Chapter i. Introduction

Welcome to Maya 7 for Windows & Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide.

Maya ^®is a high-end 3D graphics program. It's widely used in the film and game industries to produce many of the CG movies, special effects, games, and commercials you see daily. From characters to critters to cars, Maya provides a full toolset for each step of your project. Whether your aims are personal or professional, realistic or stylized, Maya's depth can help you bring your vision to life.

Maya has long been the industry standard software for both film and television at studios worldwide. Its myriad toolsets, powerful scripting language, and plentiful rendering options make it a good option for a variety of tasks. Recently, this flexibility, as well as improvements to the polygonal modeling tools, have made Maya the software package of choice for much of the game industry as well.

This book introduces you to Maya's interface and features. You'll soon realize, though, that Maya has enough depth to keep you learning for years. This book covers the different fields in Maya, giving you the concepts and functionality that you'll need on your way to becoming a Maya guru.