Tips for newbie’s

[stunndman]

i don't want sound too obvious - read the manual (online) which includes the instant maya book (if you have unlimited it will come with an instant unlimited book too) - which is just perfect to get you started

check out the the sticky tutorial thread - it has links to tutorials for any level

[svenip]

i really believe that you can learn a software such as complicated as maya or any other package by others (mean books or similar).

3D works inlcudes more then just know the tool. you need to know global concepts of 3D, need to know how the nature is functioning etc etc etc.

you cannot learn all that just from books etc.

play around, watch the nature, watch people and so on. it will come with the time.

don't just remake things someone else has done. create your own visions and then try to realize them with the tools you know and not with a trick someone has shown you.

[stunndman]

and here's a link to a brochure from AW for max to maya migrants - might help translating your existing know-how

http://www.aliaswavefront.com/en/products/maya/pdf/3dMaxtoMaya.pdf

[levin]

i'm in the same situation... i use max and i really have to learn maya fast... maybe some tips from any of you guys who used max before? some concept differences, workflow differences....

something like what is the counterpart of the stack? are morph targets done the same way? layers?!! whatare those?... and others...

its better to delve into a new world if you talk to someone whose been there.

thanks in advance.

[AroundTheFur]

Im a long time max user that had to switch to maya, and i must say that im not very happy with maya. but because i still have to use it, i do. I think the best way to learn how to do things it to just spend a few hours playing around. go through all the menus, executing commands. the little ouput box at the bottom will turn red and tell you what objects you need to complete the operation. you are going to find a lot of workflow differences, often i find myself spending 10 minutes doing something that would take 10 seconds in max. hopefully it will get better. good luck :p

[playmesumch00ns]

migrating from Max to Maya takes time. Although cosmetically they may appear similar at first (when compared to XSI or sumthin), there are very big differences under the surface. Best way to learn is just to do the tutorials in the manuals, but actually think about what's going on, don't just push buttons.
Also, spend a LOT of time in the Hypergraph - this is the core of Maya, and understanding it will help you understand how Maya works. Good luck!

[DrGroove]

Thanks for all the tips and stuff.

I actually laid my hands on a unlimited bock package for Maya 2.5 guess it can’t be that different from 4.5 or?

Anyway I’m glad for the tips and I will try to make some thing out of it :)
Hope I post some art in the future.

//the English might not bi the best but I can barley spell in Swedish :)

[Jozvex]

Yeah I switched from Max 4 to Maya 4 at the beggining of the year (already half knew Max, then did a 1 year Max course last year, now doing a 1 year Maya course this year) and at first I thought everything was really strange and technical.

But now a year on I love Maya way more than I ever 'loved' Max. (hehe sounds like a line from Bold and the Beautiful).

Once you grasp most of Maya's concepts you should realise the shear power and potential that it has.

And now with Maya 4.5 and Mental Ray for Maya, it's unstoppable!

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