MAYA Animation Teaching Document

In the context of the rapid development of virtual reality (VR) technology, 3D animation production tools have become indispensable for creating immersive virtual environments.

Among these tools, Autodesk Maya stands out as an industry leader, widely used in film, games, and advertising. Alongside C4D, 3ds Max, and Unity, Maya supports the full workflow from model design, material processing, skeleton binding, to animation and rendering, playing a crucial role in VR-based character, scene, and interactive animation.

In this course, we will focus on animation production using Autodesk Maya, covering:

• Importing character models
• Setting keyframe animation
• Editing animation curves
• Using AI linkage and retargeting in the intelligent era

1. Overview of Maya Interface

Before animating, it’s essential to understand Maya’s interface and basic tools.

Main Interface Layout

• View Window: Center of the screen for 3D scene viewing/editing; multiple perspectives (front, top, etc.)
• Toolbar: On the left; includes tools like
  Select (Q), Move (W), Rotate (E), Scale (R)
• Timeline: Bottom of the screen for setting and viewing keyframe animations

2. Preparation and Import of Character Model

Before animating:

• Go to File > Import to bring in your character model (.obj, .fbx, etc.)
• Check the Outliner to view all scene objects and hierarchies

  (useful for managing bones and geometry layers)

3. Setting Character Animation Keyframes

Keyframes are the foundation of animation.

Timeline Setup

• Set frame rate (typically 24fps) and time range (start/end frames)
• Use:
  
  • ← / → to move between frames
  • Spacebar to switch views or preview animation

Insert Keyframes

• Select a part of the model (e.g., arm or leg)
• Choose properties in the Channel Box (e.g., Translate, Rotate)
• Press S to insert keyframes (highlighted in red on the timeline)

Shortcuts:
– S = Insert keyframes for all properties
– Shift + S = Insert for selected properties only

Example Process

1. Set initial pose on Frame 0 (e.g., standing)
2. Go to Frame 10 or 20 → adjust pose (e.g., lift arm)
3. Press S → repeat to build an animation sequence

4. Adjust the Animation Curve

Open Graph Editor

• Go to Windows > Animation Editors > Graph Editor

Edit Curves

• Select a property curve (e.g., Rotate Z)
• Adjust keyframe positions and curve shapes
• Use linear or smooth interpolation to control animation transitions

5. Preview and Export Animation

Preview

• Use the Play button below the timeline
• Shortcut: Alt + V
• Press Spacebar to switch to 4-view layout for better angle checking

Export

• Go to File > Export All or Export Selection
• Check the “Animation” option to include keyframes in export

6. Maya Animation Retargeting with AI

Maya offers HumanIK tools for animation retargeting, which allows transferring animations from one character to another.

This is especially useful with AI-generated animations from platforms like Mixamo.

Step 1: Create a HumanIK Role Controller

• Import your rigged character model
• In the HumanIK panel, check skeleton nodes
• If importing from other software, click “Create Character Definition” to manually bind bone points

Step 2: Match Target Role

• Open Content Browser → find Example → Motion Capture → FBX
• These built-in animations can be applied directly
• Set the source character in the HumanIK panel
• In the Source dropdown, select the animated source character
• The target character will now follow the source’s animation

Step 3: Using Mixamo (Optional)

• Download FBX format models/animations (bones without skin)
• In HumanIK, click “Create Character Definition”
• Use Define Skeleton to manually match bone points
• Click Lock after matching to secure the setup

Step 4: Redirect and Bake Animation

• Target character now displays the animation of the source
• Choose “Bake To Skeleton” or “Bake To Control Rig” to permanently apply the animation

Conclusion

This concludes our course on animation in Maya.
We’ve covered everything from basic keyframe animation to advanced AI-based retargeting.

Thanks for joining — and see you next time!