Hey all im new to maya, but i love art and anything to do with it, so this lead me onto 3D design.

I wos wondering if you could explain some basic concepts to me
1) Renderman, i know this is what pixar use as rendering software but i dont understand what purpose it has.
2)CG- does this mean computer graphics?

If any of you can help me out i wont to create a nice looking model with textures, so far all ive done is the 3D dog which looks cool but i really like a challenge + i have no idea how to add textures to or create a UV map for a 3D object, e.g a dog, because all ive watched is that door panel free video.
Ive tried DeathFall but i cant find any working links there + i really wont a full tutorial of a 3D, high detail character, somthing a bit more challeging and something i can sculpt and play with for a long time. If any of u know were to find a full video without paying (christmas has eaten all my £ so i cant afford it), or just gimmi some pointers on that slag would be sweet.

Thanks

Josh