Move a CV to absolute coordinates

Here's the question I got from Bart:

John:
>
> I've got a "move CVs" question. Is there something that can be entered in the Command Line that will force a CV to a certain value? For instance, I want to move some CVs to a Z value of "0". I know you showed us one technique for this. Can it be done in the command line as well?
>
> Thanks,
> Bart

Yes, you can click on the word CVs (click to show) in the channel box to see their relative coordinates. The problem is, all of them start life at relative 0,0,0 until you tweak them.

The MEL command to do an absolute move will work as expected, however.
Just pick a CV and then type:
move 0 0 0;

That'll send it to the origin.

To do an absolute translation on a single axis:
move -z 0;

That'll leave x and y alone.

For full info, type:
help move
into your script editor.

-JP

Ambient occlusion

Intro Class (specifically Kirk),

Here is the recipe for doing an ambient occlusion render:

Assign a SurfaceShader material to your objects.

In the Out Color slot of the material click on the checkerboard box (create render node) and then choose the Mental Ray tab, Textures turndown and the mib_amb_occ texture.

Switch the renderer to mental ray from the Render Settings tab.

Hit render.

To adjust the quality, increase the samples to something like 64 - 128 in the mib_amb_occ node.

Intermediate notes

Intermediate Maya class for DTV

We'll be covering the main topics a well-rounded Maya user/T.D. needs to know. It's a ten week class, during which we'll create a shot with a character, set, props, camera, animation, shaders, lighting, and rendering. I've divided it up this way:

Week 1:
Modeling the character

Week 2:
Set and prop modeling

Week 3:
UV layout, including projections and pelt mapping

Week 4:
Textures/Paint/Shaders

Week 5:
Rigging the character
Character interface

Week 6:
Animation
Camera animation/Path animation

Week 7:
Lighting
Ambient Occlusion

Week 8:
Rendering
MEL

No class

I'm dying of consumption. So there's no class tonight! We'll have a makeup class on Dec. 12th.

General help

So, as I mentioned in class, for general help in Maya, press the F1 key.

Two good forums to find help:

Highend3D
http://www.highend3d.com/boards/index.php?showforum=291


CGTalk
http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=7

Rolling ball is extra credit

I meant to mention that the rolling ball is extra credit, since it's more than we've covered so far in class. So don't panic, please!

Download the PLE

I mentioned last week that I'd post the address to download Maya Personal Learning Edition. Here it is.

One thing to know -- you cannot save a file in Personal Learning Edition and then open it in Real I Paid For It edition.
-JP

Intro notes

Studio Arts

Introduction to Maya for Disney TV

Instructor: John Park jp@understandingmaya.com

Objective:

This class teaches the fundamentals of computer animation using Autodesk Maya 3D animation software. You’ll learn the basics of:

· Working in 3D space,

· Navigating the Maya interface,

· Creating models,

· Animating objects

· Building material shaders,

· Lighting scenes,

· Using cameras, and,

· Rendering finished work for output to print and video.

Methodology:

This is a ten-week course. Each class covers different aspects of the following topics: workspace, modeling, animation, shading, lighting, and rendering.

By covering the same topics each week, you’ll gain familiarity with the general 3D concepts very quickly. This allows the level of detail to increase quickly as well. Each class will include lectures, demonstrations and hands on work. You’ll learn a new concept and then immediately try it out.

Assignments:

The homework assignments will be exercises from the textbook Understanding 3D Animation Using Maya. I’ll also be posting updates to the blog mayaintro.blogspot.com if there are any handouts to supplement the text. You can always email me we questions at jp@understandingmaya.com.

Results:

Through continual refinement of your skills, I think you’ll come away from this class with a clear understanding of how to work in Maya. When you’ve completed the class you should be prepared for more specialized training in Maya, such as character animation, character rigging, modeling, lighting, and set design/previsualization.

