Rating: 
Summary: Totally new to 3D
Review: I do understand that 3D creation software is a difficult subject. I have some background with other graphics tools like Photoshop, Flash, and Illustrator. However, I found this book a little too hard to follow. What I mean is that the steps are buried within long paragraphs. Additionally, the specific user actions (Choose File>Options or Click the LMB) are not highlighted in a way that make them easy to pick out in the paragraph.With a subject as this tough as this, it should be much easier to move through the tutorials. Being forced to read through a long paragraph just to find one or two user action is not an efficient way to learn an application as heavy as Maya. However, this style of documentation may work for some people. This book would be better if the user actions were set apart from the other descriptive information. However, I understand that there are very good AVI movies on the CD that is supplied with the book. I have not opened the CD package because I am considering returning the book for the reasons previously stated.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Beginners Book
Review: I have had this book for only 2 days and it is great! This is a great beginners book for Maya, which has a pretty steep learning curve. It covers everything you need to know for creating beginner level animations, models and dynamics. Probably my favorite thind about this book is the tear-out Hot Key guide -- PERFECT! Located right in the beginning of the book is this most splendid instument which will make any keyboard/hot-key junky drool. Also, i think what makes this book so great and easy to use and very effective is that it has not only the tutorial files -- but, get this, video tutorial files. That's right, this is not only a book, but video tutorial.Thanks to a great screen video capture program called Camtasia, the authors have capture their use of Maya in creating the project in the tutorial, to create a video tutorial to supplement the book. And the quality is better than you would get in a vhs/dvd tutorial (i know this for a fact since i bought Learning Maya: The Beginners Guide, which is A/W's own beginners tutorial dvd -- which, by the way is really good intro tutorial, particularly for only [$$$]!). The video files are Window Media video's therefore, can be view directly on your computer -- you can follow along while working in Maya without having to have a tv/vcr/dvd in the room next to you. As for the quality of the tutorial projects, the direction and desciption of the program -- very good. As in any tutorial (book or video), you can move at your own pace. All the tutorials are simple, yet effect. They use many of the features in Maya, including all the basic features, as well as some of the more advanced. One of the other great features of the tutorial is the tutorial files. Each chapter contains files for both working on the tutorial as well as a finished file to see what you file should look like in the end. Which is also good for those of us who learn quickly by deconstructing files. Also, the book has a great supporting website as well.
Rating:
Summary: This is as good as taking a class!
Review: I have never seen a format as well thought out as this book. The movie tutorials let you see the work being done before you go into the chapters to attempt to try them yourself. I am a beginner and found this book to be the best resource so far. (I am using the Maya Personal Learning Edition, which is another great help). This book is well worth the money for someone starting out. I also wanted to add that the people who made this book took the time to recreate many project files for the new Personal Learning Edition. I got a personal response from one of the authors leading me to the sight where I downloaded the new files and elements needed to do the tutorials. I am cruising along beautifully at this time!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book for all users
Review: I have picked up every book on Maya 4, and let me say that this one is clearly ahead of the rest. It covers every area of Maya such as complex character modelling to mood enhancing Paint Effects. This book is rare in that it teaches you so much that the projects you create with this book leave you inspired to create your own masterpieces. It is also one of those rare books that has a fantastic CD. On it are excellent visual aids, so if you get stuck on one of the tutorials, you simply load that tutorial video, and find out where you went wrong! It's great. If you own Maya, THIS BOOK WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO YOU!!
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I learned how to build a door!! This is a really nice book, with the CD that comes with it you dont even have to read all that is in the books cuz they almost explain all in the CD. They teach you how to build a spooky house with some fog and spooky threes and a small boat at the lake and animate it.
Rating: 
Summary: Better for intermediate user than for beginner
Review: I like the introduction, it has a comfortable, conversational tone. Most of the lessons are in long paragraphs of text. I think a beginner requires simpler step by step instructions. Each "step" in this book has many sub steps which assume you know how to do a lot. This is probably a better book for intermediate user, someone who is comfortable with the interface but hasn't gotten too deep into the program. I really like how each chapter starts with important hotkeys and key terms. Overall the book is thorough and good.
Rating:
Summary: This book is Awesome!
Review: I made the switch from 3ds max 4 to Maya 4 and found myself lost. Once I started going through the book and watching the movies on the accompanying CD I was immediately at home. The structure of the book allows anyone, with or without, prior 3d knowledge to jump right in and start creating. The tutorials are very well laid out and very precise. If you only buy one book for Maya make it this one. You go from Newbie to Intermediate in no time.
Rating:
Summary: Kickstart your Maya Skills
Review: I purchased the first three books published for Maya 4 (this one, "Maya" by Danny Riddell/Andrew S. Britt, and "Exploring Maya 4: 30 Studies in 3D" by Maximilian Schoenherr), and this one is definately the most useful, especially if you're a newbie or intermediate. Just the acompanying CD alone is worth the money! (It comes with video tutorials not unlike the popular Gnomon series that visually demonstrates the main points of the book, helpful info for Max users trying to migrate over to Maya, and includes an improved and extremely useful hotkey/marking menu system that I'm permanently going to use.) In 2 days I consider myself much more profficient than I was, and the Maya workflow seems to make more sense now. Cheers to Jim Lammers and Lee Gooding for writting a superior manual on this complicated program! Summary: Experienced users may end up skipping some of the chapters, but you're bound to learn something. Newer users will get a lot out of it (including confidence in your skills and professional working habits). If you get only one Maya book, make it this one.
Rating:
Summary: A must for anyone starting out in Maya
Review: I purchased this book with very little knowledge of Maya and 3D animation but really wanted to get into the 3D world. I found this book one of the most user friendly books on the topic. Along with the movies that show you all the basics, they include enough to make you know how experiement or learn more by yourself. The exercises were excellent and speed was great (in most excercises) for taking it all in before trying it myself. I also have Mastering Maya and although Fundamentals seems like it has less material (which i don't think it does) it is many times superior in what i got out of it. Also included are some marking menus that make some short cuts in the UI. The only thing that i found that didn't work for me was the Polygon section. It was a little too fast in places and not as clear. But then again this is a complex topic.
I rarely give compliments like this but this really deserves it.
Rating:
Summary: FYI for Maya PLE Users
Review: I read in an earlier review that someone was upset that Maya 4 Fundamentals would not work with Maya PLE (Free Version). I would like to inform all PLE users that it DOES work in PLE, but you have to download the scene files in PLE format. You can get them from ...in the downloads section.
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