Introduction to Maya - Modeling Fundamentals Vol 1
This course will look at the fundamentals of modeling in Maya with an emphasis on creating good topology. We'll look at what makes a good model in Maya and why objects are modeled in the way they are.
# 1 15-01-2008 , 06:07 PM
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new project

base mesh...

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# 2 15-01-2008 , 07:15 PM
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whatcha got goin' on, arran?

sculpting-town?

# 3 15-01-2008 , 08:04 PM
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yeah, as you can see i'm going to shake up sculpting-town.

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# 4 16-01-2008 , 12:40 AM
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blocking things out.

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# 5 16-01-2008 , 05:51 AM
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Looks like a good start,

The edges loops around the eyes seem.... weired! Maybe you could re-work them?

Not much more to add.... as this is the base mesh, and the project really begins when you start sculpting. user added image

Good luck!


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# 6 16-01-2008 , 08:16 AM
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yeah - only just started the eyes - so lots to still do. user added image

# 7 16-01-2008 , 05:00 PM
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Looking good arran.

Get a good base mesh before going into sculpting it will help you when adding the details in z or mudbox.

I always feel the project starts with a good base mesh and the sculpt is the cherry on the cake, not when the project starts.

What you going to use for the sculpt?


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# 8 16-01-2008 , 05:06 PM
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cheers mate. user added image

finally got my hands on zbrush last week - so i'm hoping to take this in there.

# 9 16-01-2008 , 05:16 PM
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Cool!

The best bit of advice I could give you in learning it is to go slowly up the levels, its so so tempting to just divide a few times then sculpt in the high levels but move up and gain form at each level.

Do a lot of little sculpt strokes with a low Z intensity, pull/push it a bit more than you need then smooth it back to fit, you can gain a lot of the overall form using the move brush and then onto the std brushes to refine.

I found it hard to get details such as pores, and wrinkles in there when I started, hell I still do on a human model, a fantasy one it dosent really matter and its a good place to mess about with alphas etc.

Just my workflow

edit - Make sure youve got a tablet! I tried for about 6 months using a mouse, silly boy!!!


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# 10 16-01-2008 , 05:22 PM
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ha ha - thanks for the good advice mate - i'll keep that in mind. i'm sure i'll have plenty of questions...user added image

bit more...

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# 11 16-01-2008 , 05:29 PM
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No probs mate,

Ive got a few settings for pores etc using the standard brushes and alphas so I could give you the settings if you want, Ive also got some alphas too, send us an e-mail if you want.


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# 12 16-01-2008 , 05:57 PM
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nice xD


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# 13 16-01-2008 , 06:32 PM
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I tend to do this often too, but it looks like you're overworking your mesh. If you're using zbrush as a fine detail tool then that's fine, but i'd opt for a less specific mesh to give you more freedom in zb.

(BTW, if you are going that route especially, one thing you may notice is that zbrush will 'shrink' your model as you subdivide. This will cause issues when you take it back into maya. After importing the .obj, just store a morph target first, subdivide a couple times, step back down and apply the morph target again to fix it.)

# 14 17-01-2008 , 03:49 AM
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looking good arran user added image
the character is coming out well

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# 15 17-01-2008 , 07:20 AM
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cheers! user added image

Funky - thanks for the tips mate. user added image I'm not planning on adding any more detail - it's just a case of pushing and pulling now. I also need to work out the rest of the body before i take it into zbrush, so i may model a couple of other heads to practise on. user added image

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