3D Layout and Digital Cinematography for Animation and Game Cinematics with Maya

3D layout is a critical component of the 3D animation production workflow. Working from storyboards, the layout artist builds the first 3D representation of that storyboard in a cinematic form by using the models created by the rest of the crew. The layout artist will set up cameras, and decide which lenses to use, where to position the lights, and how to lay out the 3D environment and props. They will then roughly animate the characters, either manually or with motion capture. The end result is a rough version of the scene that will be passed to the animation department. To be a good layout artist, a person needs to have a very good knowledge of Maya software, as well as a good mastery of cinematography concepts. This presentation will go though some basic concepts of cinematography that every layout artist needs to know. And then it will show how to create a 3D layout scene inside Maya step by step, starting from a 2D storyboard.