Introduction to Maya 2023: Volume 3

In the third and final volume of Eric Keller’s Introduction to Maya 2023, you’ll learn all the fundamental concepts of shading, lighting, cameras, and rendering, focusing on using the Arnold render plug-in and associated interfaces. This introductory series gives a comprehensive overview of the Maya interfaces you'll work with to shade, light, and render your scenes.

In the finale of this beginner-level Introduction to Maya series, Eric demonstrates the different types of lights available, how to set up rendering cameras, and how to use the render preview windows to fine-tune your images. Eric details how to work with the Hypershade interface; how to create render nodes, such as file textures, and how to connect them to your materials; how to create Standard shaders; and how to create and apply material presets.

The detailed instructional videos also show the process for setting up AOVs, render layers, and how to work with UDIMs when applying file textures to models. You'll learn how to work with file references and alembic caches, as well as how to use references and MASH networks together when setting up environments. You'll also learn how to set up a batch render to create an image sequence of your scenes using the Arnold plug-in.

This third volume concludes with an overview of using the Game Exporter interface to export models and animation clips from Maya into Unreal Engine 5. Example files for all chapters are available to download as Project Files with this workshop.

The goal is to get you up and running quickly, so you know where to find the tools you need and how to use them. By building a foundation and giving yourself a roadmap, you can then go on to explore some of the more in-depth and advanced series available on rendering in Maya with Arnold available at The Gnomon Workshop.

Watch Introduction to Maya 2023: Volume 1
Watch Introduction to Maya 2023: Volume 2