Session 1 Creating Cameras

 Create > Cameras > Camera

 There are three types of perspective cameras in Maya.

Camera
 With this camera type, we can see only the camera icon.
 This camera freely rotates and loses track of its “up” vector, this camera can be used when you’re
linking the camera to another object for movement and animation, or when you are placing a camera
in one fixed spot.

Camera and Aim

 This camera includes a camera target and an aim handle for adjusting the camera target. In addition,
this camera automatically stays level in relation to the horizon.
 By default, it stays level except at extreme straight-up or straight- down orientations.

Camera, Aim and Up

 This camera type includes two handles: the aim handle, described for Camera and Aim, and an up
handle for banking (levelling) the camera.
 This camera type is useful when you want to bank the camera during your animation.
Example:
Imagine you're animating a drone flying around a tree.
 The aim handle is used to keep the camera always focused on the tree, no matter where the drone
moves.
 The up handle lets you tilt the camera to create a "banking" effect, like the drone is tilting as it
circles the tree.
Without the up handle, the camera would only follow the target but wouldn’t tilt, making the shot feel
less dynamic. With both handles, you can add more dramatic motion.

Camera Attributes
A camera’s attributes describe various properties of the camera, including angle of view, focal length, and
depth of field.
Select View > Camera Attribute Editor to adjust the Focal Length and Angle of View.
1. Angle of View & Focal Length: Adjusts perspective. A wider angle of view shortens the focal length,
creating more exaggerated perspectives.

2. Camera Scale: Changes the camera size relative to the scene. For example, reducing scale to 0.5
shrinks the view but makes objects appear larger.

3. Clip Planes: Defines which objects appear in the scene. Adjust the Near Clip Plane to fix objects
cutting off and the Far Clip Plane to show distant objects.
Example: If the Near Clip is set to 1 unit, anything closer than 1 unit to the camera will not appear.
Example: If the Far Clip is set to 1000 units, anything farther than 1000 units will not appear

4. Depth of Field (DOF): Blurs objects not in focus for a cinematic effect. Example: Blurring the
background in a portrait.

5. Background Color: The background fill colour for images rendered from this camera; This can be
used to add an image or shader as the background.

6. Orthographic Views

 Orthographic views are 2D representations of 3D objects, providing a standardized way to visualize

and communicate design details.
 There are two main methods of orthographic projection: First Angle and Third Angle.
First Angle Projection
 In First Angle projection, the views are arranged as if the object is positioned between the viewer and
the projection plane.
 The top view is placed below the front view, and the side view is on the opposite side of the front
view from which it's viewed.
Third Angle Projection
 Third Angle projection places views as if the object is behind the projection plane.
 The top view is above the front view, and the side views are on the same side as they would be seen
from the front.
7. Path Animation
o Animates objects along a predefined curve (path).
o Commonly used for objects like trains, boats, or cameras with smooth motion.
o Example: Moving a car along a curved road without manually setting multiple key frames.

Session 2: ANIMATING THE CAMERA

 Animate > Motion Paths > Attach to Motion Path

Start Time
 Specifies the start time of the motion path animation. Only available when Start or Start/End in Time
Range is on.

End Time
Specifies the end time of the motion path animation. Only available when Start/End in Time Range is on.
 Maya offers two primary methods for positioning objects along a curve: The parametric space
method and the parametric length method.
 These methods determine how an object moves along a curve during animation or positioning.
 In the parametric space method, the markers represent positions in the U-parameter space of
the curve. In the parametric length method, the markers represent positions as a percentage
of the total curve length.

Parametric space method

 The Parametric Space Method in Maya is a way to position objects along a curve using a parameter
called the U value.
 If the path animation for the cone is created with the the curve having five CVs(Control Vertex)
 Using parametric space method, the cone moves quickly from the first to the second CV,then slowly
through the second to fourth CV, then quickly again from the fourth to fifth CV.
Parametric length method
 the markers represent positions as a percentage of the total curve length.
 The parametric length method is also known as the “fraction mode” method because the evaluation of
the path is based on a fraction of the length of the path curve.
 If the path animation for the cone is created with the parametric length method, the cone will move
evenly along the curve from times 1 to 30.

