Complete 3D Animation Masterclass: Create Animated Shorts

In this lecture we will take a sneak peak at our 1st project of the course, the Primitive Geometry Forest! 

In this lecture we will overview Maya's basic UI.

In this lecture we will explore 3D space and get comfortable navigating it.

In this lecture we will overview the transform tools, allowing us to move objects in 3D space.

In this lecture we will overview the different Maya Scene file types and how to save them.

In this lecture we will take a look at what Maya Project folders are and how to set them up.

In this lecture we will look at different movement spaces in 3D, focusing on the difference between "Object Space" and "World Space".

In this lecture we will look at how we can use multiple geometric primitives to create a more complex looking 3D model.

In this lecture we will introduce groups for project organization and management.

In this lecture we will go over material basics.

In this lecture we will use primitive modeling to construct an entire geometric forest!

In this lecture you will learn to lock a camera's position and rotation for precise scene composition.

In this lecture we will take a look at the basics lights in Maya and how we can create a beautiful day time lighting set up.

In this lecture we will introduce the concept of Rendering and produce our 1st sharable image out of Maya!

In this lecture we will overview the Ball Project we will be making in this section of the course.

In this lecture we will discuss the 3D pipeline.

In this lecture we will take our 1st steps into Photoshop and do a practice exercise before we combine it with Maya.

In this lecture we will create a Maya Project folder for the Ball Project.

In this lecture we will take our 1st look at texturing in 3D utilizing Maya and Photoshop.

In this lecture we will explore the concept of artificial surface relief by creating bump maps.

In this lecture we will look at the specular channel and how to create a specular map.

In this lecture we will look at how we can control gloss using Eccentricity maps.

In this lecture we will go over the basics of Animating in Maya, setting our 1st key frames of the course! 

In this lecture we will go over the most basic rigging concepts, pivots and hierarchies.

In this lecture we dive deeper into rigging, exploring how to create custom attributes and give them functionality with Set Driven Keys.

In this lecture we will look at how we can use Display Layers to manage our Rigs.

In this lecture we will look at References in Maya and conduct a test animation of our rig.

In this lecture we will explore the Animation Graph Editor.

In this lecture we will go over the 12-principles of animation.

In this lecture we will go over how to set up our Animation Shot.

In this section we will implement the pose to pose method of animating by setting our extremes and key frames.

In this lecture we will look at adding breakdowns to our ball, giving it squash and stretch.

In this lecture we will refine our animation curves for a smooth, polished Animation.

In this lecture we will create a test playblast to make sure our Animation looks correct when played back in real time.

In this section we will look at how to Render and image sequence that we can then turn into a video in After Effects.

In this lecture we take our 1st steps into After Effects and get our project set up for post processing.

In this lecture we explore how to source and work with Audio in After Effects.

In this section we produce our first animated video!

In this lecture we will overview the Robot Project and preview what we will be learning and aiming to achieve.

In this lecture, you'll learn to set up a project folder and create subdirectories for better organization, simulating larger production projects.

In this lecture we will go over modeling a simple robot character utilizing geometric primitives.

In this lecture we will discuss how to best prepare a 3D model to passed on to the rigging stage.

In this lecture we will take our 1st look at the Arnold Render and get acquainted with how it operates.

In this lecture we will explore Arnold lights and discuss renderer specific lights.

In this lecture we will discuss PBR Materials and look at the options we have to use them in Maya.

In this lecture we will go over how to improve Arnold's render quality, removing grain, and smoothing pixels.

In this section we will take out UVing skills to the next level by laying out multiple UVs into a single UV square.

In this lecture, create a reference board to draw inspiration from the real world and ensure our work aligns with it.

In this lecture we will review exporting UVs from Maya and adding a base color pass to the character in this lecture.

In this lecture we will learn what metalness maps are and create one for our character.

In this lecture we will learn what roughness maps are and create one for our character.

In this lecture we will take our color to the next level by adding story to it through wear, tear, and grunge.

In this lecture we will discuss texture clamping, what it is, and how to turn it on or off, as well as continue adjusting the character's texture set.

In this lecture we will explore how we can integrate the grunge details better across our textures.

In this lecture we will revisit bump maps to add artificial relief detail to our character.

In this lecture we will discuss normal maps and explore how we can convert our bump map to a normal map.

In this lecture we will discuss emission maps and create one for the Robot's eyes.

