Autodesk Maya is a software used in the process of generating animation, modeling, simulation, rendering, and compositing of the 3D models used in film, television, game development and architecture.
Autodesk Maya was used in the creation of many movies like; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Avatar, Finding Nemo, Up, Monsters, Inc., Hugo, Rango, and Frozen. It was also used in the creation of many TV shows like; Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time, Bones, Futurama, Boardwalk Empire and South Park. Autodesk Maya was also used in the creation of games like Halo, Call of Duty and many others.
This post is a road map for those who’re willing to start learning Autodesk Maya online for free. The post will present and compare between the top free online sources where beginners can start learning Autodesk Maya for free, it’s worth noting that the sources stated in this post are full structured courses so you won’t find a link to s single video or a group of unrelated tutorials.
Start Learning Autodesk Maya Online for Free from Scratch
3D By Buzz
3D By Buzz is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk Maya through video tutorials; you don’t need to register in order to have access to the video tutorials.
Structure: The course is divided into 47 lessons/video tutorials; each lesson covers a certain topic in Autodesk Maya.
Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed the Vimeo page of that lesson where you can start the video.
Pros
- Free.
- The course is well-structured and organized for beginners.
- The course covers most of the topics that beginners should be aware of in order to start using Autodesk Maya.
Cons
- The course covers an old version of Autodesk Maya though that won’t be a big problem for beginners.
Verdict: This’s the best place for any beginner to start learning Maya, as the instructor starts from the software interface then covers most of the topics beginners should be familiarized with in order to start using the software.
Maya Learning Channel
Maya Learning Channel is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk Maya; this’s the official YouTube Maya channel.
Structure: The getting started training consists of 6 videos that cover the very basics of Autodesk Maya, of course there are other tutorials that covers the different aspects of the software like Modeling, Animation, etc.
Pros
- Free.
- The course is well-structured for beginners.
Cons
- The main drawback of this outlet is that the tutorials aren’t organized in a proper way for beginners.
Verdict: This’s an excellent source to learn Autodesk Maya, though the organization of the tutorials makes it not suitable for complete beginners.
World of Level Design
World of Level Design is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk Maya for free. You don’t need to register in order to have access to the video tutorials.
Structure: The course is divided into 10 lessons; each lesson covers certain topics in Autodesk Maya, what’s unique about this outlet is that the source is available as video as well as text which is very helpful for revision purposes.
Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in from the menu and you’ll be directed to the window of the lesson where you shall find the video and the text tutorial.
Pros
- Free.
- The course is well-structured and organized for beginners.
- The course is available as video as well as text.
Cons
- The course only covers the very basics of Autodesk Maya, and it’s more suitable for those who’re using other software and want to know Autodesk Maya capabilities.
Verdict: This outlet is suitable for those who want to get a glimpse of Autodesk Maya.
Creative Applications
Creative Applications is the fourth free online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk Maya through video tutorials; this outlet doesn’t require registering in order to have access to the video tutorials.
Structures: The course is divided into 5 sections; each section has a video that covers various topics in Autodesk Maya (e.g. modeling section, animation section, etc.).
Interface: You click on the section you’re interested in from the menu and you’ll be directed to that section’s window where the course resides.
Pros
- Free.
- The course is well-organized for beginners.
Cons
- It’s similar to “World of Level Design” as the training only covers the very basics of Autodesk Maya.
Verdict: The course only covers the very basics of Autodesk Maya, and it’s more suitable for those who’re using other software and want to know Autodesk Maya capabilities, or for those who want to get an overview about the software.
Digital Art Guild
Digital Art Guild is fifth free online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk Maya through video tutorials, as the other outlets you don’t need to register in order to have access to the training.
Structure: The training is divided into 5 tutorials, each tutorial covers certain topics in Autodesk Maya, the training is more of a “learn by doing”.
Interface: The interface is very simple just click on the video and you’ll be directed to a new window where you shall play the video.
Pros
- Free.
- The course is well-structured and organized for beginners.
Cons
- As the above two trainings, this outlet only covers the very basics of Autodesk Maya.
Verdict: There are other outlets that covers more topics in Autodesk Maya than this outlet.
Autodesk
Autodesk is the sixth free online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk Maya through text-based tutorials. Unlike the other trainings and tutorials; Autodesk website has text only tutorials for Maya.
Structure: the training is divided into 20 sections; each section is divided into lessons that cover certain topics in Autodesk Maya. As stated previously this outlet has text only tutorials.
Interface: The interface is very simple, just select the lesson you’re interested in from the drop down menu and the lesson will appear on the right hand side of the screen.
Pros
- Free.
- Covers every aspect beginners should e familiarized with in order to start learning Autodesk Maya.
Cons
- The biggest drawback is that the tutorials are text only which might be a problem for many beginners.
Verdict: This outlet is suitable for those who prefer text-based tutorials.
Bottom Line
The recipe for learning Autodesk Maya from scratch for free
- If you prefer video tutorials then 3D By Buzz is the best place to start from.
- If you prefer text tutorials then Autodesk is the best place to start from.
- If you’re using other software and you want to know the capabilities of Autodesk Maya then World of Level Design is your best choice.
Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in Autodesk Maya.