Maya is well known for it’s role in feature animation production, special effects, and the video game industry. Indeed, when students enter one of my DMA Maya classes , it’s usually one of these three things that they are interested in pursuing. However, in addition to teaching the fundamentals of Maya, I also like to broaden their perspective of what it can be used for. That way, when students finish the class, they not only have an understanding of the software, they also have a lot more potential job titles they could be looking at. Augmented Reality In a previous post , I discussed the burgeoning field of Augmented Reality (AR), and how Maya was used to create some interactive AR exhibits at MSI Chicago. This technology is not only for static displays and cameras however. There is a growing body of AR applications for mobile devices. Users place a card or some other marker on a tabletop and then point their mobile device’s camera at the target. On screen, graphics are superimposed on the live video and users can interact with these on screen graphics, and even play games with them. South Park Did you know that Maya is used to create South Park? That surprises a lot of people, probably because the show looks like it was created with paper cutouts. The truth of the matter is that it takes a lot of sophisticated work to make something this crude. While the original pilot was made with cutouts, the demands of weekly television production soon dictated a digital workflow. The production quickly moved to Maya because of its robust animation tools and virtual camera. If you’d like to read more about it, there’s a very good profile of the production on Apple’s website.
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Maya 3D – Alternative Uses, Alternative Careers