Autodesk Inventor Training on Multimedia DVDs

· Autodesk Inventor Training
This Inventor training DVD will teach students how to leverage Inventor to perform 3D mechanical design, product simulation, tooling creation, design communication, and much more. It provides over 27 hours of instructor-led training covering 326 individual topics and includes project files that can be used to follow along with the instructor.

· Autodesk Courses - view a complete list of other Autodesk courses.

What is Autodesk Maya? How is Maya used?

Are you interested in knowing what Autodesk Maya is? Are you also interested in getting information on how to use Maya to create 3D models and animations? We have provided answers to these questions below and also information on some of the best training resources for learning how to use Maya.

What is Autodesk Maya?

Autodesk Maya is an industry leading 3D animation software application developed by Autodesk that enables video professionals who work with animated film, television programs, visual effects, and video games to create highly professional three-dimensional (3D) cinematic animations. Prior to two-dimensional (2D) and 3D animation software, manual hand animation tools such as drawing paper and pencils, erasers, paints and brushes, light tables, and transparencies only offered a subset of what can now be done with programs such as Maya. Maya 1.0 was originally developed and released in 1998 by Alias Wavefront and seven years later in 2005, Autodesk, Inc. acquired Maya and renamed it to "Autodesk Maya". Since its original release, Maya has become widely used in the film industry to create graphics for Academy Award winning films such as Rango and Hugo. Maya is also becoming more widely used in the video game industry to create visual effects for games such as Call of Duty and Halo. Maya includes MEL, short for Maya Embedded Language, and Python scripting, which both allow you to take advantage of its open architecture by programming complicated or repetitive commands. These programmed commands help to save valuable time and also offer a method of sharing them with others who might find them useful. In the film and television industry, Maya is the de facto standard for 3D visual effects, computer graphics, and character animation.

How is Maya used?

Maya is used by creative professionals across many industries to do everything from producing visual effects for promotional television commercials to creating complex animations and effects for Transformers: Dark of the Moon; a blockbuster film where over 30 stereoscopic 3D sequences were produced using Maya – including transformations of Autobots from common vehicles to robotic wonders as well as highly detailed facial animations of the robots. Maya has many uses and is even being leveraged by industries beyond the television and film fields. For example, video game companies may use the scene assembly and modeling tools within Maya to create realistic environmental elements such as trees, foliage, and rocks, as well as organic locations and terrain that are found in major game releases such as Medal of Honor and Uncharted. In the case of car design companies, Maya software may be used to create 3D concept models as well as detailed shape plans and interior design components that can then be shared with and reviewed by clients as digital prototypes. In the case of architectural design companies, Maya may be used to move beyond the typical architectural design and visualization limits by leveraging features such as Subdivision Surfacing modeling to create complex architectural forms with realistic programmatic elements. Ultimately, Maya enables companies to design and produce stunning 3D models, animations, and visual effects using its highly efficient and streamlined toolsets. This, in turn, increases productivity, enhances creativity for artists who want to push the envelope, and significantly reduces the time it takes to confidently finish complex projects.

Maya is an animation and modeling program used to create three-dimensional ( 3-D ), full-motion effects. Maya incorporates the natural laws of physics to control the behavior of virtual objects in computer animation. Maya can produce videos that are more life-like than has been possible with less sophisticated programs. Versions are available for both IBM-compatible and Macintosh operating systems.

Until the development of Maya (and similar programs such as Fizt ), realistic rendering of certain natural effects, such as smoke blowing in a breeze, the rotation of clouds and dust in a tornado, or the sag and movement of clothing caused by gravity, was difficult or impossible to achieve. In addition to simulating the movements of objects and particles, Maya makes it possible to portray emotions in animated characters by enhancing facial expressions and the realism of body language. Some technical people at animation studios have begun taking courses in Maya. The program has been used in numerous movies, including Twister and Stuart Little.

What is 3D printing

3 D Printing is an additive manufacturing process that creates a physical object from a digital design. There are different 3D printing technologies and materials you can print with, but all are based on the same principle: a digital model is turned into a solid three-dimensional physical object by adding material layer by layer.

In this guide you’ll find everything you need to know about 3D printing, starting with the very basics before diving deeper to give you expert knowledge that’ll be essential once you decide to get started.

How does 3D printing work?

Every 3D print starts as a digital 3D design file – like a blueprint – for a physical object. Trying to print without a design file is like trying to print a document on a sheet of paper without a text file. This design file is sliced into thin layers which is then sent to the 3D printer.

From here on the printing process varies by technology, starting from desktop printers that melt a plastic material and lay it down onto a print platform to large industrial machines that use a laser to selectively melt metal powder at high temperatures. The printing can take hours to complete depending on the size, and the printed objects are often post-processed to reach the desired finish.

Available materials also vary by printer type, ranging from plastics to rubber, sandstone, metals and alloys - with more and more materials appearing on the market every year.