Maya Modelling: Keep on Truckin'

Last week we had an induction for Maya and I really enjoyed it. I've wanted to explore with this programme for a very long time, but I've never had the access to it.

To get to grips with the programme, we were given the task of modelling a truck. To do this we used a variety of different polygons, and used different tools such as bevel to alter the shape. Creating and resizing the shape was straightforward, but I struggled to get some of the objects the shape I wanted them to be. I don't think I did a bad job though, considering it was my first time, and I soon learnt what most of the basic tools did. Sort of.

In the tutorial we were also shown how to change the material of the objects as well as the colour. I experimented slightly with these features and made a shiny blue and a red truck (as above). We were also shown how to adjust the lighting of the composition, and ultimately the rendered image. In the examples above, I have simply placed the light source above the trucks to simulate mid-day, but you can also adjust the angle to create more interesting shadows and portray different times of the day. 

Despite my struggles, I've thoroughly enjoyed using Maya, and I want to continue using it so I can improve my skill. I'm proud of the trucks I have created, but want to see what other things I can create; hopefully more complex and interesting pieces.