In this lecture we will over view turn tables and how to set them up quickly in Maya.

In his lecture we will learn to render image sequences in Arnold as we create a stunning Turn Table animation in this lecture.

In this lecture you will learn to prepare your modeling files for further stages of the pipeline in this section.

In this lecture we will explore transmissive textures and how to make basic geometry shine like a diamond!

In this lecture we will explore how to edit a photo into a tileable texture to quickly texture our ground.

In this lecture we will bring in the various elements of our shot and stage our composition to a shot cam.

In this section we will explore polygon components and how we can manipulate them to change the shape of the object.

In this lecture we will look at the Soft Select feature in Maya and how we can use it to sculpt our ground plane into terrain.

In this lecture we will look at techniques to optimize the detail of our set, biasing detail to the front of the set, while removing sections the camera does not see.

In this section we will explore how we can set up Hierarchies for animation.

In this section we will look at how we can create branching hierarchies using groups to add more functionality to our rigs

In this lecture we will dive into parent constraints and explore how we can use them to assist us in both rigging and animation.

In this lecture we will place the control curves that will ultimately control our character.

In this lecture we will add functionality to our controls utilizing parent constraints. We will also explore rebuilding the hierarchy to make the curves interact correctly with each other.

In this lecture we will set up a Global Scale control to scale the entire rig.

In this lecture we will use Display Layers to make our rig easier to use for Animators.

In this lecture we will color code our rig to make it easier for animators to know what side of the rig they are animating.

In this lecture we will explore restricting the information on controls so animators understand how they should be used and so there is less clutter in the graph editor.

In this lecture we will build a simple rig for our prop.

In this lecture we will stress test our rig to identify any areas that need correction.

In this lecture we will discuss the importance of story boards and we will create one for our animation.

In this section we will stage the shot to resemble our story board and prepare the scene for animation.

In this lecture we will review the animation process and analyze our story boards to identify they key frames we need to block in for the animation.

In this lecture we will utilize out keyframe identification pass to block in the key poses of our animation.

In this section we will add break downs and inbetweens to our block in pass.

In this lecture we look at how to refine character animation curves.

In this lecture we explore moving holds and how they can breathe more life into our animation.

In this section we will look at using Animation Offsets to add more appeal to out animations

In this lecture we will look at how we can apply Animation Offsets to an entire scene.

In this section we will review creating Maya Playblasts

In this section we will explore Arnold AOV and set them up for our scene.

In this lecture we will look at setting up custom AOVs for Ambient Occlusion.

In this section we will look at the EXR file format and its ability to store multiple AOVs in a single file, we will then look at how we can extract these out in After Effects.

In this section we will took at the settings needed to batch render a multi pass EXR image sequence.

We will plug our image sequence into our previous After Effects document to see if it transfers 1:1.

In this lecture we will utilize After Effects and the AOV we produced to master the color and lighting of our Animation.

In this video we will explore how to add a blooming effect using AOVs and After Effects.

In this section we will look at how we can Atmospheric Depth of Field into our animation.

In this lecture we will explore how we can use the Z AOV to add artificial depth of field (DOF).

In this video we will explore how to create a light wrap to integrate our sky and scene.

In this lecture we will put the finishing touches on the color for our composition.

In this lecture we will add motion blur.

In this lecture we take a break and look back at how far we have come!

In this lecture we will explore what "Foley" is and how we can use Audacity and objects located around our house to create sound effects.

In this lecture we will implement our Foley into our animation using After Effects, the utilize After Effects to Master the audio.

In this lecture we will look at how to set key frames if After Effects and use them to animate our sound.

In this lecture we will complete our Robot Project by producing a final rendering using Adobe Media Encoder.

In this lecture we will look at the big picture of the Final Project for this course.

In this lecture we will discuss common methods of 3D modeling, identify the one we will be using, and set up our Maya Project Folder for this section.

In this section we will take a closer look at geometric primitives and how they can be manipulated.

In this lecture we will take an in-depth look at subdivision and how it works in Maya.

In this section we will explore what Edge Loops are and how we can add them to our Geometry.

In this lecture we will introduce the Extrude tool and explore how we can use it to shape our geometry.

In this lecture we apply what we learn in a practical matter and explore how we can make a Jar 3D Model.

In this lecture we introduce image planes and look at how a 3D modeling scene is set up when working with them.