FOLLOW
 In Autodesk Maya, the "Follow" option in the Attach to Motion Path tool controls how an object
aligns itself with the motion path as it moves along it.
 When you enable the Follow checkbox during the attachment, the object's orientation dynamically
changes to follow the direction of the motion path.
How Follow Works:
1. Enabled:
o the object moves along the path, it will rotate to align with the direction of the path at each
point.
o The orientation is determined by the object's "Front Axis" and "Up Axis" settings, which
specify how the object should align relative to the path's direction.
2. Disabled:
o The object will move along the path without changing its orientation.
o This is useful if you want the object to maintain a fixed rotation regardless of the path's
shape.
Use Cases:
 Animating Vehicles or Characters: When animating vehicles or characters following a road or a
curve, enabling Follow ensures that the object turns and rotates naturally along the path.
 Camera Movement: Enabling Follow helps the camera align with the curve for smooth motion.

Key Parameters:
When Follow is enabled, the following parameters also come into play:
 Front Axis: Defines which axis of the object points along the direction of the path.
 Up Axis: Defines which axis of the object points upward or is perpendicular to the curve.
 World Up Type, World Up Vector, and World Up Object
The World Up Type, World Up Vector, and World Up Object settings are used to control how an
object knows which way is "up" while following a motion path. These settings help avoid unwanted
twisting or flipping as the object moves.
1. World Up Type:
 Scene Up: The object uses the world's "up" direction (usually the Y-axis in Maya). Simple
and works for most cases.
 Object Up: The object uses another object's position or rotation to figure out which way is
"up."
 Vector Up: You tell the object which direction is "up" by typing in a direction (e.g., straight
up is X=0, Y=1, Z=0).
 None: The object doesnt try to stabilize itself at all, which can cause it to flip or twist.
2. World Up Vector
 The World Up Vector defines the "up" direction in the scene's global coordinate system.
By default, it's set to (0, 1, 0), which means the positive Y-axis is "up"
 This aligns with Maya's default "Y-up" coordinate system, where:
 X-axis: left/right
 Y-axis: up/down
 Z-axis: forward/backward
3. World Up Object
 When the World Up Type is set to "Object Up" or "Object Rotation Up", the World Up
Object specifies which object's orientation should be used as a reference for the "up"
direction.
 This is useful for dynamic scenes where you want the constrained object to align with
another moving object.
Inverse Up
 When enabled, this option makes the object's Up Axis align with the opposite direction of
the specified up vector.
 For example, if the up vector is (0, 1, 0), enabling Inverse Up would make the object's up
direction point to (0, -1, 0).
 Inverse Front
 This option reverses the forward direction of the along a path or curve.
 It's particularly useful for cameras:
 This feature helps in quickly correcting the orientation of objects, especially cameras,
without needing to manually rotate them 180 degrees.
 These options provide fine-grained control over object orientation in complex animations
and rigging setups, allowing for more natural and precise movements in 3D scenes.

Session 3: NORMAL
A normal in Maya is an invisible line that points directly outward from a polygon surface, and it’s crucial
for understanding how 3D objects interact with light, shading, and animations. Here's a deeper
explanation of normals and their uses:
Types of Normals in Maya
1. Face Normal:
o A face normal defines the orientation of a polygon face.
2. Vertex Normal:
o Vertex normals are shared by the vertices of adjacent faces and determine how shading
appears between those faces.
o They help smooth or harden the appearance of edges by controlling how light blends
across surfaces.
Uses of Normals in Maya
1. Shading and Lighting:
2. Smoothing or Hardening Edges:
3. Correcting Render Errors:
4. Physics and Dynamics( Normals help in simulations like cloth, rigid bodies, or collisions)
5. Motion Paths and Animation(normals define the orientation of the object relative to the surface
or path)
What is Banking?
Banking is the roll or tilt of an object as it moves along a path, typically around its forward axis.
For example:
o A car tilts slightly as it turns along a curved road.
o An airplane tilts its wings when turning or banking mid-flight.
The Bank Limit is used to restrict the amount of leaning.