Maya 7 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual Quickstart Guide

1. Maya Basics

Maya’s user interface is complex but powerful, giving you in-depth control over the application’s wide range of functions. This chapter introduces you to that interface and then shows you how to set up a project, work with files, and access online help. First, though, it’s a good idea to know something about the way Maya works.

About Maya

Maya is a node-based program. A node stores and processes related pieces of information (Figure 1.1). Everything you create in Maya is represented by a node or several connected nodes (Figure 1.2). The nodes themselves are made up of many attributes, which contain the information that defines the node, such as an object’s position or a material’s color. The advantage of this node-based architecture ...