Curriculum

Week One
Workspace
❑ Introduction to the Maya Interface
❑ Cartesian Coordinates and 3D space
❑ Project Management
❑ homework – Transformation Tools p.13

Modeling
❑ Geometric primitives as building blocks
❑ homework – Barn p. 26

Animation
❑ Setting keyframes
❑ Ball bounce
❑ homework – Create Project p. 57
❑ homework – Build and Animate Ball Rolling p. 51

Week Two
Shading
❑ Shader basics
❑ homework – Shading Donuts p. 37

Lighting
❑ Point lights - intensity, color, shadow
❑ homework – Lighting Donuts p. 41

Rendering
❑ Render globals
❑ homework – Rendering Donuts p. 46

Week Three
Workspace
❑ Outliner
❑ Hotkeys

Modeling
❑ Geometry types
❑ Component mode
❑ homework – NURBS Components p. 63

Animation
❑ Pivot points
❑ homework – Pivot Points p. 73

Shading
❑ Material types
❑ homework – Material types p. 77

Lighting
❑ Spotlights
❑ homework – Spotlight p.80

Rendering
❑ Camera basics
❑ homework – Two-node Camera p.84


Week Four
Workspace
❑ Hypergraph

Modeling
❑ Curve creation and editing
❑ Revolves
❑ Construction History
❑ Extruded surfaces
❑ Lofting
❑ homework – Revolve & Extrude p.97
❑ homework – Lofting Fish p. 103

Animation
❑ Graph editor
❑ homework – Tangent Plane p. 114

Shading
❑ Texture maps
❑ Mapping coordinates
❑ homework – Barn Textures p. 120

Lighting
❑ Soft shadows
❑ Depth maps
❑ Gobos
❑ homework – Soft Shadows p. 130
❑ homework – Gobos p. 133

Week Five
Workspace
❑ Shelves

Modeling
❑ Polygon modeling techniques – box modeling
❑ Extrude face
❑ Split polygon
❑ Smooth proxy
❑ homework – Saddle p. 146

Animation
❑ Hierarchies and groups
❑ homework – Wagon Groups p. 163
❑ homework – Toon Tire p. 167

Week Six
Shading
❑ Bump maps
❑ Transparency
❑ homework – Butterfly p. 172

Lighting
❑ Area lights
❑ Raytraced soft shadows
❑ homework – Cornell Box Area Light p. 177
❑ homework – Raytraced Shadows p. 180

Rendering
❑ Depth of Field
❑ homework – Depth of Field p. 136

Week Seven
Workspace
❑ Artisan select and sculpt
❑ Docking the tool settings
❑ homework – Artisan p. 191

Animation
❑ Motion paths
❑ Driven keys
❑ homework – Motion Path Plane p. 197
❑ homework – Driven Keys p. 203

Shading
❑ Displacement maps
❑ homework – Displacement Wing p. 227

Lighting
❑ Three-point lighting
❑ homework – Three-point Lighting p. 252

Rendering
❑ OptiFX
❑ homework – Optical FX p. 184

Week Eight
Modeling
❑ Text and Bevel Plus
❑ homework – Chicken Model p. 154

Animation
❑ Skeleton basics
❑ Added attributes
❑ homework – Skeleton p. 211

Shading
❑ Toon shading

Lighting
❑ Global Illumination caustics
❑ homework – GI handout

Rendering
❑ Batch rendering animation
❑ homework – Camera Cuts p. 256

Week Nine
Workspace
❑ Show by type in view
❑ Hiding/showing, layers
❑ Snapping

Modeling
❑ Cluster deformers
❑ Lattices
❑ homework – Clusters p. 269

Animation
❑ Constraints
❑ Inverse kinematics
❑ homework – Constraints p. 276
❑ homework – IK Rigging p. 279

Shading
❑ 3d painting
❑ homework – 3D Painting p. 291

Lighting
❑ final gather in mental ray
❑ homework – Final Gather p. 294

Rendering
❑ Motion Blur
❑ homework – Motion Blur p. 299

Week Ten
❑ Touch of MEL

Modeling
❑ Advanced poly modeling tools

Animation
❑ Skinning

Shading
❑ Reflection mapping

Lighting
❑ Image based lighting basics

Rendering
❑ Rendering in layers