the reader through the rigging process. With vibrant screenshots and a plethora of helpful tips, this book provides a strong foundation in character rigging for anyone who wants to pursue 3D animation or more advanced rigging topics. Features Provides readers with fundamental techniques to give them a firm grasp on Maya character rigging. Thorough step-by-step tutorials, which provides instruction on how to create biped, quadruped, and prop rigs. Continuous updates and further support can be located at www.cherylcreates.com Cheryl Briggs (formerly Cabrera) is an award-winning animated short film director. She has advised and guided aspiring animators, game artists, and visual effects artists for 20 years. Since 2009, Cheryl has taught all aspects of production in the Character Animation specialization in the School of Visual Arts and Design at the University of Central Florida. She also taught as Professor of Animation at the Savannah College of Art and Design from 2001 to 2009. Cheryl is currently on the Board of Directors for the Animation Hall of Fame. She also is a member of the Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH), the International Animated Film Society (ASIFA-Hollywood), Women in Animation, Women in Film and Television, and the Society for Animation Studies. Cheryl is also an Autodesk Certified Professional and an Autodesk Certified Instructor in Maya. She is the author of An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging (Focal Press, 2008), Reel Success: Creating Demo Reels and Animation Portfolios (Focal Press, 2013), and Animating Short Stories: Narrative Techniques and Visual Design (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019). Cheryl holds a B.A. and M.Ed. in Education and an M.F.A. in Computer Art with a specialization in 3D Animation. She is a digital artist and animator that blends the lines between digital imagery and the traditional painting medium. She has participated is numerous group and solo exhibitions in the United States and her work is featured in several private collections. Her award-winning students have been featured in animation festivals worldwide, and many have gone on to work within the entertainment industry.

Discover the concepts and techniques required to rig engaging CG character models with Maya in this unique book and DVD package. The stunning color images show just what you can achieve, and the detailed step-by-step tutorials show exactly how to achieve them. Every technique and tip is backed up with practical tutorials, using the models, student work and tutorial assets on the companion DVD to offer a crash course in this vital skill. With Cheryl Cabrera you'll learn about: Designing your first Biped Character; Creating your first Biped Character - Modeling Basics, Biped Character Facial Expressions, Texturing Basics; Skeleton setup for a Biped Character Joint Placement; Control Rig setup for a Biped Character - IK and FK; Wrapping up the setup; Skinning your Character

While some rigging books focus too much on the theory of rigging and provide little instruction, others do the exact opposite and offer no reasoning behind the button-pushing. An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging, 2nd Edition, however, offers a perfect balance. Cheryl Briggs’ text is built for the classroom, with step-by-step tutorials that guide the reader through the rigging process. With vibrant screenshots and a plethora of helpful tips, this book provides a strong foundation in character rigging for anyone who wants to pursue 3D animation or more advanced rigging topics. Features Provides readers with fundamental techniques to give them a firm grasp on Maya character rigging. Thorough step-by-step tutorials, which provides instruction on how to create biped, quadruped, and prop rigs. Continuous updates and further support can be located at www.cherylcreates.com Cheryl Briggs (formerly Cabrera) is an award-winning animated short film director. She has advised and guided aspiring animators, game artists, and visual effects artists for 20 years. Since 2009, Cheryl has taught all aspects of production in the Character Animation specialization in the School of Visual Arts and Design at the University of Central Florida. She also taught as Professor of Animation at the Savannah College of Art and Design from 2001 to 2009. Cheryl is currently on the Board of Directors for the Animation Hall of Fame. She also is a member of the Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH), the International Animated Film Society (ASIFA-Hollywood), Women in Animation, Women in Film and Television, and the Society for Animation Studies. Cheryl is also an Autodesk Certified Professional and an Autodesk Certified Instructor in Maya. She is the author of An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging (Focal Press, 2008), Reel Success: Creating Demo Reels and Animation Portfolios (Focal Press, 2013), and Animating Short Stories: Narrative Techniques and Visual Design (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019). Cheryl holds a B.A. and M.Ed. in Education and an M.F.A. in Computer Art with a specialization in 3D Animation. She is a digital artist and animator that blends the lines between digital imagery and the traditional painting medium. She has participated is numerous group and solo exhibitions in the United States and her work is featured in several private collections. Her award-winning students have been featured in animation festivals worldwide, and many have gone on to work within the entertainment industry.

"Discover the concepts and techniques required to rig engaging CG character models with Maya in this unique book and DVD package. The stunning color images show just what you can achieve, and the detailed step-by-step tutorials show exactly how to achieve them. Every technique and tip is backed up with practical tutorials, using the models, student work and tutorial assets on the companion DVD to offer a crash course in this vital skill. [Features include]: Use simple NURBS and polygon modeling in Maya for greater flexibility in your workflow ; Create control rig setups for a biped character - both IK and FK ; Put your new skills to work with the models and tutorial assets on the free DVD!" - publishers description.

