Hello, liking the idea of this thread :) . Was looking for a nice pipe / tube / 3DSMax similar spline creation script... something that really helps with this sort of stuff for Maya 2017 / 18.
This might give you a better idea of anatomy, its also a similar style dragon, http://www.muddycolors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/89443-naturalhistory_2560x1600.jpg
https://forums.unrealengine.com/showthread.php?1037-How-do-I-make-realistic-looking-glass I would recommend the forward translucency mode as it has per pixel lighting.
"So for instance when I add some objects in the XREF scene, they are not automatically added to the scene referencing this file. " It does since 2017. Check "Include All" option.
Heya - New Maya Tutorial - Going from Maya 2017 to Realflow and back to Maya without using the Realflow connectivity plugin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drVtRegrsHM Cheers! Ruan