Advanced Maya Texturing and Lighting

Turn the Spotlight on Your Creations with Tips from a Pro

Learn the secrets of professional animators and achieve amazing results with the detailed instruction you'll find in this new edition of Advanced Maya Texturing and Lighting. Written by industry veteran Lee Lanier, whose texturing and lighting has been featured in such films as Mortal Kombat, Antz, and Shrek, this in-depth book focuses on advanced techniques used in real-world production environments.

You'll find extensive and updated coverage of custom shading networks, particle texturing, pelt mapping, Global Illumination, Final Gather, HDR lighting, mental ray shaders, normal mapping, and multipass rendering. You'll also explore the latest texturing and lighting theories and trends in the animation industry—information to help you improve your skills, no matter what software you use.

The enclosed CD features exclusive content, including textures, custom shading networks, movies, and scene files for chapter tutorials and many of the illustrations in the book. All included scene files are saved in the Maya 8.5 .ma format and have been tested with Maya 8.5 and Maya 2008. You'll also find a bonus chapter with advanced lessons.

Lee Lanier is a professional animator and instructor who has created digital special effects for such films as Mortal Kombat. He served as a senior animator in the Modeling and Lighting departments on Antz and Shrek and has produced and directed the animated short films Millennium Bug, Mirror, Day Off The Dead, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and 13 Ways to Die at Home. He has taught at several schools, including the Academy of Art University, Art Institute of Las Vegas, and Westwood College Online. His work can be seen at beezlebugbit.com.