I've wanted to learn for a LONG time and now I want to learn more than ever but I am not sure exactly where to begin. I am using a student edition of Maya 8.5 and have messed with it enough to know how to make, scale, distort and skin basic 3-D shapes but I have no idea how to ever get started with the interface and move into modeling. Can someone give me an idea of the information I should research in order from complete noob to caharacter rigging?

Thanks
Sanctus