Autodesk - MayaHow and what is Maya used for?

IntroductionAutodesk Maya, is a 3D computer graphics software that can run on most computers. It was originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation and is currently owned and developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video games, animated film, TV series, or visual effects. The product is named after the Sanskrit word Maya which means the Hindu concept of illusion.

McInnis ParkwaySan Rafael, USA.The Autodesk HQ

Autodesk Maya can do many things – apart from the animation and modeling. You can add different dynamics to your animated model characters, fluids, textures, cameras, lighting, weight and volumes and you can do so much more as well as visual effects. There are other software out there like Maya with a free license but Maya has it all and you can render your work and import and export models too at a high quality production standard.

Media

The first Maya made by Autodesk was made in 1998 and they have won many awards over the years for their software work

How is Maya used in the media industry?

In the media industry Autodesk Maya software is used in presentations for companies who want to produce a new product and Maya is used in advertising. The most common use of Maya in the media industry is in motion graphics – where a 3D rendered moving image is added to other footage which appeals to the target audience

Films And TelevisionLots of 3D Maya is used in films.

Examples are harry potter, Hugo, titanic and avatar.It can take months to render animations for films because the files are so large. Later they are compressed so they do not take up so much room.

Animation for television is lower quality that films because it has to be produced to a schedule that is tighter than that of a film. There is usually a team of animators that storyboard and plan everything before going to the computers and bringing to life the characters there. Examples of Shows that use Maya are doctor who, children's shows such as little Einstein's and pingu

GamesA lot of Maya is used in games and there are teams of people who work on animations, modelling, rigging, texturing and the interactive side of games.At first before Maya is used a group of people sit round a table and discus what the games should include and any special effects, the animators, riggers and a whole group of other people worry about how characters are going to move and if they are going to speak, if they have weapons and if there is any special effects that need to be created. Games can be made in 2d and 3d

History & ProgressThe Maya program was first released in February 1998 by

Autodesk and it was a 3d based program but over the years as updated versions have been released it has in cooperated a 2d feature which helped in the creation of 2d animations such as south park. Autodesk Maya is and was the first of its kind where modelling and animation, film and television are concerned. Over the years Maya has got better, it has been updated every year to help those in the media industry produce the most spectacular work with the latest technology.

Who Uses MayaMaya is used by a massive range of people from students in universities and colleges to animators working on some huge budget Hollywood blockbuster movie to people in the gaming industry (designing) but mostly it’s the animators who use Autodesk Maya.

Famous animators include Norman McLaren – who experimented a lot with animation and early motion graphics, joseph Hannah and William Barbra who created looney tunes and tom and Gerry, Tim burton is an artist and draws for the animators as well as being a movie producer and director, Seth McFarlan who is the creator of family guy and American dad and some other films such as ted.

More By AutodeskAutodesk Maya is not the only product sold by Autodesk that is specifically for 3D animation – there are other software and programmes such as these. However, there are loads of products produced by Autodesk so here are some that are relevant to 3D modelling and animation;

Motion builder helps you to animate a character more easily than when doing so in Maya

Mud Box is used to add colour and texture and shading to an animated character by artists. However, this is included in Maya and is like using Photoshop to add colour to a 3D model. This piece of software is used by architects too as well as game designers

Maya LT is like Maya but is for specifically game makers, game artists and designers

3Ds Max Is just like Maya but not as complicated. You can model, animate and render software quick and easy which is not so simple in Maya

FBX Review is software where you can look at your 3D model without the animation and the other Maya stuff hanging around. Animators use this to check is their character model is correct and they can look all around the model without it being touched

CompetitorsA Competitor – or alternative to Autodesk Maya is this free software called blender where you can model, animate, render, add fluids and particles in great detail and you can use it to edit film as well as modelling and animation. The licence for blender is open source and can be used on any operating system

Houdini covers all the major important aspects of 3D production and animation – including key frames, dynamics, lighting and rendering. Is on a free licencing but is mostly used for photos and other digital graphics

Cinema 4D is another popular 3D animation software that is easy to use and is upmarket – has the ability to produce high-end animations and has a flexible interface. It is popular and most used by those in the film industry and graphic designers and other artists. It is on a commercial licence to it easily rivals Autodesk Maya

Bibliography http://www.autodesk.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_design

http://area.autodesk.com/maxturns20/history

http://alternativeto.net/software/maya/

http://www.autodesk.com/products

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animators