606 Maya Tutorials
Posted on April 13, 2009 in 3D Graphics, Featured | 7 Comments
Autodesk Maya is one of the premiere 3d animation software packages used in Hollywood and special effects houses and of all the tools available to the filmmaker, Maya has probably the steepest learning curve around.
Which is why we’ve put together this list of 606 Maya Tutorials to help you learn one of the industry’s leading 3d programs. Whether you’re a fledgling beginner overwhelmed by the vast array of buttons or a season pro, there’s something here for you.
What are you waiting for? Start learning Maya now!
High End 3d

Animating
Basic
- Troubleshooting Audio Playback in Maya
- Animating a Run Cycle
- Page Turn Animation
- Easy Object Pickup, How to have characters easily grab objects and keep them in their handOrganic Modeling and Animation – Part Three (Anima
- How to create a moving Tentacle using Procedural animation
- Understanding Pivot Points
Intermediate
Advanced
Character
Basic
Intermediate
- Seamless IKFK Arm Setup
- Real Time Character Modeling Tutorial
- Facial Animation Rig for Delgo
- HUMAN INDIRECT SKINNING WITH FREE-FORM DEFORMERS I
- Bone Setup for a Dragon
- Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation
- Character Setup for Real-Time in Maya 3.0
- MAKING AN ADVANCED LEG SKELETON
- Character Setup for Real-Time in Maya 3.0
Advanced
Development
Basic
Intermediate
Dynamics/FX
Basic
Intermediate
- Use nCloth to animate a scroll unrolling
- How to fade particle instancer
- How to make a realistic cable
- Dusty Text Created by Goals
- Instancers (Flying butterflies)
- Particle Morph
- Particle Replacement of Geometry Script
- Pen writing on paper (Maya paint effects)
- Generating Golden Particles
- Using Expressions in Maya 7: goalWeight and goalWorldPositionPP.
- Emit Geometry from a Point Emitter
- The Smoking Maya Tutorial:
- Organic Modeling and Animation – Part Two (IK Setu
- Maya|Dynamics – Interparticle Collisions
- Dynamic Constraints
- Surface Emitted Particles on SoftBody Tenticles
- PaintFX Hair
- Colliding Softies with Rigids:
- Creating a Missile Trail
- Creating the logo effect from Matrix
- Working With Macromolecular Data in Maya: DNA
Game Related
Advanced
General
Basic
Intermediate
Import Export
Modeling-Nurbs
Basic
Intermediate
- Modeling a Bottle
- Seamless Modeling in Maya part1 – An Introduction
- Seamless Modeling in Maya part 2 – Heads, Hands, C
- Seamless Modeling in Maya part 3 – Dogs Body
- How to create a realistic looking turtle – Modelin
- How to create a realistic looking turtle – Modelin
- How to patchmodel a head in Maya
- Creating an Eyelash
- Multi-Patch Model Tesselation
- Patch Model a Head in Maya – Part 1
- Patch Model a Head in Maya – Part 2
- Modeling Using Connect Poly Shape
- Modeling a NURBS head (General Concept Tutorial)
- Organic Modeling and Animation – Part One (Modeling)
Modeling-Polygon
Basic
Intermediate
- UV mapping Techniques and workflow
- Realistic Human Ear, Build 30
- Dave Ks Poly Head Modeling Tutorial
- How to model a screwdriver and render it with mental ray
- Realistic Eye Modeling for 3D Characters
- Realistic Ear Modelling
- Modeling a POLYGON Head
- Subdivision Modeling of a Human
- Modeling a Human Ear
- Process for Modeling a (poly) Sub Division Head
- How to split a polyset into individual polys:
- Faked polygonal MetaBalls / Objects
- Subdivision Surface Modeling Tutorial
- Modeling a Head with Subdivision Emulation in Maya
- Modeling a Star Wars Walker
Paint FX
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
Render/Lighting – General
Basic
- Rendering Wireframe Using ToonShader
