Maya for Beginners – Complete Guide to 3D Animation in Maya by Phil Ebiner

On August 30, 2026

Author:Phil Ebiner

Duration:30 hours on-demand video

Actual Duration:26h 25m

Release date:2026, March

Publisher:Udemy

Skill level:Beginner

Language:English

Exercise files:Yes

Software:Autodesk Maya

Course URL:https://www.udemy.com/course/autodesk-maya-3d-animation-course

Learn the entire 3D animation pipeline in Autodesk Maya—from modeling and texturing to rigging, animation, and dynamics—by building a complete Dia de Los Muertos scene.

This course walks you through the entire Autodesk Maya pipeline—modeling, UV mapping, shading, texturing, lighting, rigging, animation, and dynamics. You’ll build a complete Dia de Los Muertos scene with an animated skeleton, learning the tools and workflows used in professional film and game production. No prior experience needed—just a willingness to click around and make stuff.

🎯 What you’ll learn

Model 3D objects and scenes from scratch using polygonal modeling tools
Create and apply UVs, shaders, and textures for realistic surfaces
Light and render your scenes for high-quality output
Rig a 3D character with joints, IK/FK, and skin weights
Animate with keyframes, graph editor, and motion paths
Simulate dynamic effects like cloth, smoke, water, and particles
Use the MASH toolkit for motion graphics and instancing

✅ Requirements

Skills: No prior experience needed. This course is designed for complete beginners.
Tools: Autodesk Maya (free 30-day trial available), 3-button mouse
Hardware: A computer capable of running Autodesk Maya smoothly

📝 Description

This isn’t one of those “watch me click buttons” tutorials that leaves you lost. You’ll actually build a complete Dia de Los Muertos scene with a fully rigged skeleton character. Every step—from the first polygon to the final render—is broken down so you can follow along and understand why things work, not just how.

The course starts with the basics: navigating the Maya interface, manipulating objects, and getting comfortable in 3D space. Then you’ll dive into polygonal modeling, building props and the skeleton character piece by piece. You’ll learn proper topology, edge flow, and retopology techniques that keep your models clean and animation-ready.

From there, it’s on to look development. You’ll create UVs, build shaders in Hypershade, paint textures directly on your models, and set up lighting that makes everything pop. The rigging section covers joints, IK/FK, skin weights, and blendshapes—everything you need to make your character move believably. Then you’ll animate with keyframes, work in the Graph Editor, and polish your shots with squash and stretch, follow-through, and anticipation.

The dynamics section is where things get wild. You’ll simulate cloth, smoke, water, and particles using nCloth, Bifrost, and MASH. You’ll even shatter objects with Bullet physics. By the end, you’ll have rendered a complete animated scene and know exactly how to put together a 3D animation from start to finish.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

Complete beginners who want to learn 3D animation from zero
Aspiring animators looking to break into the film, music, or gaming industry
Beginner Maya users who want to level up their skills and build a professional portfolio

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Phil Ebiner is the founder of Video School Online and has taught over one million students worldwide through top-rated courses. He partners with industry professionals to deliver practical, project-based training. The course is co-taught by Lucas Ridley, a professional 3D animator who worked on Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One. Lucas brings real Hollywood production experience, breaking down complex animation workflows into digestible, actionable lessons.

🏁 Final Result

By the end of this course, you’ll have a complete, portfolio-ready Dia de Los Muertos animated scene featuring a fully rigged and animated skeleton character. You’ll also have a solid foundation in the entire Maya pipeline, from modeling to final render, plus the confidence to tackle your own 3D animation projects.

