Looking for a teacher of sorts... - Page 3 - Simply Maya User Community

# 31 30-06-2008 , 07:08 AM

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It's been said already, but you really need to work through Maya's built in tutorials first. You can do it in a few days and by the end you'll have a rough idea of where everything is (which will help when you read a tutorial based on a different version - you'll have learnt where to look) and have some experience of all the main modelling tools.

cheers

gubar

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# 32 30-06-2008 , 12:21 PM

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i strain my eyes a lot while reading sadly.. but i can do my best

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# 33 30-06-2008 , 01:22 PM

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Ive been keeping an eye on this post (mod) I'm glad to hear you wont be putting any of our videos on you tube. Jeez imagine the power I could unleash in a single keystroke LOL

Okay well I think you have enough info here on how to get started in maya. Books, maya help and asking around the site.

What I suggest you do is now just take the plunge no matter how frustrating things get and just build something, even if you consider it crappy. At the end of the day its how you go about finding things out for yourself as well...so come on dude, stop the complaining your eyes hurt if you read a manual and get some polys together and into the WiP section of the site!

Jay

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# 34 30-06-2008 , 03:10 PM

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Originally posted by Christen20
i strain my eyes a lot while reading sadly.. but i can do my best

Originally Posted by

Get glasses, optimize your monitors refresh rates and/or make your fonts larger because if you're having issues reading tuts then I don't know how you're going to actually spend time working in Maya.

- Genny
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# 35 30-06-2008 , 05:05 PM

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Originally posted by GecT
Get glasses, optimize your monitors refresh rates and/or make your fonts larger because if you're having issues reading tuts then I don't know how you're going to actually spend time working in Maya.

Originally Posted by

also don't sit so close to the monitor and keep your eyes moving, and take breaks, and look outside where natural light is...

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# 36 30-06-2008 , 05:07 PM

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I remember back when Maya was Power Animator, and we had to (gasp) read the 6+ physical manuals user added image

Talk about papercuts user added image

...lets put aside the fact that we had to pay $10,000 u.s. for Maya as well back then.

Thats how we old-timers learned back then.
By teaching ourselves.
We would just literally mess around until something broke, or didn't work the way we wanted, then we would read the help to learn how to fix it and not make the same mistake again user added image

Then in 1999 we were able to take Siggraph Maya Master Classes (no longer Power Animator as of 98'), we would read the Physical manuals, buy books (rare then), magazines, and if we were lucky, vhs tapes from Alias|Wavefront themselves lol.

If you were REALLY lucky, and the post house you worked for could afford it, your local VAR (hardware/software dealer) would setup training sessions.

Then around 1999-2000 the internet as we know it began to mature to the point of being able to download (but not stream!) small videos from folks who would charge as little as $50 u.s. per month for it, such as Alex from Gnomon.
(This was before Gnomon Online, etc.)

At the time, other than Alex at Gnomon and a few other freelancers or VAR's, there weren't any "schools" you could go to for an education specifically to learn Maya.
It was simply far too expensive then.

Now, with the advent of educational price points for software, non-accredited schools can just worry about simple hardware cost.

The rest is history user added image

PS: The following is just a general note to ANYONE getting into this business, not you personally Christen20:

So the point is, in the very very beginning, if you do NOT even have the patience to simply hit F1 and read the help and/or learn as much as you can on your own until your head hurts, and you gain 30-60lbs from doing nothing but sitting at your machine day and night for years on end learning and learning...

....because you WANT to, not because you HAVE to...

...then my friends, seriously, this is just not the industry for you.

It may sound insanely harsh, and in some respects it is, but keep in mind, there WILL ALWAYS be someone willing to do your work for HALF the price.

...and sadly the studios LOVE cheap work.
(for examples see every movie you thought had crappy cg/vfx in the last 10 yrs)

So, not to sound too much like a disgruntled old man, but if you can survive that, (including a few deaths and a divorce or 2) this industry should be a piece of cake for you user added image

Good luck!

PSS: Don't take me too serious, otherwise I'll beat you with my cane you whippersnappers! hehe...

Israel "Izzy" Long
Motion and Title Design for Broadcast-Film-DS
izzylong.com

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# 37 30-06-2008 , 05:18 PM

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Well said :bow:

Originally posted by ragecgi
PSS: Don't take me too serious, otherwise I'll beat you with my cane you whippersnappers! hehe...

Originally Posted by

or run us down with your mobility scooter! :p

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# 38 30-06-2008 , 06:10 PM

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ROFL nice touch.

- Genny
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::|| My Maya FAQ ||::

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# 39 30-06-2008 , 06:12 PM

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Give me a job I can do that ...

Chris (formerly R@nSiD)
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3rd Place SM SteamPunk Challenge (May 2007)

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# 40 30-06-2008 , 08:48 PM

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hehe

Israel "Izzy" Long
Motion and Title Design for Broadcast-Film-DS
izzylong.com

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# 41 30-06-2008 , 11:39 PM

Lead Modeler - Framestore
Join Date: Feb 2003

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I remember back when Maya was Power Animator, and we had to (gasp) read the 6+ physical manuals

Originally Posted by

haha I remember those days too!! the manuals were much better in the day (puffs on his pipe)

Jay

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# 42 01-07-2008 , 08:06 AM

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hehe

Yeah, every time I would cut myself on the pages, It would remind me of that movie "Swimming with Sharks" where the kid would tourture Kevin Spacy's character with a hundred papercuts, lol...

Israel "Izzy" Long
Motion and Title Design for Broadcast-Film-DS
izzylong.com

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