Your project guide to creating realistic earth, wind, fire, and water effects in Maya Maya Studio Projects Dynamics Todd Palamar Start from scratch and move mountains If you want to create the spectacular visual effects you see in movies, this unique, professional-level book is exactly what you need. Packed with step-by-step instruction, it first dissects earth, wind, fire, and water into their basic elements--then shows you how to use Maya's powerful dynamics tools to simulate or upend nature with breathtaking results. The best part is that you'll learn by doing. Start from scratch--the way studio professionals do--and create fully rendered results in a series of projects that increase in complexity as you go. See how air moves inside a real tornado, then simulate a twister on a rampage. Learn fluid dynamics, then explode a gas station. It's all here and more in this no-nonsense guide. Complete a series of projects and thoroughly master Maya dynamics Learn professional-level techniques undocumented elsewhere Tap Newton's Law and Maya's Fields/Newton to make satellites orbit around planets Explore fluid dynamics and Maya fluid effects and design a sun Combine different simulation systems such as fluid effects, nCloth, and hair to destroy objects Create volcanoes, tornadoes, explosions, comets, floods, and more Simulate natural phenomena, then twist reality into fascinating results Valuable Companion Dvd Find starter, intermediate, and final Maya scene files for every project in the book on the DVD.

You'll also find striking video examples to inspire you. (You must have Maya 2010 or Maya 2009 Unlimited to use the files on the DVD.).