Maya 2025 Essential Training

Course details

Discover how to create high-quality 3D models and animations in Maya 2025. This course covers the core Maya skills—modeling, texturing, rendering, and animation—in a real-world, project-based workflow that translates equally well to film, motion graphics, and game design. Learn basics such as customizing the interface, selecting and manipulating objects, and organizing scenes. Next, review polygonal modeling, creating and refining meshes, sculpting, smoothing, working with curves, and more. Discover how to create and apply materials to surfaces—adding color, texture, and reflectivity—as well as integrate cameras, lighting, and depth-of-field effects using the Arnold for Maya renderer. Last but not least, instructor George Maestri shows you how to add movement and life to your work with the built-in Maya animation tools.

Concepts

Introduction

Create high-quality 3D models and animations with Maya
Maya system requirements
Make the most of the exercise files
Configuring Maya

The Maya Interface

Overview of the Maya interface
Working with files and Maya projects
Navigation in Maya
Configuring viewports
Using the hotbox and marking menus
Configuring workspaces
Setting preferences
Configuring plug-ins

Selecting and Manipulating Objects

Selecting objects
Using the Move tool
Rotating and scaling
Manipulating pivots
Duplicating objects
Understanding the Channel Box
Working with the Attribute Editor
Maintain accuracy with snapping

Organizing Maya Scenes

Working with the Outliner
Creating hierarchies
Grouping objects
Creating layers
Hiding and showing objects

Creating Polygonal Models

Creating polygonal objects
Selecting polygonal components
Using the Modeling Toolkit
Component tags
Using brush tools to sculpt meshes

Modeling Polygonal Meshes

Setting up a reference
Modeling against a reference
Using the Extrude tools
Smart Extrude
Working with edge loops
Bevel tools
Combine and Separate
Object history

Additional Modeling Techniques

Object deformers
Mirroring and merging components
Smoothing surfaces
Working with subdivision surfaces
Boolean tools

Working with Curves

Creating curves
Modifying curves
Extruding along a path

Creating Materials

Basics of Maya rendering
Standard surface materials
Opacity and refraction
Creating and applying maps
Using bitmaps as textures
Working with the Hypershade window
Use Substance materials

Applying Materials and Textures

Apply multiple materials to objects
UV mapping polygonal objects
Understanding the UV Editor
Fine-tuning UVs

Rendering in Arnold

Render settings
Add and control light
Arnold light types
Image-based lightning and skydomes
Using objects and lights
Adding cameras
Adding depth of field in Arnold
Creating motion blur in Arnold
Render view and final output

Animating in Maya

Understanding the animation interface
Animating objects using Set Key
Modifying keys on the Timeline
Modifying keys in the Graph Editor
Using the Dope Sheet
Creating animation cycles
Animating objects along spline paths
Visualizing animation
Time slider bookmarks
Draw on screen with Blue Pencil

Working with External Data

Working with standard formats
Setting up USD stages
Creating variations in USD

Conclusion

Next steps