Maya: Shader Networks

2h 41mIntermediate2020-09-08

Authors

Aaron F. Ross

3D Expert, Video Producer, and Teacher

Course details

Autodesk Maya is one of the most popular 3D packages available, and it particularly excels in the area of complex materials. In this course, you can learn to harness the power of Maya to design more interesting shader networks. By combining and manipulating maps, materials, and UVs, you can construct an infinite variety of shader trees. Whether the goal is photorealism or a stylized render effect, Maya has all of the tools you need to create impressive and unique materials. The course concludes with a chapter on interoperability, so you can export your Maya work to other applications such as game engines.

Topics include:
Essential Hypershade techniques
Building Adobe Substance networks
Color correction
Remapping color palettes
Layering textures and shaders
Working with UV sets
Interactive 3D paint
Incorporating scene data in a shading network
Using the Node Editor for materials
Camera mapping with the Projection node
Building a nonphotoreal material
Converting Maya procedural maps to bitmap files
Baking Arnold maps with Render to Texture

Skills covered

3D LightingSubstance PainterAllegorithmicMaya3D AnimationRenderingMotion Graphics and VFXAutodesk3D ModelingVisualization and Real-TimeAECProduct and ManufacturingAnimation and IllustrationDeep Dive (X:Y)

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Shader networks in Maya
02 - Using the exercise files

1. Shader Network Essentials

03 - Duplicating networks
04 - Exporting and importing networks
05 - Distance-based mapping with Ai Ambient Occlusion
06 - Shape-based mapping with Ai Curvature
07 - Creating a Substance node for parametric mapping
08 - Mapping Substance outputs
09 - Adjusting Substance attributes

2. Color and Compositing

10 - Color adjustment with Color Correct
11 - Adjusting a floating-point attribute with remap value
12 - Mapping luminance to a color palette with ramp
13 - RGB curves with remap color
14 - Extracting hue, saturation, and value with RGBToHSV
15 - Building a network to remap saturation and luminance
16 - Compositing maps with layered texture
17 - Compositing materials with layered shader

3. Mapping and Scene Data

18 - Applying multiple map coordinates with UV sets
19 - Preparing for the 3D Paint tool
20 - Painting a map with the 3D Paint tool
21 - Using a 3D Paint file in a shader network
22 - Combining UVs with texture data
23 - Camera- and scene-based mapping with sampler info
24 - Scene and shading nodes in the Node Editor
25 - Using an expression in a shading network
26 - Camera mapping with projection

4. Non-Photoreal Materials

27 - Understanding a non-photoreal network
28 - Creating a ramp texture
29 - Creating a noise texture
30 - Multiplying colors with layered texture
31 - Defining a cutoff threshold with a Condition node
32 - Incorporating diffuse light with surface luminance

5. Interoperability

33 - Exporting Maya maps with Convert to File Texture
34 - Setting up AOVs for Render to Texture
35 - Baking shader components with Render to Texture

Conclusion

36 - Next steps