"...the best book out there for learning how to do MAYA rigging and animation." --Ian Cairns, Editor, MAYA Association Learning Maya 5: Character Rigging and Animation will teach you everything you need to achieve effective character set-up and animation in Maya. Learn what you need to become a true puppet master! New for Maya 5! Updated from the popular Learning Maya: Character Rigging and Animation, the book's latest edition will allow you to explore powerful new features in Maya 5 such as IK/FK Blending and Parent Constraints. We've also updated Melvin to a polygonal model from a NURBS path model to make him easier to manipulate. In addition, you'll take advantage of updated graphical selectors and controls that will make your rigs more customizable and easier for artists to work with. Features: This book will allow you to explore character rigging that is based on a human character - walking you through the process as you rig arms, legs, a face, and more. Learn the fundamentals of properly setting up a character to avoid pitfalls as you animate. Starting from an introductory level, this book covers advanced concepts in a comfortable format. Each topics is explored in both theory and practice so that you'll be able to complete easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorials. In addition, you'll take advantage of valuable chapter-by-chapter overviews provided in QuickTime format on DVD-ROM. Offered by one of the book's authors, Bill Dwelly, an Alias|Wavefront(TM) Certified Instructor, these helpful movies will allow you to gain additional insight as you work through the book. With this book you will: * Create Skeleton Chains and edit Joint Orientation. * Render particles with hardware graphics and software techniques. * Set up Single Chain, Rotation Plane, and Spline IK Solvers. * Use Set Driven Key to create powerful control systems. * Use of both Forward and Inverse Kinematics. * Simulated the deformation of clothing using Wire Deformers and Set Drivin Key. * Drive Joint Rotation with a Blendshapte Slider to help consolidate you control windows. * Understand the difference between Smooth and Rigid Binding. * Use Pole Vector constraints as a fast and easy way of achieving realistic motion in arms and legs. * Create a complex and subtle character deformations.

Accompanying CD-ROM has Maya scene files and other resources used throughout the book.

Learn cutting-edge 3D animation techniques Create breathtaking content for film, TV, games, print media, and the Web using Autodesk Maya and the detailed information contained in this comprehensive resource. Maya experts and special effects gurus Tom Meade and Shinsaku Arima cover every step in the Maya production workflow using easy-to-follow tutorials, real-world examples, and insider tips and tricks. Maya 8: The Complete Reference shows you how to use the latest version of Maya to its full potential. You'll learn to integrate motion, create complex effects, manipulate lighting, render your final animation, and prepare for postproduction. Build 3D models using polygons, NURBS, and subdivision surfaces Use displacement maps to enhance geometry Create and skin skeletons Connect the attributes of any nodes together Build a control rig to manipulate skeletons Create your own tools using MEL scripts Master the Hypershade to control textures, cameras, and lights Work with the Artisan tools, Paint Effects tools, and 3D Paint tools Render your animation for postproduction Ready-to-use sample files on DVD

The Art of Maya 3rd edition is an introduction to 3D computer graphics unlike any other. Join the thousands of users who've garnered the knowledge they needed to enter the 3rd dimension with this full color visual exploration of the theory of Maya. Rich with diagrams and illustrations that demonstrate the critical concepts of 3D time and space, this book will help you understand the concepts critical to conveying your artistic vision through the medium of 3D. If you are an artist looking to incorporate 3D into your toolkit, this is the resource you need. Understand: * 3D Computer Graphics * Time and Space * Animation * Setting Keys * Non-linear Animation * Rigid Body Dynamics * Modeling * NURBS * Polygons * Subdivision Surfaces * Deformations * Deforming Objects * Lattices and Clusters * Character Animation * Materials and Textures * Shading Networks * Texture Maps * Bumps and Displacements * Digital Cinematography * Shadows * Lighting * Cameras * Rendering * Effects * Particle Effects * Paint Effects * Maya Fluid Effects * Maya Cloth * Maya Long Hair * Interactive 3D * Game Creation * Building Levels The Art of Maya includes Maya Personal Learning Edition to allow you to start practicing right away. The book closes with a series of Production Notes detailing how skilled Maya artists have worked with the software to create production quality films, games, visualizations and animations. Get an inside look at the use of Maya by: * The Canadian Broadcast Corporation * Turner Studios * Digital Domain for the making of I-Robot * Weta Digital in the making of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King * The AOES Medialab * BioDigital * The Mill * Oddworld Inhabitants in the making of Oddworld Stranger's Wrath