Introducing Autodesk Maya 2015: Autodesk Official Press 1st Edition

Switching over from Lightwave 3d to Autodesk Maya was proving to be a daunting task at best...but I'm over halfway through this introductory book and I'm already setting up projects, scenes, animating, modeling, and texturing without any issues.I know one review here is recommending the video over the book but after having gone halfway through this book and also having the video mentioned...uh, need I use the cliche, "the book was better"?This program is so in depth and can do so much, don't do yourself the injustice of thinking you're going to get everything out of a single video (or book for that matter).And, for what it's worth, this is one of those times that the Kindle version of a book doesn't appear to have any issues, so far so good.Update: Having completed this book, I can say... Definitely one of the best ways to get started with Maya 2015. I'm already modeling, rigging, texturing, and animating and now know what specific areas I need to focus on to move forward. Highly recommend this book. NOTE that I used the Kindle version.

I bought this to give to a 9th grade student working on an animation competition. It seems to have given this newbie all he needed to get started. The chapters guided him through making a solar system step by step. The other chapters continue in that fashion teaching new content step by step.He doesn't get stuck or confused when using the book so I can spend time helping him think of his entry for the competition

Solid book... my 1st venture into Maya. Learned a lot but stopped at animation, not looking to get into that part.Problem is that the 3 models you ummm model are very easy and not organic.. no modeling anything human or animal.Good chapters on understanding shaders and lighting. Good book on getting started for sure.

Book arrived quickly! Couple of minor blemishes on the cover but nothing on the pages.

not good. unclear...

It's at least clear and concise, but it's worthless if you're just trying to solve a problem. The book is a specific series of projects designed to teach you a random bundle of skills with each lesson, so if you have the time to spend doing exactly that (and figure it's a couple hours, at least, per lesson) and you want to teach yourself to use Maya, it will do the job and you won't pull your hair out in the process. And that's saying something, because the infamous learning curve is infamous FOR A REASON.But if you're looking for a well-laid out reference book you can turn to in the course of your own projects, this isn't it. I'm still looking for a good one...

very easy to understand, and if you have doubts the author actually answers you in the facebook page of the book!!! totally recomend it!!!!

I thought about requiring this book for my students, but glad I spent the $30 to save them the money. For total beginners (which my students generally are), this book is not well designed. In the first section of Chapter 2 on navigation, the author describes selecting and deselecting objects... but has not yet presented how to create said objects. I haven't gotten to much further, I admit, but this minor oversight could lead to a beginner's major headache.So far, Lance Flavell's 'Beginning Blender' has one of the best introductory texts for students new to 3D modeling; it builds skills and information in a logical well-paced way, balancing difficult challenges with easier ones. I really with the 'Introducing Autodesk Maya' series where the equivalent of Flavell's book for Blender.I'll keep going through it and hopefully I can revise this review later, but so far, this book is really best for someone already at least a little familiar with 3D software.

Must have for extra knowledge, and looking up information quickly

Maya is an amazing bit of software and this book is easing me into the workings of this amazing software in a really smooth and easy way. I'm not an absolute beginner in 3d but even if I was this book would be a perfect intro to a very large and detailed bit of software. Patrick Lloyd Simon. London UK

Ich bin eigentlich ein Blender-Benutzer, habe aber entschieden auch den Umgang mit Autodesk Maya zu lernen und habe mir deswegen dieses Buch geholt. Vom Inhalt her hat es 5 Sterne verdient. Der Autor schreibt sehr verständlich und man bearbeitet interessante Projekte und lernt dabei auch ziemlich schnell, selbst einer wie ich, der die Blender-Interface und Shortcuts gewohnt ist. Mittlerweile bin ich auch schon im Umgang mit Maya ziemlich komfortabel, auch wenn ich noch viel zu lernen habe. Der einzige Grund weshalb das Buch 4 Sterne und nicht 5 bekommt, sind die Bilder, die in Schwarz-Weiß gedruckt wurden, was oft ziemlich nervig ist. Dennoch finde ich das dieses Buch perfekt für Einsteiger oder Software-Wechsler ist und empfehle es jedem, der etwas dazulernen will, weiter. Aber noch ein persönlicher Tipp: Bücher sind gut für den Anfang, aber richtig gut wird man mit so einer Software erst wenn man anfängt eigene Projekte zu machen. Also bloß nicht Tutorial abhängig werden, sondern einfach mal mit der Software rumspielen, dadurch bekommt man die besten Erfahrungen und nebenbei macht das einfach nur Spaß :)

Per chi se lo chiedesse, il libro è stampato in bianco e nero.E' perfetto per chi come me sta iniziando ad imparare questo prodotto, in quanto ogni passaggio ed esempio viene descritto in maniera perfetta e di facile comprensione.Per adesso mi sto trovando molto bene e lo consiglio vivamente.

Decent book