This tutorial is also representing same technique of animation but still it is little bit different from traditional animation process. 3D animation is one of the most prominent feature of Maya main menu. Here you can animate still image using Maya tools and technique. Maya animation is also very helpful in engineering and graphical designing and it provides you fastest combination of motion sources. Any how here we are discussing about motion path in Maya, it is commonly used feature of Maya. The motion path requires some specific trail on which the body or object move with simple animation tricks. Therefore it is provided path of CV curve and it doesn’t matter how the path is. Then you have to just animate your object along the shape of path.
Besides CV curve, you can also use EP curve tool, pencil tool and Arc tool to create path for your animation. When we are required to animate the object, first we select the object and then path, after this go to animation main menu and choose motion path in sub menu and choose Attach to motion path. That’s it, now you will see the object moving along the shape of path.You can use same technique for other kind of animation and can work along with motion path according to your idea.

This tutorial allows you to learn how to adjust and use Maya animation tools and commands in Maya. In this tutorial, you will see how you can produce animation into still image and simple character. This 3d animation tutorial is totally about basics of animation for learners. You can edit any film scene or 3D movie using Maya tools any commands and then perform it again in Maya. Here you are introduced by Maya tools and commands which make to ease and convenient in using Maya animation. Almost nearly all the setting in animation menu is default at first but you can adjust it according to your scene setting. So don’t forget to reset the default setting at first before performing any job in Maya. At first 3Ds max was considered as the most appropriate software application for video game developing and visual effects in movies. Later on, Maya also got same techniques and being used for same purpose of production modeling in industry.

So it is recommended to the users to adjust the animation level from preference setting for 3D animation. When we are required to animate any object, first we choose it from shelf menu and then adjust its position where we want to keep it after the changing in key frames. Do the same at different key frame application and finally play the animation. The final result will show you about perfect animation with simple tools and commands of Maya.

This free tutorial will brief you about some basic concept of animatin in Maya. Moreover here we shall discuss about animation menu, preference and key frame setting. Maya contains variety of effects for animation and it offers you to create modeling of character and then prepare for animation by using traditional method of animation. There are various tutorial here on this site about animation.You can get help from these tutorials. The technique is quite comprehensive therefore everyone understands it easily. You also need of just one time and then you can perform it yourself afterward. The preference setting deals as control room for animation where you can do setting for your scene animation.

This is general way of animation through key frame setting besides them, there are various ways of animation,such as key frame setting, motion path animation, set driven key and so on. When you are at primary stage of learning, you are taught about simple animation techniques of key frame setting. It is quite easy to use, you have to just position your character or object and then assign key frame for it. The key frame setting can be handled by putting the values for initial and ending stage. Once you have assigned the key frames, then you can watch you applied animation by playing with radio button system in the straight way of key frame application. The rest of animation procedure will be discussed in next parts.

This Free Video Tutorial is describing here the concept of Frames per Second in Maya Animation. Fps or frames per Seconds is an old term in the world of animation and videos. The single image is just a still image in it while the collection of image allows you to study about detail of these images but when we see a series of images in some particular time which should be at least a few shorts of the same image but with little changes, we find them in motion. This illusion made possible the world of movies in human life.
All the animation software works similar and has nearly similar commands. In an animation within Maya we indicate the frames number and we set their ratio with time. 24 frames per second is globally used number of frames for real world animations, that’s why it’s called real time. When we decrease the time from 24 frames per second to any other ratio, animation runs slowly, and when we increase the number of frames in a second, animation runs faster. We multiply frames with seconds at the rate of 24 frames per second thus we get the total length of our animation in frame numbers. For example if we need an animation of 10 seconds we need to multiply 24 frames with 10 seconds, we get the number of 240 frames at the rate of 24 frames per second. The video tutorial link is given below which open into new window. If you notice the video carefully, the plane is moving on specific way with limited key frames. For more detail, help out from this video tutorial and learn more about Maya modeling and animation.

Welcome to all Maya 2011 users and learners especially the beginners of 3 d modeling and animation software Maya 2011 because this lesson is for the beginners of the Maya 2011. Today you are going to learn about directional light, ‘what are the directional lights and how to use them.
Directional light of the 3d animation and 3d modeling software are the light in specific direction like the sun. Directioanl light through light on image from one side and cast shadow on the other side like sun. Maya attributes enable user to control the intensity of the light or any of the effects of the light like shade, shade color, shade direction etc.
This video is very important, easy and comprehensive 3d modeling lesson about the directional light in 3d modelinga and animation program’s new edition Maya 2011. we hope that you will enjoy it.

Use of Set key

File > New Scene (option)
Change the values of timeline settings  to 100 fps.

By default there are 24 fps. It means animation will play for one second.  If we want to find out how the time frame of animation . We will divide  number of assigned frames by 24 . For example we will divide  100fps /24fps =4.16 . It means animation will play for 4.16 seconds.

How to  animate the object ?

Object is animated by using set key.

Create an object.

