Introduction to Maya 2026: Volume 3
Texturing, Lighting, Animation & Rendering Techniques With Eric Keller
Description
The third and final volume of Eric Keller’s Introduction to Maya 2026 workshop series focuses on texturing, shading, animation, lighting, and rendering. The 20 videos in this volume are designed to help artists get up and running quickly as they learn Autodesk Maya. Volume 3 starts with an overview of the UV Toolkit, using the cappuccino machine model created in Volume 2 as an example. Eric takes artists on a tour of Hypershade, looking at Maya's Texturing and Shading interface, and demonstrating how to build materials for rendering in Arnold for Maya. Artists will learn how to view Arnold renders in the viewport and how to use material presets to make their workflow more efficient. Eric also teaches how to use the Substance 3D plug-in for Maya to import and edit Substance materials directly in Maya scenes, and shares lessons on Maya's lighting tools, with an emphasis on Arnold lights. Additionally, he showcases how to create atmospheric effects, such as fog. The lessons continue with a demonstration of the various animation interfaces in Maya, detailing how to create a simple walk cycle for a robot and showing how to edit the animation in the Dope Sheet, Graph Editor, and Time Editor. Eric then reveals how to use Maya’s MASH animation system to generate a line of marching ants and covers the basics of Maya Paint Effects, the procedural modeling and animation tool. This final volume finishes with a comprehensive demonstration of animating cameras, adding rendering post-process effects, and setting up a batch render for Arnold of the cafe scene used throughout this series. By completing this volume, artists will have a strong understanding of how Maya works, how to create models and materials, and how to leverage its powerful animation and rendering tools. Included with this workshop are helpful Maya project files for artists to follow along with Eric’s lessons. Watch Volume 1: Beginner’s Guide to Getting Started in Maya Watch Volume 2: Beginner’s Guide to Modeling & Animation Workflows
Duration: 4h 44m
Format: HD 1920x1080
Eric Keller
CG artist
Eric Keller is an Emmy-nominated CG artist with over 25 years of experience crafting high-quality models andanimations for feature films, television, scientific visualization, planetarium shows, VR, AR, 3D printing, and jewelry design. A dedicated educator, he has created training content for The Gnomon Workshop and has taught ZBrush, Maya, and creature design at GNOMON in Hollywood. Since beginning his career, which started in 1998, Eric has worked extensively in both the entertainment industry and scientific visualization, contributing to commercials, games, and blockbuster films. His expertise in ZBrush and Maya has led him to author several highly regarded books, as well as numerous tutorials and articles for industry-leading publications, including 3D World and 3D Artist. In 2023, his work on Netflix’s Wednesday earned him an Emmy nomination for outstanding title design. His extensive VFX credits include 10 Cloverfield Lane, Star Trek: Beyond, Aquaman (1 and 2), John Wick (3 and 4), HBO’s Raised by Wolves, Dune: Prophecy, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, Wednesday, and One Piece, as well as the Signs of Life planetarium show at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. As an instructor, he has taught at Harvard Medical School, the Los Angeles Figurative Art Academy, and the Smithsonian Institute. Eric is an active member of the ZBrush beta-testing community and a Maxon ZBrush Master Trainer. He shares his knowledge regularly through weekly sessions on the Maxon ZBrush Live channel, always inspiring and educating the next generation of digital artists.
