If your are totally new to maya and want to start of with a tutorial, i would recommend you to buy " The Mad Scientist Laboratory Modeling". -As it is only One Dvd -Only Modeling -Only 3 hours (Long tutorials arnt liked by beginners) - You will learn how to build the basic geometry using nurbs, polygons and sub-d surfaces as well as manipulate the different types of surfaces to create the many aspects of the lab. You will also explore lighting techniques to create the right atmosphere. Built-in Dynamics are also used to create lightning in the scene.