Going back to the fundamentals is sometimes the greatest approach to speed up your workflow or learn about tools you may not be acquainted with, whether you’re new to modeling or just new to modeling in Maya. This post will teach you some workflow-improving techniques and introduce you to a few modeling tools in Maya that you might not be as acquainted with.(Maya Modeling)
Customize a Shelf
The Maya shelf is a fantastic tool for accelerating the modeling process. The list of tools a modeler frequently uses is broad and includes the Extrude Tool, Bevel, Insert Edge Loop, and many more. The modeling process is slowed down by having to repeatedly use the Mesh and Edit Mesh menus to perform these instructions. Although choosing these tools doesn’t require much effort, if you move between them frequently, even slightly accelerating your process can result in significant time savings over time. It’s also helpful to have quick access to shelf icons, especially if you work with polygonal and NURBS modeling frequently. The NURBS and poly tools, as you are surely aware, are in a totally other menu set, so switching menu sets to get the tool you need is an unnecessary step that may be avoided.
By selecting New Shelf from the drop-down option to the left of your shelf, you may make a brand-new modeling shelf.
After giving it a name, you can begin adding tools by pressing Ctrl+Shift+LMB while choosing the tools you wish to add from the menu.
Develop Details
It’s a good idea to start your model out at a moderately high resolution. The most crucial thing to achieve is the right form and silhouette. It’s usually simpler to shift points and edges around when dealing with a small number, regardless of whether you’re utilizing a box modeling or edge modeling methodology. When you discover that your model lacks the resolution necessary to generate the finer details, you may start adding edge loops to it to increase the resolution, but try to make the most of the time you are working in a lesser resolution.
The Extrusion of Curves
Curves may be used to extrude additional geometry as well as to make smooth surfaces like vases and other items. For instance, to build a rope or any other smooth cylindrical object, you may draw a curve and extrude a NURBS circle along that curve. Making basic hair for your characters is a wonderful use for this. A NURBS circle was extruded to make the hair in the image above, and a simple curve was used to create the shape of the mohawk. This makes getting smooth curved models much simpler than having to adjust and rotate individual vertices, which frequently leads to messy meshes.
Use menu marking
hen you’re working in Maya you’ve probably had the chance to use marking menus, even if you didn’t realize it. For example, by right clicking on an object you have access to things like vertices, edges, faces. But there are also a vast range of different modeling tools that can be accessed from this marking menu or you can even create your own. These specialized marking menus are really beneficial when working with polygon geometry. By holding down Shift+RMB you’re a presented with a lot of the most commonly used polygon modeling tools. For example, the Insert Edge Loop tool, and merge vertex, as well as lot of the other commonly used modeling tools like Mirroring, Booleons, and the Crease Tool. Combining custom shelf icons while utilizing these marking menus will drastically speed up your modeling workflow. You can even take this a step further and set up your own custom marking menus.(Maya Modeling)
Apply lattices
Lattices are a very effective modeling tool that novices occasionally ignore. They are most likely in the animation menu set, so using them when modeling might not come to mind right away. The best method for changing a mesh on a wide scale without ruining your model is to use a lattice. As there may be hundreds or even thousands of vertices and edges in a tiny location when dealing with a high resolution mesh, it will be challenging to make any modifications in a tidy manner. Lattices are accessible via the Create Deformers>Lattice menu option as well as the animation menu set. You may choose from a variety of alternatives to build the lattice you want if you open the option box. For example, you may change the number of divisions the lattice has to give you as much control as you require.(Maya Modeling)
Employ the Crease Tool
You probably feel at ease with the Insert Edge Loop Tool if you have any experience with Maya. The Insert Edge Loop Tool adds a fresh loop of edges around your mesh, increasing the precision of your geometry and giving you additional points to work with to get the desired form. If you wish to produce a mesh with a harder surface, the Insert Edge Loop Tool may also be used to tighten up edges. Consider the corners and edges of a computer display. While the Insert Edge Loop tool is excellent for doing this, the Crease Tool may also be used to give your mesh stronger edges without actually adding any more geometry.
The Crease Tool is located in the drop-down menu under Edit Mesh. Simply choose the edges you wish to tighten up using the Crease Tool, hold down the middle mouse button while dragging left or right in the viewport, and you’ll see the edges you chose are much sharper.(Maya Modeling)
