You Learn Something New Everyday - An Introduction to Autodesk Maya and Photoshop

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And so concludes yet another busy day at UCA. As it was the official start of term today, we thought we'd kick things off by jumping straight in with getting to know the software that we will be using for  the many days to come.

As computer animation students, the basis for our artistic toolkits are the software known as Autodesk Maya and Photoshop. We will essentially be working primarily on our computer drawing tablets, BUT that doesn't necessarily mean to say that traditional methods of art, such as drawing, painting and sculpting, aren't relevant. On the contrary, drawing and painting are just some of the basic foundations that are vital for us to kick start our animating careers, so to speak.

The day started off with getting to know our tutors who will be with us throughout our learning process of the programs. And then came the hard part. AUTODESK. MAYA.


Let me just say that, although this is an incredible piece of technology, it's pretty tedious to begin with. There was dragging, shifting, rotating, bending, stretching; basically there was a lot of manipulating tools to grasp the concept of.

Admittedly, I found it a little hard to navigate around the screen because there was so many components that I didn't understand. I may be a novice with Maya, but I feel it's going to be one of those things that I'll get used to the more I practise and handle it. BUT we all definitely needed a break!

After refreshing ourselves, it was back to the computer bays, only this time, we were handling something that, I feel, everyone was a little more familiar with. Photoshop!

To limber ourselves up and to get everyone used to the drawing tablets, we allowed ourselves to experiment a little with the different tools and brushes the program offered.


Again, I was a bit of a novice with Photoshop at first, but having experience with using a tablet and similar photo manipulation programs, it didn't take long getting used to. I actually enjoyed every moment I was on my tablet, after buying a brand new shiny tablet, I'm determined to put it to full use inside and outside of university!

During our Photoshop session, we were also given a few tasks to do, but I will post about those soon enough. Watch this space to find out more!

Comments

  1. tutorphil22 September 2014 at 23:22

    and so it begins! looking forward to see your first batch of thumbs on here soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ayunie Adiana23 September 2014 at 18:01

    Hello Chelsea! I am Ayunie from second year and I will be your mentor. Welcome to CAA and I am sure you're gonna love it because we have an awesome community! Everyone helps out one another, so don't worry. Just ask for help anytime!

    Maya always seems scary and intimidating but once you do your tutorials and continuously practice, it'll be your bestfriend! So fret not :D

    I am looking forward to your thumbnails! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chelsea Butler24 September 2014 at 22:52

      Hi there Ayunie, it's nice to meet you (even if it is over the internet)! Thank you so much for the words of encouragement, and you're right, it does feel a bit intimidating at first, but I'm actually really looking forward to practising more with the software. :)

      I'm really looking forward to working with you soon, fingers crossed everything goes well! :D

      Delete
    2. Ayunie Adiana25 September 2014 at 19:24

      Oh, I forgot to tell you, you can always reach me at ayunie.adiana@gmail.com if you need help or drop me a comment on my blog http://ayunie-adiana.blogspot.co.uk :)

      Delete

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