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3D animation for the raw beginner using Maya
King R., Chapman & Hall/CRC, Boca Raton, FL, 2014. 486 pp. Type: Book (978-1-439852-64-4)
Date Reviewed: Aug 6 2015

This book comprises 17 chapters, plus a 16-page color insert. Despite its title, even a mostly baked beginner will find the exercises challenging, the language undiluted, and the capacities, layers of interface, and encyclopedic functionality of the principal tool (Autodesk’s Maya) as ginormous as the author frequently asserts. This is no guide “for dummies.”

The book features Maya as the central organizing theme and context for developing the practice of 3D computer graphics. Yes, there is some theory, but largely in service of the main goal of getting the work done while learning “a true mega-app.” The author continues: “The menu system of Maya dwarfs the famously inscrutable interface of Adobe Photoshop in its size and complexity.”

It can be used by the autodidact, and it must be working well in the classroom/lab. The major requirement in learning from it is to have Maya close at hand. Autodesk has become very modern, with free three-year student licenses for noncommercial work. With each new version of Maya, there seems to come a requirement for another inch on the display diagonal (and more pixels) if you want to be able to see it all. Plus, the numerous shortcuts provide multidimensional ways of working fast and getting lost. My own introduction to Maya included learning how I could instantly turn off all of the menus, tabs, shelves, tool buttons, boxes, bars, panes, and so on, and rely on contextual popups, popons, and popouts. I never learned an easy way to turn all that useful stuff back on.

The approach here is kindly gradual, while an extensive range of usable techniques and information is covered. The author supports the book with a website (http://3DbyBuzz.com) that offers color versions and videos of the book’s black-and-white stills. While the color insert helps, it does not work as well as the online source. As an example, compare Figure 2.1 with the video: https://vimeo.com/35126330. Indeed, all figures are in color online via http://3dbybuzz.com/the-books-figures-in-color/. There are many more aids at 3DbyBuzz.com.

In general, the text and illustrations flow well, and complaints of errors should be isolated. Nonetheless, even when viewing the color version, there can be some disconnect from the text. For example, the overview of animation workflow (Figure 1.1) appears on CI-1 in color. Doubled arrows between (3) and (4) at the bottom become different colors, but the colors are not explained; there are some questions with this and other diagrams about how the named colors are identified in print. The book promises errata will be posted on the website, but I could find none. On the other hand, if the reader, the class, or the instructor has any problem with the book, the author has solicited direct communication by email.

When I taught 3D computer graphics, I saved Maya until students had modeling experience with VRML, sPatch, Nendo (sadly gone), SketchUp, and a little Rhino. The author convincingly introduces Maya as a starter app for modeling, rendering, and animation. And why not? Serious 3DCGers get to Maya sooner or later, so why not sooner?

More reviews about this item: Amazon, Goodreads

Reviewer:  Benjamin Wells Review #: CR143675 (1510-0871)
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