In this lecture we will look at blocking in a model with geometric primitives.

In this lecture we will look at the Bevel tool then use it to assist us in creating our handles.

In this lecture we will add holding edges to allow our model to smooth.

In this lecture we will go over how to clean up a modeling scene to pass it forward in the pipeline.

In this lecture we will further apply and grow our modeling skills by starting the Incubator model.

In this lecture we will introduce Duplicate Special and explore how it can be used for radial duplication.

In this lecture we will look at how we can apply the soft select technique we used in the Robot Project in the project for the incubator bed.

In this lecture we will explore adding holding edges to our incubator using Bevels.

In this lecture we will finalize our Incubator modeling file.

In this lecture we will discuss what Topology is and how it has an impact on Animation through Deformation.

In this lecture we will set up our Character's image planes.

In this lecture we will look at modeling the Egg shape for the character

In this section we will model the Tail of the character.

In this lecture we discuss how we will be approaching the leg model.

In this lecture we will use box modeling to create the base of the foot.

In this section we will model the toe shapes.

In this lecture we will explore how we can combine the toes into the foot utilizing a tool called Target Weld.

In this lecture we will explore methods of modeling and placing claws.

In this lecture we will model the leg by extruding it from the base of the foot.

In this lecture we review mirroring and finish out model by cleaning up the scene to prepare it for the texturing phase.

In this lecture we will take a broad look at the UV tools we will be using to get us ready to UV our objects.

In this section I will share with you common methods of UVing certain geometric types that I have observed over the years.

In this lecture we will UV the Jar.

In this lecture we will start UVing the desk object and finish it in future lectures.

In this lecture we will look at how we can transfer UVs between similar meshes to save time UVing our objects.

In this section we will look at how to tackle the door and handle UVs.

In this lecture we will discuss why UV directionality matters and how we can check it.

In this lecture we will look at how to approach the incubator UVs.

In this lecture we will discuss approaching objects with multiple material types and how to handle their UVs.

In this lecture we will create the UVs for the Incubator.

In this lecture we will discuss how to approach character UVs and create them for our Egg Character.

In this lecture we will start the section off by gathering texturing references for our reference board.

In this section we will look at how HDRI images can be used as Image Based Lights (IBL).

In this lecture we will block in the Desk base color.

In this lecture we will create normal maps for the desk.

In this lecture we will create a roughness map for the desk.

In this lecture we will source photo based textures and integrate them into our texture.

In this lecture we will add grunge to our base texture to give it more of a story.

In this lecture we will clean up the Desk file so it is ready to be brought into our final scene.

In this lecture we will lay down the base color for the incubator model.

In this lecture we will source base materials to use for our incubator.

In this section we will add an Emissive map for the incubator light.

In this lecture we will review creating helper maps and generate them for our incubator.

In this lecture we will explore how we can use helper maps to add edgewear to our model.

In this lecture we will explore adding grunge to our incubator model to give it more character and story.

In this lecture we will put the finishing touches on our incubator by rendering it and adjusting its maps.

In this lecture we will identify the various UV seams on our egg character and discuss the challenges we will face texturing this kind of UV layout.

In this lecture we will explore how to generate seamless UV maps by baking out of Arnold.

In this lecture we will explore how to use 3D Maya materials to create a base texture and detail pass for our skin.

In this lecture we will explore how to use 3D Maya materials to create a base texture and detail pass for the Egg.

In this lecture we will discuss what an ID map is and generate one for our character.

In this lecture we will bring all of our baked utility, color, and ID maps into Photoshop to start the texturing process.

In this lecture we will utilize our baked maps paired with Photoshop tools to create the base color of the character.

In this lecture we will create cartoon cracks for our character's legs to pop out of.

In this lecture we will create a height map then convert it to a normal map. We will also discuss how to combine different normal maps in Photoshop.

In this lecture we will create a roughness map for the character.

In this lecture we will explore augmenting our color with baked maps.

In this section we will do a render check and clean up the scene to be passed on to rigging.

In this lecture we will create an "unhatched" texture variant.

In this lecture we will explore how to quickly "texture" and fill a jar using material presets.

In this lecture we will source wall and ground texture tiles to use in our final shot.

In this lecture we look at the Rig we will be building and discuss new elements we have not looked at yet that we will be tackling in this section.

In this lecture we introduce joints and go over Joint Placement.

