Used to create over half of the top 20 best-selling holiday PlayStation 2 titles in December 2001 and used in almost every film nominated by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in the best visual effects category for the past five years, Maya is one of the world's most powerful, high-end 3D animation and visual effects software programs available. Maya 4.5, the latest version of the all-in-one modeling, rendering, and 3D animation program, is loaded with new features and enhancements designed to make it even more powerful and easy-to-learn. Plus, new feature parity across platforms makes it easier than ever to trade files between Mac OS X users and Windows users. With Maya you can create humans in 3D, animate animals, plant trees, construct cars, and simulate machines. It's fast, has an extensive tool set, and is easily extensible. Maya 4.5: Visual QuickStart Guide introduces beginner-to-intermediate Maya users to the elementary theory, interface, and powerful features of the updated software. This task-based book includes many easy-to-follow, step-by-step examples of simple and more complex Maya techniques. Upon completion of this book, readers will feel comfortable with Maya's interface and features and be able to produce 3D models, texture objects, create animations, and render images.