12 Online Courses to Master 3D Modeling With Maya in 2022

Give free rein to your imagination and transform your ideas into 3D images and animations with these courses on Autodesk Maya

3D animation grabs the viewer’s eye and instantly transports them into another world. Perhaps that’s why the skills to conceptualize, model, rig, and animate 3D graphical elements are in high demand in film, gaming, advertising, and other design industries.

Thanks to software like Autodesk Maya, bringing characters and worlds to vivid life can be done in a variety of styles. From realistic to voxel art, Maya is a truly essential tool for animators.

In these twelve top Maya courses, industry professionals share their expertise from the very basics of using the software, to character modeling, animating a rig, and setting up scenes and cameras to get the perfect shot.

Courses to get started with Maya

1. Introduction to Autodesk Maya, a course by Miguel Miranda

Need help navigating and getting started with this powerful software? This Domestika Basics Introduction to Maya is led by 3D artist Miguel Miranda (@miguelmiranda) who has ten years of experience and specializes in character modeling.

You’ll cover the interface, model your first 3D objects, learn about topology, create and unwrap UVs, and finally try some rendering.

Courses to create characters in Maya

2. Creation of Characters and 3D Modeling with Maya, a course by Cecilia Meade

Cecilia Meade (@cecymeade) has created adorable characters for brands like Momiji and Facebook, and her art toy-like style is the perfect starting place for designing your very own characters that burst with life.

Throughout this character creation and 3D modeling course you’ll study her cute, playful style and go from paper sketch to modeled robot character using Maya and Adobe Photoshop.

3. Character Modeling in Maya, a course by Fer Aguilera Reyes

If you’re a fan of detailed, fantastical character art, then this is the 3D modeling course for you. Fer Aguilera Reyes (@feragui02) personalizes his methods to each unique creation, resulting in highly detailed and expressive characters. He has worked in different fields from advertising at Rockstar VFX to being a 3D generalist at Zebra Studio.

In this character modeling course you will model a complex, textured character design in Maya and move to post-production in Photoshop.

4. 3D Hair Creation with Maya XGen, a course by Juan Paulo Mardónez

Once your character's shapes are fully defined, it's time to add textures. Hair is a complex natural phenomenon and it can behave in ways that are tricky to capture when modeling.

If you want to ensure your 3D modeled animal characters are true-to-life, check out this course by Juan Paulo Mardónez (@jpmardonez), owner of Leyenda, an animation and VFX studio. You’ll learn how to model and light fur in a realistic way using a Maya version from 2018 or later.

5. 3D Character Design: From Drawing to Modeling, a course by Segun Samson

Your next step is to combine specialized software for each design step. Self-taught visual development artist Segun Samson (@segun_samson22) has worked with numerous studios including Triggerfish Animation and Dreamcast Animation, and combines multiple software applications to great effect.

In his 3D character design course, you’ll create a character concept for TV in 2D and 3D. Build your 2D character in Photoshop, before blocking out, sculpting, and rendering your protagonist on ZBrush and Maya.

Courses to build scenes and objects in Maya

6. Introduction to Hard Surface Modeling, a course by Victoria Passariello Fontiveros

This course is ideal for creating all kinds of robots, landscapes, vehicles, or elements that would be at home in any dystopian story or science fiction scene. It’s led by Victoria Passariello Fontiveros (@vickypassariello), who has worked on various video game projects (BattleTech and The Mandate), visual effects, trailers (Outriders, Destiny Warmind), and television series (Star Trek).

Through the course, Introduction to Hard Surface Modeling, you will create a robot design using 3ds Max, but it also applies to Maya.

7. Cartoon-Style Still Life Modeling with Maya, a course by Albert Valls Punsich

Albert Valls (@albert_valls_punsich) has worked in Framestore for big productions like Avengers: Infinity War, Thor: Ragnarok, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and he’ll be your guide throughout this course.

You’ll learn how to create your own 3D scene from scratch: starting from the idea, to blocking, and scene composition to the final render, setting up a mystical and enchanting 3D apothecary shelf covered with interesting objects.

8. Introduction to Voxel Art for Character Design, a course by Zach Soares

Zach Soares (@voxels) is a self-taught Voxel artist with almost a decade of experience. He’ll show you how to create complex characters and scenes using this iconic style with only 3D blocks!

Learn how to model, rig, and animate your Voxel character, going through scale and color technique, learning Zach’s blocking and animating methodology to create a mechanic character who interacts with her surroundings.

9. Design and Modeling of a 3D Sci-Fi Ship, a course by Juan Novelletto

3D artist and concept artist Juan Noveletto (@juannovelletto) is a specialist in the creation of science fiction characters and vehicles. He’s recognized for his work in the video games Master of Orion, Element Space or Injustice 2 and the movie The Vast of Night.

Throughout his 3D design and modeling course, Juan will teach you how to combine ZBrush, Maya, and Substance Painter to create a cinematic spaceship design.

10. Introduction to 3D Vehicle Modeling, a course by Alber Silva

A 3D course for car enthusiasts, this introduction to vehicle modeling is led by Alber Silva (@alber_3d)—a huge car fan who has worked with clients such as Volkswagen.

In the course, you will learn to model a car step by step with Autodesk Maya, Substance Painter, Keyshot, and Adobe Photoshop. You will look for reference images, learn techniques of modeling, optimization, UV cuts, texturing and exporting maps, and finally import and render your car with the highest level of detail.

Courses to animate rigs with Maya

11. Character Animation and Expression with Maya, a course by Sagar Arun

“If you’ve ever seen an animation where it makes you laugh or feel emotion, that means the animator is doing their job,” says Sagar Arun (@sagararun). He has created animations for Walt Disney Animation Studios and Sony Pictures Imageworks, including projects like Frozen 2, Over The Moon, and Overwatch.

Take your skills to the next step of the pipeline by learning how to use a rig. In this course you’ll discover the fun process of creating character expressions, ending up with an expression test using the animation tools in Maya.

Courses to learn about cameras in Maya

12. Layout for VFX, Camera Narrative and Language, a course by Carolina Jiménez García

Carolina Jiménez, a visual effects artist for cinema, has worked in some of the most important studios in the world on projects like The Hobbit, World War Z, Prometheus, Megalodon, and Justice League.

In this course you'll learn about the effects pipeline for audiovisual productions, and the different steps a layout artist must take to set up a full CG scene in Maya.

Article updated by @lauren_duplessis ; original translation by @harry_davies.

Bring more 3D projects to life with these resources

1. Try these seven online Blender courses for an alternative modeling tool.

2. Learn how animation taps into our subconscious to tell moving stories.

3. Watch these nine great documentaries about animation.

4. Try these six free tutorials to learn animation in under an hour!