Select the object.

Choose the value on the time slider.

Go to animate —– set key.

Repeat this few times but change the frame values  all the time.

Use of  Set Driven Key

 When we want to move  two objects together then set driven key is used . Change the names in channel box.

For example we will take example of ball and door.

Create a ball and door with the  help of Polygon sphere  and Polygon Cube.

Click  F5 to bring it to shaded mode.

Use scale tool on sphere and rotate tool on cube.

Go to Animate — Set driven key ——set

Pop up box will open . you will see two things driver and driven.  Driver should  be on top and driven should be at the bottom .

Select the object sphere and click on the load driver .

Select  cube now and use rotate tool to bend it inwards .

Select Z axis of sphere and X axis of cube .

Click on key.

Repeat the same process couple of times at different angels. The ball should pass from the door.

The Trax Editor lets you position, scale, and mix animation sequence known as clips. You create a clip by selecting a menu item that extracts a span of animation from an animated character, for instance a walk cycle.

Once created, a clip is like a time-independent unit of animation that you can edit as required.

You can create a clip from keyed animation, including motion capture data. The most commonly used clip is reusable spans of animation that are easy to sequence or blend with other clips.

The ability to change the series of clip is a prime feature of the Trax Editor. For example, suppose you create three clips: a karate punch, tumble, and kick. You can run the clip in any order, for example, tumble, punch, and kick, and you can repeat clip or blend the motion between them.

Because it’s easy to alter to alter the start time of clip, they’re useful for synchronizing the relations between objects. For example, suppose you animate a car narrowly escaping collision with a train. If you create a clip for the train’s animation and another for the car’s animation, you can change the speed of either without worrying about ruining the timing of the near clash. You simply move either clip to a different position in the timeline.

Maya is considered best software for animation. But it is more and more complicated in itself with the using. Usually the beginner and non trained users make a project without any care of its vertices or axes. For this purpose graph editor help you. You can say that graph editor is backbone of Maya. Without it you can not make true image actually.

Graph editor is equal partner in your task. It shows your project graphically at every stage. The best thing is its curve display with different colour.

When we set a key in key frame it shows its changing. You can rotate scale and translate the object on your choice using move rotate scale tools. When you are working on any project you can see it in 4 view prospective, top, side and front also.

Its shows every movement of curve if you applies any key. It works as remote control in your hand and you are using it as you want. It guides us to set a key at proper place. When you want any change in your project than you can click on that specific curve and bend it as much you want. When you click, it turns into white color and with the help of tangents we can translate rotate or scale it well.

It is easy to use and animate any thing in Maya without care of graph editor. But it is very difficult to create a project with respect to graph editor, and it is important too. When we animate anything we care of two axes i.e. X-axis and Y-axis. If we have to move the thing towards we use X-axis and to move the thing upwards we use Y- axis. Now we only shall explain only that two axis. Z-axis is besides this.

Now we come to the point. And our question is “How to bounce any thing using graph editor”
Take an example of volleyball ground. When someone hit it from his side it touches the ground in his side then after crossing the net and touching the ground it reaches to the other team side.
Now if we have to show that case in Maya, we use only two axes X and Y-axis. While hitting the ball its touches the ground, when it touches the ground set a key there using X-axis. Now when it bounces and cross the net we use Y-axis and set a key there. Then again on other sides same matter as in first stage. This is normal process. Now we see whether our process is correct according to graph editor. Simple go to menu bar then to window option and there in animate editor and graph editor. Graph editor is based on totally graphs. In Cartesian plane both axes are two sides positive and negative when it is positive it means that object is bouncing up and when it negative side it mean that is touching the ground. Similarly when X-axis is positive it means it is moving forward and when it is negative it will move back ward. It is big opportunity of graph editor that it tells before hand thus where is mistake. We should take great care of both axes. If a curve moves little forward or backward the movement will be totally changed

The red color line is showing x-axis. It is going upward that means its horizontal movement that is going in linear way.

This green line shows Y-axis. Seeing this graph we come to know that the curve is first touch the line then it move upward side. Similarly the ball first touch the ground then after crossing a fence it tips on other side as well. And if we take a change little bit in this graph the movement will absolutely change.

This Free Video Tutorial will explain How to Play-Blast an animation in Maya?
Play blast in Maya’s Animation Feature works like the Make Preview command of 3D Studio Max. Play blast is actually a short cut to check the time and frames speed of your animation before creating the final animation. If you understand the Play blast you can make a Movie on Maya’s animation within seconds. It takes no time to render because Play blast doesn’t use the render nodes and attributes. Therefore we can assign render settings to Play blast whenever we need. For creating a Play blast, simply right click anywhere in time slider and from the resulting menu choose Play blast, that’s it. Play blast will start to make preview for your instant video, and after a very few seconds you will automatically see an AVI file in Media Player. Actually Play blast is a facility to check instant preview of your animation. In this way you can confirm the timings and frames of your animation which you probably have set for your animation.