Introducing Maya 5: 3D for Beginners [With CDROM]

This book is great. Maya is a beast of a program and just following instructions in a book will guide and teach you but it takes actual practice and thinking on your own to really learn and understand. That is exactly what this book does. It explains what is going on and then it is left up to you to finish with its guidance. There is no better way to learn. Frustrating at times but so worth it in the end.

I am 14 years old and I have always been interested in Computer Graphics and especially Maya. I only had a vague idea of managing this program, modeling, animating,... and this was just the book I needed!

In short: an essential read if you're 1)getting into Maya for the first time or 2) getting into 3D for the 1st time. I'm a Flash animator who has tried time and time again to jump into 3D - starting with 3D Max by taking a class... but eventually falling behind on the very next upgrade because I wasn't able to internalize what was really going on behind the interface. This, I feel, is where the Derakhshani book succeeds; it is great for beginners because it explains not only the immediate steps to the tools in Maya, but also the greater infrastructure of why things work the way they do in Maya, in 3D softwares generally, and in the CG industry.If you want *comprehension* then I this is absolutely the most solid book I have found. I say - 3D is a big pill to swallow so don't make it harder than it has to be...

This book is extremely well written. Each chapter is explained thoroughly enough so that if you are truly a beginner opening Maya for the first time you will easily be able to follow instructions. The terminology used in the book is at a level where all can follow. He touched upon each aspect of Maya with enough detail to give a strong basis of understanding for the program. I especially like where he created a detailed model using primitives and simple modeling tools (i.e. catapult). He succesfully uses the same project to show several different concepts of 3D as you advance through the book.

I was mostly impressed with how Darisuh first breaks down the concepts around which 3d animation is based. With such a clear breakdown of the theory first, it makes the actual learning and manipulation of MAYA so much easier, especially for a 100% beginner like me. I never imagined that I would be doing 3d programming and animation, but Hey Mom - look at me now! Unlike most technical manuals, it is also very good reading, rather than a chore.