- Realistic cobblestone texture with normal, spec, AO maps using CrazyBump
- Batch Tool for rendering and file processing
- Simple lighting effects that really look cool
- Building a DOF Camera
- compositing 101 – if you dont know this it will change your life
- Spotlight Fog
- Rendering several maya scenes and cameras
- Generating and using normal maps in Maya
- Light Linking using 3 point lighting
- Mental Ray Contours
- Locator Controlled Depth of Field
Intermediate
- Maya Optics _ COLOR
- Create a Realistic Tree in Maya
- A Designers Tutorial in using Image Based Illumination and High Dynamic Range Imagery
- The Fisheye Camera
- Compositing Backlighting
- Maya to Lightscape
- Camera/Light texture projection (like in PA)
- How to bake shadows in Maya
- Faking radiosity in Maya
- make Z_Channel form veiwport by hardware render
- Randomly Shuffled Texture Tiles
- Desk Lamp using Fog, Decay Regions and Intensity C
- Shadow Pass in MtoR (BackPlane)
- MentalRay for Maya Tessellation
Advanced
GI
Mental Ray
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
Renderman
Shaders
Basic
Intermediate
- Wireframe Render
- Subsurface Scattering: Using the Misss_Fast_Simple_Maya shader
- Z-Depth in After Effects
- Faking ray-traced shadows with depth-map shadows
- Realistic Snow
- How to create a Wet Shader in Maya
- How to render a real volume in Maya
- BACKLIGHT SHADER
- Creating motion-blurred shadows in Maya
- Angle-based Hue Falloff for Maya Lights
Scripting- MEL
Basic
- How to make a fun pause screen using mel
- Conversational MEL Part 1
- Conversational MEL Part 2
- Conversational MEL Part 3
- The Unix Shell for vfx artists
- Random Rotation of Objects using MEL
- Writing a procedure that measures the distance in between two transforms
- Mel How-To: The ultimate Q&A for MEL
- MEL Tips & Tricks: Volume 1 – Harness The Power
Intermediate
Textures
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
Using Tools/Scripts
Basic
Intermediate
Creative COW
- [digital] Cinematography & Directing by Dan Ablan
- Animating a Ribbon with Maya
- Maya 6 Killer Tips
- Creating Hair in Maya
- 3D Graphics & Animation, Second Edition
- Particle Basics
- Half-tone Effect
- Managing Projects
- Maya Logo part 1
- Maya Logo part 2
- Impressionist Paint FX using Fur
- Texturing, Lighting, and Rendering in Maya
- Understanding Nurbs primitives in Maya
- MAYA CHARACTER CREATION: Modeling and Animation Controls by Chris Maraffi
- MAYA Secrets of the Pros
- Kino Gil reviews: Deep Paint 3D with Texture Weapons
- Animation Writing and Development: from Script Development to Pitch
- Stop Staring
- Learning Maya 7 Book Bundle
- A Guide to Computer Animation for tv, games multimedia and web by Marcia Kuperberg
- Jannis Labelle reviews Digital Lighting & Rendering
- Mastering Maya 8.5
- Pullback from Earth to Outer Space
- Creating the 3D Ribbon Effect
- Digital Texturing & Painting by Owen Demers
- Adam Tracksler reviews: Essential CG Lighting Techniques By Darren Booker
- An Adventure in Photogrammetry
Expert Villiage
Matt Nichols
- What is Autodesk Maya?
- Using Vertexes & Edges in Maya
- Using UV Mapping in Maya
- Using Subdivision Surfaces in Maya
- Using Snapping in Maya
- Using Sculpting Geometry in Maya
- Using Pivot Points in Maya
- Using Materials in Maya
- Using Lighting in Maya
- Using Image Maps in Maya
- Creating Primitives in Maya
- Using Faces in Maya
- Using Basic Animation in Maya
- Using 3D Navigation in Maya
- Types of Geometry Used in Maya
- Setting up a New Project in Maya
- Rendering Movies in Maya.
- Rendering Images in Maya
- Doing Basic Transformations in Maya
- Doing Advanced Transformations in Maya
Gautam Vaid
- What is Autodesk Maya?
