How to Cheat in Maya 2017 ─ Tools and Techniques for Character Animation

This is not a book about Maya software with a few animation pointers thrown in here and there. This is a guide to Maya software written by professional animators. This book provides you with complete, set-by-step walkthroughs of essential animation techniques that increase your speed and efficiency while using Maya 2014 for character animation. From curves to constraints, this book covers all of the methods available in the latest version of Maya. Featuring gold-mine coverage this book teaches you new techniques for working with characters in animation tests and short films. Accompanied by a companion site, this is the one and only guide to get you up to speed.

Paul Naas has been involved in animation for over 20 years. Starting out as a traditional 2D animator in the days of cel paints and shooting on film, he got some early professional experience while still in school, working on station IDs for MTV. From there, he went on to create his own independent films, which have been shown in touring festivals all over the country. Paul Naas WorkProfessionally, he has worked in studios large and small, and has animated on projects as diverse as games, TV spots, interactive web media, and location-based entertainment. Paul was one of the first instructors hired by the Disney Institute in Florida, and spent over 2 years teaching animation technique to Walt Disney World guests and employees. While at Disney, Paul worked on public service announcements for Unicef's Campaign for Children's Rights that were screened at the prestigious Annecy animation festival, as well as broadcast in countries all over the world. Paul first got into 3D computer animation - the subject he currently teaches at Canada - over 14 years ago and is also experienced in tools such as Flash and After Effects. Despite his diverse tool knowledge, Paul believes the most important tool for any successful animator to have is a solid grounding in traditional art skills and animation theory and technique.