Conoce la interfaz de Maya

How is the Maya interface divided?

Maya 2020 is a very popular software in the 3D design industry due to its versatility. Understanding its interface is essential to optimize your workflow within the program. When you open Maya, you will encounter an interface divided into three main parts: the menu bar, the viewport and the controllers and scripting options.

What is the menu bar?

The menu bar is the heart of the software, providing shortcuts and menus that change depending on the stage of the pipeline you are working on. At the top, you will find the standard menus such as file, edit and preferences. Each section of the workflow (modeling, rigging, etc.) has its own specific menus, making it easy to switch between tasks:

• Modeling: affects specific options for modeling.
• Rigging: provides exclusive tools for rigging.

How does the Shelf work?

The Shelf is a customizable toolbar that stores the most common tools for each section. In the Shelf you can, for example, create a cube in the same way you would go to the polygon primitive creation menu. This functionality speeds up the access to frequently used tools.

How to handle the viewport?

The viewport is the main window where you can observe and manipulate your 3D models. It is divided into three parts:

How to use the toolbox?

The toolbox on the left side of the viewport is fundamental. It contains arrows for selection and transformation tools:

• Selection: Click on the object or Q key.
• Move: Click or W key.
• Rotate: E key.
• Scale: R key.

Using these shortcuts helps you to work efficiently.

What are the viewport submenus?

The submenus allow you to modify the viewport:

• View: Change cameras or insert images.
• Show: Filter the visible elements, either show only polygons or specific curves.
• Isolate Select: Isolate an object to facilitate its modification (Ctrl + 1 as shortcut).

What roles do the outliner and the channel box play?

To the left of the viewport is the outliner, which is a written structure of all the elements of your scene. This facilitates organization in complex scenes and helps to locate elements quickly.

The channel box on the right shows the specific attributes of an object, such as coordinates and scales, allowing you to modify numeric values directly.

What is the Attribute Editor?

The Attribute Editor is similar to the channel box but offers more advanced options, such as material settings and rendering options. It is especially useful for defining how an object will look and behave in the scene.

How to use the controllers and the script editor?

At the bottom of the interface you find the animation controls and scripting options. The script editor provides feedback on errors in the scene, helping to identify problems through red messages that describe the error in detail.

With this overview of Maya 2020, you will be better equipped to move through its complex interface, use its tools properly and continue to deepen your 3D modeling skills.