- Using Tools to Make Models in Autodesk Maya
- Tips on 2D & 3D Modeling
- How to Use Time Slider in Autodesk Maya
- How to Use Key Frame for Movement: Part 1
- How to Use Key Frame for Movement: Part 2
- How to Use Key Frame for Movement: Part 3
- How to Use Key Frame for Movement: Part 4
- How to Start & Configure Maya
- How to Set the Time Slider in Autodesk Maya
- How to Select Tools in Autodesk Maya
- How to Model a Polygon in Autodesk Maya
- How to Make Models in Autodesk Maya
- How to Make a Sphere in Autodesk Maya
- How to Make a Plane in Autodesk Maya
- How to Make a Cylinder, Rectangle & Pyramid
- How to Change Views in Autodesk Maya
- How to Add Movement in Autodesk Maya: Part 1
- How to Add Movement in Autodesk Maya: Part 2
- How to Add Movement in Autodesk Maya: Part 3
- Control Nodes of Models in Autodesk Maya
- Common Tools Used in Autodesk Maya
- Bones Points of Models in Autodesk Maya
- Autodesk Maya Interface & Menu Detail
- Autodesk Maya Animation Tips
Tutorialized
Animation Tutorials
- Grabbing and Releasing Objects the Easy Way
- Animation Key Frames & The Dope Sheet
- reciprocating engine mechanism with using simple expressions and constrains
- Dynamic Camera via Maya Hair
- camera work with the motion path
- cluster animation
- The basics of the Graph Editor
- A piston animation with driven key
- the animation of two gears
- Making eyelid rig with driven keys and expressions
- Learn Maya 3D Nonlinear Deformers Part I – Bend
- Learn Maya 3D Nonlinear Deformers Part II- Flare
- Learn Maya 3D Nonlinear Deformers Part III – Sine
- Learn Maya 3D Nonlinear Deformers Part IV – Squash
- Learn Maya 3D Nonlinear Deformers Part V – Twist Deformer
- Learn Maya 3D Nonlinear Deformers Part VI – Wave Deformer
- Creating a Stormy Ocean Animation in Maya
- Animation Grab & Move Object
- Flying butterfly animation – Tutorial for beginners
- Rigging Computer Mouse
- Making eyelid rig with driven keys and expressions using Autodesk Maya
- animate chain earring
- Model a Rocket with Particle Trail in Maya
- [Video] Use Maya Expression to Create Clock Animation
- Muscle Rigging
- [Video]Understanding Maya 3D Piston Tutorial
- Animation Layers for Maya
- Muscle Rigging
- 3D Short Production Process-The Making of Dragon Slayer
- Rotating Wheels on a Car – Maya Tutorial
- Creating A Missile Animation in Maya Using Instancers
- Creating a Flowing Water Effect in Maya (Using Particles)
- Maya Pivot Point Basics
- Animating Piano Key
- Domino Effect
- Flipping Sosro Crown
- Animation of a Ball
- Object to Surface Constraints in Maya
- Dynamic camera-setup
- The Camera Shaker
- Setup and animation of a modeled head
- Animating Tank Treads
- Anatomy of a walk
- Lipsynch: Phoneme Examples
- Lipsynch: Mouth Shapes
- Animating a Yo-Yo
- Wing Animation
- Arm set-up with IK/FK
- dreamLipSync Script
- Point and Aim Constraints together?
- My First Expression
- Rolling Ellipse
- Rolling Ellipse part 2: Wacky Vehicle
- Moving Tentacles
- Non-Linear Animation in Production
Character Setup
- facial animation with Wire Deformers
- character setup (1): skeleton and skinning
- character setup (2): adjusting skin weights
- character setup (3): IK handle
- character setup (4): facial animation
- Riggin a Movable Pivot Control in Maya
- How to influence an object
- Stretchy Arm Skeleton
- Maya Tutorial Muscle Rigging Tutorial
- [Video]Maya Rigging Examples and Tutorial
- [Video]Maya Blendshapes Tutorial
- Character Rigging in Maya – Part 1
- Character Rigging in Maya – Part 2
- Character Rigging In Maya – Part 3
- Wrap Skinning for Bone
- Part 1: Skeletons
- Part 2: Reverse Foot
- Part 3: The Spine
- Advanced Character Setup
Effects Tutorials
- twinkle effects
- Guide to maya effects
- Rigid Bodies & Gravity
- Maya Dynamics Video Series
- making fireworks with particle
- explosion using particle instancer
- basics of particle expressions
- basics of particle
- Creating optimized caustics in Maya Mray
- Blastcode Introduction
- How to Make Realistic Clouds using Maya Fluids
- Growing Flowers in Maya
- VIDEO TUTORIAL: ZDepth & Height GrayScale represention
- Rendering In Layers in Maya
- Falling leaves with nCloth and Paint Effects
- Baking Ambient Occlusion Using Mental Ray
- Interparticle Collisions
- Destructing the wall using rigid bodies and particles
- Surface Emitted Particles on SoftBody Tenticles
- PaintFX Hair
