Maya studio projects - Michael McKinley

Vehicles, weapons, tools, buildings, trees, and other elements are all as essential to bringing a game to vivid life as are the characters. This detailed guide shows you step by step how to create a variety of today's hottest game environments and props using Maya's powerful tools.

You'll start from scratch
the way studio professionals do
and create fully renderable game assets in a series of projects that increase in complexity as you go. Master modeling while you fashion an ivy vine and a tree. Learn more complex UV and texture mapping techniques as you design a revolver. Draw on all your skills and create a cool sci–fi gizmo that glows. It's all here and more in this practical, in–depth guide.

• Learn pro techniques for modeling, UV mapping, textures, rigging, and animation




• Use polygons, opacity maps, and a lattice to create an exotic tree




• Design a dune buggy with shock absorbers, a spoiler, and an engine with gears




• Create and animate a Western–style revolver that looks great, even in close–ups




• Add level of detail (LOD) with mipmapping, multiple UV channels, collision meshes, and more




• Find valuable advice for life on the job, such as how to take direction and criticism

Use modular techniques to create highly detailed environments

Learn all types of video game textures including diffuse maps, normal maps, and emissive maps

Build vehicles, weapons, foliage, and other such environment necessities from scratch

VALUABLE COMPANION DVD
The DVD includes all the project files, movies, and bonus resources mentioned in the book.

(You must have Maya 2010 or Maya 2009 Unlimited to use the files on the DVD.)