Introducing Maya 8: 3D for Beginners [With CDROM]

Great follow through from beggining to end.Lots of examples and very easy to understand. Just what a NEWBY to 3d or MaYa needs!

Excellent Book. I highly recommend it. I am extremely knowledgeable with Photoshop Illustrator and other graphic art software, but had no knowledge or understanding of Maya. The book is easy to follow and explains the layers and menus very well. I did find some hic-ups in the directions, but it was easy to figure out and continue the step-by-step direction. This is a bible for anyone who is interested in gaining knowledge with this program.

I've been toying with Maya for several years but never abie to get my head around it. That is until I discovered Introducing Maya 8. Lucid, Logical and even Entertaining. Dariush Derakshani's macabre sense of humor makes it a great read as well as a valualble learning experience. The tutorial projects are easy to follow and immediately present practical application which is lacking in most of the books I've tried to read on Maya. I was actually excited to move through the chapters with a growing confidence in my beginning mastery over Maya. I come from Painting and 2D compositing and was able to readily grasp the "nodal" approach which had eluded me with other dry Maya texts. Finally, a book which allows a 2D brain a transplant into 3D. If you want to quickly move into 3D with a fun and witty teacher..get Introducing Maya 8.

This book is by far the most user-friendly beginner's guide to Maya I've come across. It begins assuming no knowledge of 3D apps, and works it's way into some pretty sophisticated stuff concerning texturing, anmimation, modeling, etc. I think the key to it is the writing, which is peppered with smart humor which is well-timed. It reads like taking a class with an engaging young teacher, totally knowledgable yet fun. Highly recommend.

I haven't really read a maya book for several years. Some of the past books from Alias|Wavefront (now Alias) like "Learning Maya: Character Rigging and Animation 2002" soured me a bit on Alias publishing. This book, however, from the first glance begs to be opened and explored. It's print and publishing quality is leap years ahead of its outdated siblings. Partnering with Sybex has proved to be hugely advantageous for the entire Alias library. This book is durable and should live up to the rigors of tutorial-based reading. The first half of this book is focused on interface and modeling. The chapters on interface may be overkill for most renders, since many of the tools in Maya are described in the Help line. Still, it is an all-encompassing and meticulous reference and should prove useful as a companion down the road; and even the author suggests moving forward at your own speed. The chapters on Modeling are quite comprehensive, and in most cases should convert thorough readers into intermediate modelers. The rest of the book is divided into shading, animation, dynamics, lighting...and these sections are covered with enough depth and direction to help the reader navigate through many of the obstacles that can derail and befuddle the Maya user.