- Creating a Missile Trail
Getting Started
- Using The Outliner
- rendering animation
- Introduction to the Maya 8 Interface – by Noesis Interactive
- Camera rig for automatic DOF calculation and setup
- [Video]Maya Transform Component Tool-Beginner Tutorial
- [Video]Import Adobe Illustrator File Into Maya from Photoshop
- [Video]Extruding Text Curves in Maya Manually
Lighting
- Studio Lighting in Autodesk Maya 2009
- Maya Lighting Video Series
- Creating Natural Light
- Lighting For Maya Software
- Final Gather
- Creating A Clean Gray Colored Rendering
- Create a glass effect using casutics in maya
- Fast rendering Mental Ray basics
- Create Interior Design with Maya
- Creating Releastic Candle Flames
- Getting started with MentalRay Final Gather
- HDR Lighting in Maya using HDR Shop
- Using Sun and Sky in mental ray with Maya
- Light Tutorial – Part 1
- Light Tutorial – Part 2
- Light Tutorial – Part 3
- Using Sun and Sky in Mental Ray
- Displacement Power in Reyes Mode-True Displacement
- Final Gathering in Maya MentalRay
Modeling
- polygon modeling (1) basic operation
- polygon modeling (2) operation of the polygon mesh
- polygon modeling (3) Subdiv Proxy
- Connecting A Chain To A Curve
- Creating a Next-Gen Environment Setting
- Making of Sohrab
- Subdiv Modeling Basics – Part 1
- Modeling a Face
- Making of Gladiator
- How to build a game car
- Modeling Morgane
- Depth of Field
- Modeling Saw
- Modeling Skateboard
- Modeling Toilet
- 3D Street Lamp Modeling
- Modeling a Simple Chair
- Modeling Drawer Chest
- Modeling Stool
- Modeling End Table
- fishing hook modeling Maya Video Tutorial
- extrude face using a curve with maya
- Modeling Kempston Pro Joystick
- Creating dynamic mud effect in Maya using soft body
- Different Approach to Wine Glass Modelling
- Maya High Poly Modelling Dice
- Modeling and UV mapping a simple house in maya
- Street Cop Workflow – 3D Character Modeling
- Introduction to Custom Props with Maya and Source – by Noesis Interactive
- Modeling Cartoon Monster – One Eye
- Modeling Chess Pawn- Knight
- Creating a tea cup in maya
- Maya & XSI modelling on Nokia mobile phones
- Modeling Orc Head
- Modeling USB Flash
- Modelng Mail Box
- Modeling Hydrant
- Modeling Naruto Chibi
- Modeling & Rigging 4 Legs Robot
- Modeling Garbage Can
- Modeling reading table – Tutorial for beginners
- Making of Tiger Zoo
- Making of Trapped
- Making of Male Green Frog
- Maya Modelling Hammer Tutorial
- Modeling a table lamp – Tutorial for beginners
- Basic Modeling and UV Mapping a Cigarette Box Basic Modeling and UV Mapping a Cigarette Box
- Star Wars Hailfire Droid
- Tea cup modeling and rendering with Mental RAY – Part one
- Easy way to create a coin in Maya 3D
- Create 3D heart model in Maya
- Maya to Mudbox Workflow Part 1 (Video)
- Maya to Mudbox Workflow Part 2 (Video)
- Maya to Mudbox Workflow Part 3 (Video)
- Maya to Mudbox Workflow Part 4 (Video)
- Maya to Mudbox Workflow Part 5 (Video)
- Maya to Mudbox Workflow Part 6 (Video)
- Modeling Kempston Pro Joystick using Autodesk Maya
- Making of Varga-3D Character Model Normal Mapping in Maya-Part 1
- Making of Varga-3D Character Model Normal Mapping in Maya-Part 2
- Making of the Giant
- Creating Gears in Maya
- Rubber Tire, material, texture make it real
- Indian Hookah Pipe
- Table Cloth material
- Table Vase and flowers
- Polygone Watch
- Realistic Looking Onion
- Coffee Cup
- Chrome Car Rims
- full human character modeling
- Duplicate Along a Curve in Maya – Tip&Trick
- [Video] ZBrush3 Wolverine 3D Modeling – Part1
- [Video] ZBrush3 Wolverine 3D Modeling – Part2
- [Video] ZBrush3 Wolverine 3D Modeling – Part3
- [Video] ZBrush3 Wolverine 3D Modeling – Part4
- [Video] ZBrush3 Wolverine 3D Modeling – Part5
- 3D animation tutorial
- Basic Blend Shapes controls
- ZBrush 3 Timelapse
- Making of the Lady of Shalott
- [Video]Maya Tutorial Reorienting Cluster
- [Video]Maya Modeling Tutorial – Knurl
- Simple Method of Creating a Diamond in 3D
- Making a Giraffe in Maya
- Model a Rocket with particle trail
- Using Bump Map to Sculpt Details
- The Making of Slow Decay – Maya Tutorial
- Photorealistic model of a nut in Maya
- Sprite – Based Particle Trees
- –Maya– How to model using some non-linear deformers
- Creating and Saving Custom Shelves in Maya
- Extruding Text/Curves in Maya
- First subdivision polygon maya 8
- Making Sword using Nurbs
- Creating CG nature