Curriculum

📋 Course content

Module 1: Course Introduction
- Course Introduction | Maya Animation Course1:15
- How to Download a Free Trial of Maya | Maya Animation Course3:44
- Download Course Files & Free Maya Trial | Maya Animation Course0:59
- Tips to Improve Your Course Taking Experience | Maya Animation Course1:06
- Free Career Webinar + Free Rig | Maya Animation Course1:22
Module 2: Interface Navigation
- Interface Introduction | Maya Animation Course12:26
- Manipulators and Camera Movement | Maya Animation Course10:51
- Stepped Snapping | Maya Animation Course1:57
Module 3: 3D Modeling Fundamentals
- Intro to 3D Modeling | Maya Animation Course7:53
- Ghostbuster Trap | Maya Animation Course13:14
- Insert Edge, Extrude, and Append | Maya Animation Course13:30
- Update: Common Mistakes | Maya Animation Course14:13
- Bevel & Normals | Maya Animation Course12:13
- Booleans | Maya Animation Course23:59
- New Boolean Process0:26
- Knob Motion Path | Maya Animation Course21:05
- Front, Merge Vertices | Maya Animation Course16:14
- Front, Doors | Maya Animation Course16:25
- Cord | Maya Animation Course12:00
- Maya 2022: Cord [Sweep Mesh] | Maya Animation Course8:40
Module 4: Topology and Character Modeling
- Topology – Lineflow | Maya Animation Course5:41
- Topology – Reducing Even Numbers | Maya Animation Course9:20
- Topology – Reducing Odd Numbers | Maya Animation Course7:17
- “Bones” – Imageplane Setup | Maya Animation Course10:50
- “Bones” – Box vs. Edge Modeling | Maya Animation Course9:09
- “Bones” – Make Live Tool | Maya Animation Course11:29
- “Bones” – Sculpting | Maya Animation Course6:44
- “Bones” – Eye Socket Edge Loops | Maya Animation Course15:13
- “Bones” – Eye Attach | Maya Animation Course9:10
- Update 2022: Quad Draw Tool in Retopology Workflow | Maya Animation Course9:55
- “Bones” – Nose | Maya Animation Course15:04
- “Bones” – Cleaning Topology | Maya Animation Course16:20
- Update: Retopo and Remesh tools | Maya Animation Course6:04
- “Bones” – Mirroring Head | Maya Animation Course11:42
- Update: Mirror Tool | Maya Animation Course3:13
- “Bones” – Lattice Deformer | Maya Animation Course3:54
- “Bones” – Spine Wire Deformer | Maya Animation Course11:40
- “Bones” – Ribs Bend Deformer | Maya Animation Course18:28
- “Bones” – Sternum | Maya Animation Course17:02
- “Bones” – Right Side Body | Maya Animation Course27:28
- “Bones” – Mirror | Maya Animation Course8:39
Module 5: Look Development
- Look Development Introduction | Maya Animation Course5:20
- UVs Intro & Planar Projection | Maya Animation Course12:16
- UVs – Merge Borders & Cylindrical Projection | Maya Animation Course10:03
- UVs – Straighten and Transfer | Maya Animation Course5:34
- UVs – Final Ghostbuster Trap | Maya Animation Course5:17
- UVs – “Bones” Head | Maya Animation Course9:21
- UVs – “Bones” Body | Maya Animation Course8:24
- Intro to Shaders | Maya Animation Course7:00
- Lighting Shaders | Maya Animation Course7:44
- Photographic Textures | Maya Animation Course5:07
- Procedural Textures | Maya Animation Course8:18
- Scene Adjustments | Maya Animation Course3:58
- Update: Reconnect Lost Texture Files Path | Maya Animation Course2:15
- Hypershade Intro and Fractals | Maya Animation Course11:39
- Brushed Metal and Bump Maps | Maya Animation Course11:25
- OBJ File Format & Fix “Bones” | Maya Animation Course6:03
- “Bones” 3D Paint Tool | Maya Animation Course12:08
- Mix Rust Shader | Maya Animation Course12:22
- GB Trap Finishing Touches | Maya Animation Course12:55
- Fog Lighting | Maya Animation Course8:55
- “Bones” Displacement Map | Maya Animation Course19:36
- “Bones” Glass Material | Maya Animation Course2:46
- “Bones” Lights | Maya Animation Course14:26
- “Bones” Render Sequence | Maya Animation Course12:22
Module 6: Rigging
- Rigging Intro | Maya Animation Course7:16
- Rigging QuickRig | Maya Animation Course3:14
- Quick Tips: Modeling The Hat Prop for Rigging16:09
- Prop Rigging Parent Costraint | Maya Animation Course6:59
- Prop Rigging Pivot Control | Maya Animation Course9:52
- IK vs. FK | Maya Animation Course5:26
- “Bones” QuickRig Skeleton | Maya Animation Course5:13
- “Bones” Hands | Maya Animation Course7:09
- “Bones” Joint Orientation | Maya Animation Course8:42
