Lesson 01 Primitives

Creating a New Project

Launch Maya
Create project
- – FILE > Project > Set
- – CLICK [Use Defaults] to populate default fields
- – CLICK [Accept]

Build the Environment

Change the menu sets.
- – Five menu sets: Animation, Polygons, Surfaces, Dynamics
- – Choose [Polygons]
Create a polygonal plane
- – Disable “Interactive Creation”. CREATE > Polygon Primitives > Interactive Creation > [uncheck]
- – CREATE > Polygon Primitives > Plane
Change the plane’s dimensions
- – CHANNEL BOX WINDOW
  - Width: 100
  - Height: 100
Rename the plane node
- – Click on the pPlane1 at the top of the Channel Box Window
- – Rename to “ground”
Create the sky
- – Disable the interactive creation for NURBS Primitives
- – CREATE > NURBS Primitives > Interactive Creation
- – Create a NURBS Sphere. CREATE > NURBS Primitives > Sphere
Modify the sphere
- CHANNEL BOX WINDOW
  - Scale X: 50
  - Scale Y: 50
  - Scale Z: 50
  – CLICK the makeNurbSphere1 input node in the CHANNEL BOX
  
  – CHANNEL BOX > INPUT NODE
  - End Sweep: 180
  - Sections: 4
Rotate the sphere
– Select the pShere1
– CHANNEL BOX WINDOW
- Rotate X: -90
- Rotate Y: -90

Viewing The Scene

Edit the Perspective View
- – Alter your perspective scene to the following.
Four View Panels
- – Change you stage setup to see other views on your stage
- – On the top of your view panel select
  - VIEW PANEL || Panels > Saved Layouts > Four View
    Four View
Edit the View in the Side Menu
- – reposition all the views to the following:
- *shortcut:
  - Reposition all panels objects into view: SHFT + F or SHFT + A
  - Reposition panel objects into view whichever panel mouse is over: A or F

Setting Display Options

Turn On Hardware Shading
- – Stage || Shading > Smooth Shade All or [ 5 ]
- smooth shade
Hide The Grid
- – Stage || Show > Grid or MAIN MENU || Display > Grid

Moving Inside The Environment

Change the view so you see inside an object and hide the outside view from camera even though the camera is outside the object.

Change The Sky’s Display
- – Select the skydome
- – Display your Attribute Editor
  - MAIN MENU || Window > Attribute Editor or CTRL + A
- – Expand the Render Stats
  - Controls how models are displayed in viewports and render time
- – Disable the Double Sidedattribute
  - Tells Maya to hide the geometry facing the camera
- – Enable Oppositeattribute
  - Tells Maya you want the geometry to be displayed inside out.

Create Rocks

Create a NURBS Sphere
- – Display the Hotboxto create a NURBS sphere
  - Hotbox: SPACEBAR (over viewport) || Create > NURBS Primitive > Sphere
Rename The Sphere
- – Rename pSphere1 node’s name at the top of the Channel Box to rock
Position the Rock
- – Select the rock at switch to the Move Tool: w
- – Move the rock so the bottom is flush with the ground plane
Reposition The Rock
A 3D scene is always facing the Z-axis
- – Position the rock in the background of the scene
Transform The Rock
- – Select the Scale Tool: R or CLICK on the Tool on the LEFT of the viewport
- – Use other manipulators to make the sphere to look like a rock
  - Select: Q
  - Move: W
  - Rotate: E
  - Scale: R
Change the Shape of the Rock
- – With rock selected, switch to Component Mode
  - CLICK on the Component Tool on the Status Line
    Status Line Component Mode
- Polygon points are called Vertex / Vertices.
- NURBS points are called Control Vertices / CVs.
- – Manipulate the CVs. Move, rotate, scale to the shape of a rock.
- – Switch to Object Mode
  object mode
  - Object Mode / Component Mode (toggle): F8
Make More Rocks
- Select the rockand duplicate.
  - MAIN MENU || Edit > Duplicate or CTRL + D
- – Create a stack of rocks in the back of the environment.
- – Hide objects: MAIN MENU || Display > Hide > Hide Selection
- – Show Last Hidden: MAIN MENU || Display > Show > Show Last Hidden
- – Show All: MAIN MENU || Display > Show > All
Move the Rocks
- – Select all your rocks, SHFT + CLICK
- – Group them together: CTRL + G
Adjust NURBS smoothness
- – Select object and choose from one of the following.
  - MAIN MENU || Display > NURBS > Select One
    - – Hull:
    - – Rough: 1
    - – Medium: 2
    - – Fine: 3
    - – Custom NURBS Smoothness:
Save
- – Save file as .ma

Building The House

Making Planks
- – Create a polygonal Cube an scale it so it looks like a plank.
- – Rename the cube plank
- – Duplicate polygon and spread across axis
  - MAIN MENU || Edit > Duplicate Special []
    - – Number of Copies: 10
    - – Set appropriate translate value to 1.5 leave others to 0. Values represent the percentage of the object being copied. ex. 1 is 100% and objects will be side by side.
Tweak The Shape of the Wall
- – Select the planks
- – Switch to Component Mode
- – Change the shape of the wall to look like the following:
Build the Rooftop
- – Create a cone
  - MAIN MENU || Create > Polygon Primitives > Cone
- – Select the cone’s Inputsin the Channel Box and set the following:
  - Radius: 0.5
  - Height: 15
  - Subdivisions Axis: 5
  - Subdivisions Height: 3
  - Subdivisions Cap: 0
- – Move the cone to the back of the house and rotate it as follows.
- – Rename cone to roofBranch
- – Edit the vertices to get a branch like shape.
- – Duplicate roofBranches and move to match the following:
Build the Roof Cover
- – Create a plane
  - MAIN MENU || Create > Polygon Primitives > Plane
- – Change the plane’s inputs in the Channel Box
  - Subdivisions Width: 10
  - Subdivisions Height: 10
- – Go into Component Mode and tweak the shape of the plane to the following:
- – Rename plane to roof
Build the chimney Tree Trunk
- – Create a cone
  - MAIN MENU || Create > Polygon Primitives > Cone
- – Change the cone’s inputs in the Channel Box
  - Radius: 4
  - Height: 30
  - Subdivision Axis: 10
  - Subdivision Height: 10
  - Subdivision Cap: 0
- – Move pCone1 towards the back of the house so it stands.
- – Switch to Component Mode
- – Tweak the shape to match the following:
- – Rename the cone to chimney.
Save