- Creating Gears that actually work with maya and MEL
- Creating an Axe Using Nurbs In Maya
- Chain gun in Maya tutorial
- Making a battleship in Maya
- Making of a Spaceship: Part 1
- maya nurbs modellig a lantern
- Creating a Polygon Medival Tower
- Creating a Low Poly Dragon
- Using Smooth Bind
- Modeling an LCD Screen In Maya
- Modeling own characters using NURBS
- NURBS surfaces conversion to Pixar RAT Subdivision surfaces
- Model a GIRAFFE From a Polygonal Cube
- Model a Polygonal Elephant
- Model a Seamless NURBS Human Character
- Jaguar Creation (Model,UV Map and Texture)
- High Dynamic Range Imaging
- Chalice
- Instancing without instance
- Create the Maya Logo
- Creating a Lab
- Attaching NURBS Surfaces Cleanly
- Beginners guide to Modelling
- SubDivision Surfaces: Modeling a human hand
- Stitching Surfaces, Patchmodeling for Organic forms (NURBS)
- Modeling a Polygon Head
- Modeling a Human Ear
- Patch model a head
Scripting
Textures and Materials
- Creating Displacement , Normal & Bump Map
- making eyeballs and building the materials (1) simple method
- making eyeballs and building the materials (2) advanced method
- Creating Next-Gen Environment Textures
- making hair
- Uv mapping basics video tutorial
- material animation
- attribute animation
- Making of PhotoRealistic Actress In 3D
- Realistic Tree Texture
- How to attach multiple bump nodes to an object in Maya?
- Tea cup modeling and rendering with Mental RAY – Part three
- Tea cup modeling and rendering with Mental RAY – Part two
- rendering glass
- Rendering in Layers in Maya
- Using Projection Mapping in Maya
- Breaking Subsurface Scattering into Render Layers in Maya
- Making Low Poly Game Character Hair
- Fast and Easy SSS Fake in Maya
- [Video]Texture Painting in SoftImageXSI – Part 1
- [Video]Texture Painting in SoftImageXSI – Part 2
- Use Maya Transfer Maps Tools to Create Normal Maps
- GeoUV – Texture Map Hand
- GeoUV – Texture Map Tree
- UV Smoothing in Maya
- Free Maya Video Tutorials by Dover Studio
- Baking an Ambient Occlusion
- Creating Double Sided Materials
- Making Eye Texture
- Lava shader effect
- Simulating Cloth in Maya
- Using Shading Switch in Hypershade
- Cloth Material
- Raytrace Shadows with Transparent Texture Files
- Ugly Character UV Map
- Shadow Passes with MTOR
- Using Ribbox in MTOR
- Animated Shaders with MTOR
- Seamless texturing: Part 3 of Creating a realistic looking turtle
- How to paint on Subdivision Surface
- How to create a Wet Shader
- Seamless texturing: Part 3 of Creating a realistic looking turtle
- Creating motion-blurred shadows
- Faking ray-traced shadows with depth-map shadows
- Putting a label on a bottle
- Metallic Shaders
Tips and Techniques
- Rendering Wireframe Using ToonShader
- Creating a soft-body flag in Maya
- animate wings using deformers
- mia_roundCorners mental ray node – new in maya 8.5
- ZDepth & Height GrayScale representation in maya
- Maya 3d and Mudbox Tutorial
- Creating a spaceship fleet using particle instance
- Using Projection Mapping in Maya
- Tips for Managing 3D Animation Projects
- Pixar Photorealistic RenderMan – Artist tools (RAT) handbook – Displacement power in Reyes mode.
- Slicing effect using ramps in Maya
- Virtual Set Extension
- Compositing Backlighting
CG Tutorials
- Maya Essentials – Interactive Creations
- Maya Essentials – Converting Primitives
- Maya Essentials – Channel Box
- Maya Essentials – Polygon Attributes
- Basic Rendering with Maya
- Grabbing and Releasing Objects the Easy Way
- Maya Basics
- Digital Tutors :: Set Dressing
- Excel Charts – How to Make and Format
- 3d marble tomb model tutorial
- Making of the Cursed Pirate

















6 Comments
hi this is vijay kumar i am learning the animation in india
i need these tutorials how can i have it can u tell me plz
what a list of maya tutorial this is a amazing has everything but some of the links are dead
Pretty nice list you got there.
If you ever wanna check out some free quaility video tutorials for maya, you should check out my site at:
http://poly-face.com/tutorials.php
this is the best website that can help a designer. amazing. thanks for sharing
Nice collection of Maya tutorials at one place. Thanks a lot for taking so much time to collect such a nice links
Nice list :)
I’m making some tutorials at my site aswell, if you wanna check out some new ones:
http://poly-face.com
/Dennis