The most complex task in animation is the animation itself. Adding the fourth dimension of time takes the art form to a state where it's hard to make a single sketch or form a single thought to plan your animated idea. Animation requires a new kind of thinking ”about motion, timing, and smoothness for a given action. It's probably where Maya most excels as a 3D tool, and in this book, unfortunately we have space to introduce you to only the fundamental aspects of animation. Displaying several still images in sequence is what gives the illusion of motion. And just as you have been able to render still images in past chapters, you can render multiple images in sequence with the computer set to change one or more values as each image in the sequence is rendered. When we speak of animation, there's more to animate than simple movement. Virtually anything in Maya with a number attached can be animated. Oceans can turn to wood, gravity can be inverted, and objects can tie themselves into knots. A lot of possibilities ”and, therefore, a lot of complexity. We'll break down the basics of setting up, evaluating, and editing an animation, including:
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