Digital-Tutors (DT), an award-winning service of PL Studios Inc., announced the release of its mental ray training kit for Maya. This highly requested training kit provides core data needed to learn the extremely powerful mental ray rendering system. The mental ray kit features step-by-step instructions on sub-surface scattering, hdri, global illumination, final gathering, displacement mapping, light baking and more.
"One of the main reasons people use mental ray to render their images is to take advantage of caustics," according to Papa, founder of Digital-Tutors. Caustics calculate how the light is concentrated after passing through or reflecting off of objects. This method of rendering gives realistic results of light patterns. "Our mental ray kit teaches you how to activate and create a fully rendered image using caustics including how to set up the total ray count in the ray tracing objects," explains Papa.
The Backwater Bunch Training Kit series focuses on the entire production pipeline from start to finish and are now available to purchase. These kits include: Module 1: Pre-Production, Module 2: Advanced Modeling, Module 3: Advanced Texturing and the recently released Module 4: Advanced Rigging. There are several more modules under construction for future release.
DT offers other Maya self-paced training kits and bundles for 3D beginners, intermediates, as well as industry professionals. Other kits include: Maya's Cloth, Fluids, Fur and mental ray; Maya Basics; The Neex Project for rigging, binding and animating; plus many more training choices. Prices range from $9.99 for DT-Insider Magazines to $19.99 and up for a wide range of different training kits and bundles.
Dozens of additional tutorials will be released over the coming months, along with many new training kits available in time for SIGGRAPH 2004, to be held Aug. 8-12 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. All of the Digital-Tutors training kits and bundles will be available to purchase at the Digital-Tutors booth #2117 at SIGGRAPH. For costs and purchasing info, visit
www.store.digital-tutors.com .
As a leading source for Maya training, DT develops award-winning training solutions for beginners to advanced artists. Digital-Tutors offers training kits and free online tutorials for other industry standard applications, including: ImageReady, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks and FrontPage for graphic and web design; Adobe Photoshop for 3D texturing, Web design and layout; After Effects for motion graphics and visual effects; as well as Softimage|XSI for 3D animation.
