Maya for Beginners: Complete 3D Animation Masterclass

Hi there!

Welcome, and thanks for choosing Class Creative’s Maya for Beginners: Complete 3D Animation Masterclass | Comprehensive Foundational Guide!!

In this foundation course we will be learning the fundamentals of Character Animation and game development. (specifically for the Unreal engine, but this method will also work for other game engines such as Unity).

Learn everything necessary to learn Character Animation utilizing Autodesk Maya taught by a AAA game professional with university level accredited instruction!  We will cover the basics starting with the Ball Bounce, Pendulum, and how to apply the 12 principles of animation to the human form.  We will apply all fundamental aspects taught to create full in game polished animations of: Idle, Walk, Run, Jump and more.

Autodesk Maya is the industry standard 3D animation software, understanding the concepts in this course will help you land a job in the game, film, tv, or music industry.  In this course you will learn how to animate your custom created character from scratch.

Over15 hours of Animation instruction

This course is updated frequentlywith new lessons, industry workflows, and resources!

Nov 2023 –NEW!  Advanced Skeleton Vs. ARTv1 Python 3 and Post Maya 2022 Unreal Mannequin

Nov 2022 –NEW!  How God of War and other AAA studios utilize Autodesk Maya

Oct 2022 –NEW! How to use Epic Art Tools with new Unreal 5 Mannequins

Aug 2022 –NEW! How to fix the most common run cycle mistakes

Jun 2022 –NEW!IK/FK Settings and Options best practices

April 2022 –NEW!How to combine multiple animations in the timeline to create one animation master file

Mar 2022 –NEW!How to fix the most common walk cycle mistakes

Jun 2021 –NEW!Unreal Engine & Autodesk Maya Retarget Process with Paragon/Unreal Marketplace Assets

We will cover the following core skill sets:

• Getting started with Maya and understanding the animation process

• Understanding how to utilize the reference image plane in Maya to create realistic game engine ready animations

• Strong Fundamentals of Animation Body Mechanics

• Process of using IK/FK controllers and best practices of Unreal Engine’s A.R.T. tools for Autodesk Maya

• Unreal Engine’s A.R.T. rigging tools for Autodesk Maya

• Understanding hotkeys to animate quickly

• Animating with keyframes

• Animation foundation instruction animations: Ball Bounce, Pendulum, & Basic Body Mechanics

• Animating a production ready Idle, Run, Walk, Jump quickly and efficiently

• Fundamentals of motion capture and how to edit motion data

• Advanced polish process to create professional level animation ready for game engine (Unreal/Unity) export

• Applying for animation jobs in the industry and what recruiters at top tier studios look for in a demo reel

• Includes all the rigs necessary to learn while following along

NOTE  – Course does NOT include custom character mesh.  This course includes ART tools V1 zip  which will include mannequin mesh/rig which will allow all animation and lessons to be animated without a mesh or completing a custom rig.  Course is strictly showing the process of animating a character of choice (you can follow all of the animation concepts and apply them to any character rig you choose not just the Unreal Mannequin rigs),  for ANY character regardless of software or rig limitations.  ART tools requires Python 2 Support.  Maya 2022 for Mac OS (Pc/Linux Maya 2022 both currently support Python 2) currently only supports Python 3; the Art tools will require Python 2 which is currently only supported in Maya 2020 on Mac OS.
UPDATE  – We now provide and support current versions of Maya with a provided Advanced Skeleton Unreal Mannequin rig for the animation course if you choose not to use the ART tools Mannequin rig for Maya 2022.

What students are saying about this animation masterclass course:

“So Clear, Step by Step. First 3D animation course on Udemy that I can say has been my moneys worth.” – Rain Phillips

“Great course. Detailed, nicely explained topics. I enjoyed it!” – Boris Kuleba

We’ll be utilizing the latest software packages that top tier gaming studios of today use to create all of your favorite titles!

• Autodesk Maya, Unreal Engine’s Maya Animation Rigging Toolset (A.R.T. for short), and the Unreal game engine.

Why Learn From Class Creatives?

This course features an accredited university level animation instructor who has over 15 years of experience animating both keyframe, and motion capture for studios such as Naughty Dog (Uncharted Franchise), Insomniac (Ratchet and Clank Franchise), Guerilla Games (Killzone Franchise), Sucker Punch (Infamous Franchise), Google, Disney and more.  Whether it be a complex hyper realistic animation or a cartoony stylized “Disney” character animation it ALL starts with the fundamentals which we cover in these lectures.

Who This Course is For:

Whether you are just a beginner interested in Character Animation, or a Master professional looking to brush up on your current skill set, this course has material you surely won’t want to miss!

As with all Class Creative’s courses, we’ve laid out a structure that covers the full spectrum of industry standard character workflows from start to finish.

Please remember, if this is your first time animating a 3D character, we highly recommend that you follow the outline carefully, according to how the instructor has structured the course. We wouldn’t want you to miss out on any details!

However, if you are an advanced user and are looking for something specific to add to your repertoire feel free to dive in and skip to any sections you’d like to focus on.

Rating Distribution

• 1 stars: 3 votes
• 2 stars: 3 votes
• 3 stars: 9 votes
• 4 stars: 25 votes
• 5 stars: 46 votes

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You can view and review the lecture materials indefinitely, like an on-demand channel.

Can I take my courses with me wherever I go?

Definitely! If you have an internet connection, courses on Udemy are available on any device at any time. If you don’t have an internet connection, some instructors also let their students download course lectures. That’s up to the instructor though, so make sure you get on their good side!