In today’s competitive entertainment market, animated movies and video games succeed or fail based on the quality of the characters and graphics. Artists and designer who use state-of-the-art software like Maya are better able to achieve this quality, so it is imperative that they master these tools. "Maya Feature Creature Creations, Second Edition", teaches 3D artists and modeler how to master Maya for quality productions, by providing an easy-to-follow process for building commercial-quality,anatomy -based CG characters.In this new edition, a variety of new characters are covered using up-to-date techniques and technology, and other major improvements include coverage of how to use Maya Cloth to produce skin, new muscle deformations techniques, and two new characters to build from start-to-finish. Currently, no other book on the market addresses the methods incorporated here. Upon completing this book, artists will have the skills and techniques needed to create their own fantastic, Hollywood-style creatures and characters.

Discover how to build commercial-quality, anatomy-based CG characters using Maya with "Maya Feature Creature Creations, Second Edition." In today’s competitive entertainment market, animated movies and video games require superior graphics and realistic characters, making it imperative that 3D artists and designers master state-of-the-art software like Maya. With this book, you will learn all of the steps required to create a character, from concept to completion. Using step-by-step instructions and explanations, the book lays out a method for building anatomy-based, photo-realistic computer-generated characters with physicsdriven skin. The most up-to-date techniques and technology are presented, including how to create skin and muscle deformations, and how to rig your character without binding tools. You will also gain an understanding of how to work within a high-resolution pipeline. Insight and advice from a professional animator will help you troubleshoot along the way. "Maya Feature Creature Creations, Second Edition" provides you with all the skills and techniques needed to create your own fantastic, Hollywood-style creatures and characters.

Almost there

This book was very well written and informative and it goes through the steps in an easy to understand manner. The only thing keeping me from giving that 5th star is that it only covers the technique for the arm. I wish it would have gone into more complex areas such as the chest, shoulders and torso. I think less time could have been spent on mapping the character (although useful) and spent on other areas of the character. It also neglects to mention what you would do if you wanted to have a facial rig. All in all you’ll be able to make a sweet, dynamic arm but may have troubles implementing this technique on an entire character.