Maya Shaders Tutorial

A shader is an important aspect of rendering a 3D model.

Maya -- a 3D animation and graphics program -- has a host of tools that allow the user to model, texture, rig and animate figures in scenes they create. However, while the quality of the modeling of a figure or prop object in Maya is important to the resulting renders, just as important are the materials applied to them. A central aspect are shaders. Material textures are essentially painted surfaces applied to the shape of the model, but shaders determine how these materials will react to the lighting in the environment the model is placed in. Therefore, it is vital to have a basic understanding of the shader options in Maya.

Instructions

1. Open Maya. From the "Objects" menu, load a primitive cube.

2. Go to the "Rendering Shelf" palette. With the model selected, choose what shader type you want to use. Choose from Anisotropic, Blinn, Lambert, Phong, Phong E, Ramp Shader or Surface Shader. The button preview will give you some idea of the effect each will produce; effects range from creating a plastic or matte simulation. The one you pick will automatically be applied to the model.

3. Edit shader properties by selecting "Render Shelf" and clicking on the "Show Shading Group Button." This will open the "Attributes" palette right of the screen.

4. Click on the "Surface Material" tab. In the dialog that appears, you can make adjustments to different aspects of the shader, such as "Color" and "Transparency." There can be many other aspects to a shader, depending on the one you use.

References

• Tutorialized: How Shaders Work In Maya