Good Maya books for beginners focused on modeling and texturing?
polycounter lvl 5
I'm going to be teaching an intro class using Maya for the first time in a while, and looking for suggestions on good current books for beginners. Everything on my shelf from the last time I taught this with a book is hopelessly out of date.
The class focuses on poly modeling, texturing, and lighting, with a little bit about rendering and animation. It's geared towards both games and cinematic CG, with students in several majors. I'd like to give them a Maya 2016 specific book, since even though most of the tools we'll use are the same as previous versions, everything looks completely different now. I like the Mastering Maya series but it may be a bit into the deep end for beginning students. I also like the How to Cheat series, but those are more for animation.
The class focuses on poly modeling, texturing, and lighting, with a little bit about rendering and animation. It's geared towards both games and cinematic CG, with students in several majors. I'd like to give them a Maya 2016 specific book, since even though most of the tools we'll use are the same as previous versions, everything looks completely different now. I like the Mastering Maya series but it may be a bit into the deep end for beginning students. I also like the How to Cheat series, but those are more for animation.
Replies
My 2c. In this age with tons of cheap Gumroads and Digital Tutor, books are waste of space, paper and money. And believe me your students won't be reading them once the class is over. Heck you can even find tons of free tuts from Youtube/Vimeo.