Convert Maya files to open in older versions of Maya!

You’ve got a Maya 2018 file, but you need to import it into Maya 2014. Just trying to open it in 2014 doesn’t work. And if you export it as an FBX, you might lose a lot of important data, like lighting, materials, deformers, etc.

But there is a trick to convert Maya files to open in old versions of Maya!

Continue reading Convert Maya files to open in older versions of Maya!

Maya Face Rigging Basics – a Maya 2017 Character Setup Tutorial

Setting up a character’s body is one thing – but Maya face rigging is on a whole other level! It isn’t uncommon to have more joints in the face than in the rest of the body combined. In fact, you may end up with double or triple the number!

So how do we handle the complexity of all those joints, and the accompanying skin weighting issues it brings?
Continue reading Maya Face Rigging Basics – a Maya 2017 Character Setup Tutorial

Want to become a game artist? Specialize!

When I was looking to become a game artist back in the day, things were easy. Not many people knew the software, and even fewer were actually good artists! Breaking into the game industry then meant I was hired as an ‘artist’ – a catch-all position that meant that I would be doing a little of everything.

Nowadays the landscape is  completely different. Competition for game jobs is absolutely cut-throat. On top of that, 3D art is becoming every more complicated! How can a noob possibly make it?  Continue reading Want to become a game artist? Specialize!