Introduction

Autodesk Maya is big. It is really, really huge. The book you hold in your hands and all the exercises within it represent a mere sliver of what can be created in Autodesk Maya. Mastering Autodesk Maya takes years of study and practice. I have been using Autodesk Maya almost every day since 1999, and I'm still constantly faced with new challenges and making new discoveries.

This book is meant to be a guide to help you not only understand Autodesk Maya but also understand how to learn about Autodesk Maya. The title Mastering Maya implies an active engagement with the software. This book is packed with hands-on tutorials. If you're looking for a quick-reference guide that simply describes each and every button, control, and tool in the Autodesk Maya interface, use the Autodesk Maya documentation that comes with the software instead. This book is not a description of Autodesk Maya; it is an explanation illustrated with practical examples.