- “Bones” Rotate Order | Maya Animation Course6:48
- “Bones” Recreate Limbs | Maya Animation Course5:17
- “Bones” Pole Vectors | Maya Animation Course6:24
- “Bones” Hand Controls | Maya Animation Course12:30
- “Bones” Reverse Foot Rig | Maya Animation Course5:18
- “Bones” Foot Roll SDK | Maya Animation Course11:58
- “Bones” Independent Toe | Maya Animation Course4:58
- “Bones” Organize and Scale | Maya Animation Course2:27
- “Bones” COG and Hips | Maya Animation Course8:03
- “Bones” Spine Controls | Maya Animation Course4:13
- “Bones” Shoulder and Fingers | Maya Animation Course9:35
- “Bones” Hands To Shoulders | Maya Animation Course2:53
- “Bones” Hand Spaces | Maya Animation Course7:59
- “Bones” Head Spaces | Maya Animation Course5:50
- “Bones” Skinning The Feet | Maya Animation Course3:43
- “Bones” Moving Joints Fix | Maya Animation Course7:43
- “Bones” Skinning Spine Weights | Maya Animation Course12:59
- Pose Space Deformation | Maya Animation Course10:51
- “Bones” Skin Body | Maya Animation Course3:41
- Fix Forearm Twist | Maya Animation Course7:23
- “Bones” Head Blendshapes | Maya Animation Course13:38
- “Bones” Clean Up | Maya Animation Course9:50
Module 7: Animation Fundamentals
- Bouncing Ball | Maya Animation Course10:04
- Graph Editor | Maya Animation Course11:54
- Finishing Generic Ball Bounce | Maya Animation Course11:35
- Squash and Stretch | Maya Animation Course8:17
- Ball Exercise | Maya Animation Course2:11
- Ball Exercise Review | Maya Animation Course9:41
- Animation Scene Setup | Maya Animation Course5:20
- Follow Through | Maya Animation Course14:43
- Follow Through Polish | Maya Animation Course9:09
- Antics, Contrast, and Overshoots | Maya Animation Course20:28
- Constraints | Maya Animation Course12:50
- Referenced Rigs | Maya Animation Course5:04
Module 8: Walk Cycle
- Walk Cycle Start | Maya Animation Course10:22
- Walk Cycle Mirror Keys | Maya Animation Course6:44
- Walk Cycle Breakdowns | Maya Animation Course10:12
- Walk Cycle Finish Lower Body | Maya Animation Course18:15
- Walk Cycle Upper Body | Maya Animation Course10:15
- Walk Cycle Offsets | Maya Animation Course10:27
- Walk Cycle Polish | Maya Animation Course9:58
- Walk Cycle Off The Spot | Maya Animation Course4:39
- Walk Cycle Polish More | Maya Animation Course8:58
- Walk Cycle Motion Trail Wrists | Maya Animation Course16:30
- Walk Cycle Motion Path | Maya Animation Course17:21
- Wrap Up | Maya Animation Course6:31
- NEW Walk Cycle Lecture2:56:08
Module 9: Animation Demonstrations
- Part 1 Demonstration | Maya Animation Course1:03:26
- Part 2 Demonstration | Maya Animation Course56:56
- Part 3 Demonstration | Maya Animation Course58:50
Module 10: Dynamics and Effects
- Scene Scale | Maya Animation Course7:52
- MASH Brick Wall | Maya Animation Course8:37
- Bullet Simulation Intro | Maya Animation Course7:21
- Bullet Shatter | Maya Animation Course10:21
- Alembic Cache | Maya Animation Course8:57
- nParticle Ground Shatter | Maya Animation Course12:53
- Ground Bullet Simulation | Maya Animation Course20:05
- Fix Sim | Maya Animation Course3:37
- Fireflies Dynamics | Maya Animation Course16:24
- Fireflies Dynamics Animated | Maya Animation Course20:32
- nHair Rope | Maya Animation Course13:11
- nCloth Banner | Maya Animation Course14:41
- nCloth Vest | Maya Animation Course24:09
- Bifrost Liquid | Maya Animation Course10:49
- Bifrost Emitter | Maya Animation Course6:45
- Bifrost Smoke 01 | Maya Animation Course23:13
- Bifrost Smoke 02 | Maya Animation Course6:37
- MASH Grass | Maya Animation Course17:53
Module 11: Rendering and Bonus Content
- Texturing | Maya Animation Course26:48
- Render Setup 01 | Maya Animation Course8:05
- Render Setup 02 | Maya Animation Course6:02
- Blob Mini-Course Overview | Maya Animation Course0:55
- Bonus Course: Blob Effect | Maya Animation Course3:08
- Create the Blob | Maya Animation Course2:50
- Add Materials & Lights | Maya Animation Course2:47
- Enhance the SSS | Maya Animation Course6:09
- Create Text | Maya Animation Course7:09
- Final Rendering & Compositing | Maya Animation Course10:28
- Congrats, Next Steps | Maya Animation Course1:40
- Bonus Lecture: Learn More from Phil + Video School3:03