Author › George Maestri

Learn the basic physics and motion principles that lie behind your 2D or 3D world, and time-tested techniques for bringing your animations to life.

Learn about shading and lighting realistic 3D renders with Cycles.

Covers the basics of rendering and lighting tools in Maya.

Focuses on the basics of animating in Maya, including setting keyframes, working with animation editors, and automating animation with constraints and simple rigs.

Introduces the basics of creating Maya materials, the skins on 3D objects that lend them color, transparency, and texture.

Provides a thorough introduction to the NURBS modeling toolkit, a foundational aspect of 3D modeling.

Delves into the theory behind popular polygonal modeling techniques in Maya, then walks through the basic process of creating objects, modifying them, and working with subdivision surfaces.

Introduces designers to the Maya environment and shows them how to move objects and keep scenes organized.

Employs the basic principles of animation to bring to life simple 3D characters.

Provides a basic introduction to rigging theory, plus details of how to create professional 3D characters in Maya.

Provides an overview of modeling, animating, and rendering 3D graphics in the open-source software Blender 2.6.

Create and animate highly controllable characters using After Effects.

Explains how to model and render 3D objects and scenes using Google SketchUp 8.

Shows how to animate 3D characters in Maya utilizing the basic principles of animation.

Demonstrates the tools and feature set in Maya 2011, including the skills necessary to model, texture, animate, and render projects.

Explores the significant and robust feature set in Maya 2011 that add functionality to its 3D workflows.

Demonstrates how to use MatchMover, Toxik, and Backburner with Maya’s existing powerful feature set to create engaging 3D animations.

Shows professional users of Google's popular 3D modeling software how to create compelling 3D graphics.

Reviews the major enhancements to Google's free, user-friendly 3D modeling software.

Teaches universal principles of animation, as well as how to use After Effects and Flash to apply all the tricks of the trade.

Explores the upgrades to the interface and covers soft selection and other modeling tools.

Covers topics from the basics of the interface to bringing models to life with complex animation.

Design expert George Maestri teaches the foundations of SketchUp's drawing, design, and rendering tools.

Follows the creation of a short animated film, from storyboard through final output, using After Effects CS3.

Covers all areas of Maya 2008, from general workflows to specific modeling and rendering techniques.

An overview of rigging, character geometry, and topology, plus details of how to create professional 3D characters in Maya.

Explores Maya 8, including the improved interface, creating surfaces, texturing, adding light, and making motion trails.

Guides new users through the features of this robust 3D modeling and animation application.

George Maestri covers everything needed to texture, light, and render realistic scenes in 3ds max.

Learn the steps needed to model a complete human character, as well as a realistic automobile.

Teaches the fundamentals of character animation, from basic movement to advanced dialogue animation.

Steps through rigging an entire human character for animation.

Become comfortable with the basic features and techniques of Discreet 3ds Max 6.