In this lecture we discuss the importance of joint orientation and orient our joints so they point down the Y axis.

In this lecture we look at how we can easily mirror joints.

In this lecture we discuss what a proxy rig is and create proxy geo for our rig.

In this section I share with you my control curve collection that will streamline the rig creation process.

In this lecture we will look at control placement for the rig.

In this lecture we discuss FK systems and do a practice exercise to understand them before applying them to our rig.

In this lecture we implement the FK systems into our rig.

In this lecture we look at how to set up the root and hip controls.

In this section we discuss IK systems and do a practice exercise to understand them before implementing them into the rig.

In this lecture we set up basic IK handles for the legs.

In this lecture we explore solutions to stabilize our feet so they don't tilt with the IK legs.

In this lecture we set up Pole Vectors for our IK legs and look at some additional controls we can add to make them easier to animate.

In this lecture we set up FK toe controls with a broken hierarchy to the IK foot.

In this lecture we discuss the reverse foot.

In this lecture we add custom attributes that will control our reverse foot system.

In this lecture we give our Foot Roll custom attribute functionality.

In this lecture we give our Toe Twist custom attribute functionality.

In this lecture we give our Heel Twist custom attribute functionality.

In this lecture we give our Bank custom attributes functionality.

In this lecture we give our Toes custom attribute functionality.

In this lecture we consolidate our separate hierarchies into a single hierarchy.

In this lecture we clean up the rig controls and organize the scene file.

In this lecture we set up our Skin Rig file and save out a separate Control Rig file.

In this lecture we introduce the basics of weight painting and do a practice exercise before we apply it to our character.

In this lecture we block in our skin weights using a technique referred to as "Flooding the Hierarchy".

In this lecture I demonstrate skin weight mirroring.

In this lecture we set up a range of motion document to help in refining our skin weights.

In this lecture we refine our weight paints utilizing locks and component selections.

In this lecture we do the final mirroring of our refined skin weights.

In this lecture we bind the unhatched egg to the rig.

In this lecture we clean up the skin file and prep it to be referenced into the control rig.

In this lecture we combine the skin rig and the control rig into a single rig.

In this lecture we add a global scale control.

In this lecture we look at enumerators and utilize them to toggle between our skinned mesh, our unhatched egg mesh, and our proxy geometry.

In this lecture we will go over the key poses of the walk cycle and set up our test animation scene.

In this lecture we will look at the contact pose of the walk cycle.

In this lecture we will look at the passing pose of the walk cycle.

In this lecture we will look at the down pose of the walk cycle.

In this lecture we will look at the up pose of the walk cycle.

In this lecture we will look at the walk cycle animation curves and refine them.

In this lecture we will transition from preview cycle to actual cycle.

In this bonus lecture we will look at a technique to make a walk cycle move forward infinitely.

In this lecture we will story board our final project.

In this lecture we will construct our set.

In this lecture we will add more details to set to help bring it to life.

In this lecture we will reference the characters into the scene and place them.

In this lecture we will set up our Master Shot.

In this lecture we will learn how to animate a camera's translates and "zoom".

In this lecture we will add the inbetweens and breakdown frames for the shot.

In this lecture we will extract egg shell geometry from our character to use as animation props.

In this lecture we will explore Maya's shatter script and use it to break our egg shells into smaller pieces.

In this lecture we will animate the Egg Shards.

In this lecture we will refine the character animation.

In this lecture we will refine the background eggs

In this lecture we will refine the Egg Shard Animation Curves.

In this lecture we will create a final playblast of our animation.

In this lecture we will concept lighting variations for our final shot.

In this lecture we will explore light linking.

In this lecture we will block in the major lights of the scene.

In this lecture we will look at the light editor and master our final lighting.

In this lecture we will set up AOVs for our final render.

In this lecture we will introduce the concept of render layers and explore how they can solve some of the issues we are having in the scene.

In this lecture we will calibrate our render settings.

In this lecture we will do our final sequence render.

In this lecture we will check our renders to make sure they turned out correct and error free.

In this lecture we will color grade our composition.

In this lecture we will add blooming to our animation

In this lecture we will add Depth of Field to our animation.

In this lecture we will explore color augmentation to make our colors and contrast pop.

In this lecture we will add in motion blur.

In this lecture we will explore how to source sound from a free sound library.

In this lecture we will add our various layers of sound to the final animation.

In this lecture we will do our final render.