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Getting Started with Maya

> Overview

Introduction

Welcome to Autodesk® Maya®, one of the world’s leading software applications for 3D digital animation and visual effects. Maya provides a comprehensive suite of tools for your 3D content creation work ranging from modeling, animation, and dynamics through to painting and rendering to name but a few.

With Maya, you can create and edit 3D models in a variety of modeling formats and animate your models using Maya’s suite of animation tools. You can create convincing visual simulations of rigid and soft body objects interacting in the physical world using the computational dynamics and particles tools. Maya also provides a range of tools to allow you to render your animated 3D scenes to achieve photo realistic imagery and animated visual effects.

The Maya software interface is fully customizable for those users who require the ability to maximize their productivity. Maya allows users to extend their functionality within Maya by providing access to MEL^TM (Maya Embedded Language). With MEL, you can customize the user interface and write scripts and macros. In addition, a full Application Programmers Interface (API) is available to enhance the power and functionality of Maya. Maya also provides a Python-based Maya API for those users wishing to use it.

The content creation power of Maya is provided to users in an integrated software application that is designed to enhance user productivity and ease of use.

This section provides the following information:

• About the Getting Started lessons–Information about the lessons, where to begin, and the order in which you should complete the lessons.
• Before you begin–Prerequisite knowledge and skills you should possess before beginning the Getting Started with Maya lessons.
• Installing Maya–Information on installing Maya.
• Using the lesson files–How to copy the files provided on the DVD for the Getting Started with Maya lessons.
• Conventions used in the lessons–Describes the various conventions used throughout the Getting Started with Maya lessons.
• Using the Maya Help–Outlines the various help resources provided with your Maya software.
• Additional learning resources–Outlines learning resources beyond what is included with your Maya software.
• Restoring default user settings–Describes how to reset Maya to its default settings before you begin the lessons.

Tips Working through the tutorials online To work through the tutorials online, click (Next Page) in the Navigation Bar above. You can also click on (Show in Contents) to open the navigation frame and see where you are in the Getting Started Guide. Open any lesson that interests you and work through it.