If you are willing to create stunning and realistic characters or effects, Autodesk Maya is one of the best options out there. Thanks to its advanced simulation, modeling, 3D animation, and rendering toolsets the only limitation you will have will be your imagination once you start using Maya professionally.
However, becoming a pro in Maya requires some time as learning to monitor these advanced toolsets and composing good techniques is not that easy. Nevertheless, it can get easier! When it comes to learning a new skill, I always recommend learning it from professionals. Internet is the perfect way to do this as there are thousands of online courses about Autodesk Maya. Then, the only remaining question is which one you should choose. To find an answer, you can check out the list of best Autodesk Maya courses that I have gathered!
If you are an intermediate-level user, rather than a complete beginner, you can check out the last three suggestions directly.
1. Maya for Beginners: Complete Guide to 3D Animation in Maya 🔗
This Udemy course is one of the best options to start learning Maya from absolute zero because the amazing instructors teach everything in a clear and easy-to-understand way. And by everything, I mean everything you will need to learn to become comfortable with creating 3D animations using Maya!
By the end of this course, you will become familiar with modeling, texturing, lighting, animation, rigging, dynamics, and all other essential concepts of Maya. After learning all of these, you will finish the course by putting together an entire scene.
The only requirement for this course is having a 3-button mouse. If this one sounds good to you, start the course as soon as possible and you will be able to enjoy your certificate of completion in a blink of an eye!
2. Maya 2022 Essential Training 🔗
As you can imagine, most of the courses out there are taught in earlier versions of Maya. However, if you are looking forward to learning Maya in one of its latest versions, this course is the one that you are looking for! The best part of this option is, thanks to its project-based teaching approach; you will be ready for your real-world projects once you complete this course.
This one is also suitable for complete beginners, as the course starts from the very basics like selecting and manipulating objects, organizing scenes, and customizing the interface. However, in the end, you will become familiar with all the key Maya skills. Also, you can enjoy your certificate of completion once you finish this training course!
3. 3D Modeling & Animation with Maya 🔗
If you are looking forward to starting your Maya journey, but you have absolutely no experience, this course is one of the greatest options for you. As the instructor of the course believes there is no learning without having fun is a waste of time, you can be sure that you will be having enough one while build up your skills if you start this course!
However, one thing to keep in mind before making your final decision is that this course is being added weekly which may cause you to slow down. If you are willing to learn Maya as soon as possible, you may consider other choices on our list but if you would enjoy taking your time while learning new skills, check this one out for sure!
4. Learn Maya - A Beginners Guide to Creating Realistic Scenes 🔗
In this course, you will start from the very beginning -from installing the software- and at the end, you will be surprised by the progress you have made. You will learn not only to model and texture realistic objects but also you will be able to animate your brand new models.
Also, thanks to the project you will be doing latterly in the course, you will gain the confidence you need to start your projects after completing the course. Even though the basics that are taught in the course may seem too simplistic at first glance, after completing the projects, you will be knowing everything you need to know, so I suggest you trust the process and the instructor!
5. Maya 2019 Fundamentals: Dynamics, Lighting, and Rendering 🔗
As you can imagine, you will need a solid foundation for your new Maya skills and the three most important fundamentals of Maya are covered deeply in this course: dynamics, lighting, and rendering.
The biggest advantage of this course is that you will have a chance to focus on the fundamentals more, unlike most of the other courses where you will be taught the fundamentals and then directly dive into the projects.
Even though this course will not make you a perfect Maya user -because you will need to spend longer time on real-life projects to become a professional- spending a lot of time on the fundamentals will provide a huge advantage on your Maya journey. If you have the patience to dive deep into these fundamentals topic, I would suggest taking this course and then starting another project-based course.
6. Maya Bootcamp - Projects Based Course 🔗
Whether you have taken another course but you don’t feel like you are ready to start with your projects, or you have absolutely no prior knowledge about Maya but you learn the best with practice, this is the course you are looking for!
This course will take you through the basics of the software, and then directly jump into the small projects where you will have a chance to get comfortable with Maya without wasting too much time on relatively small details. If the length of the learning process has always been a disincentive for you, this course should be your final choice!
7. Intro to Animation in Maya 🔗
If your main goal is to use Maya for animation, this course would be the best fit for you. Thanks to multiple short weekly exercises, homework, assignments, and of course amazing lectures you will have a solid understanding of animation with Maya. However, as you can imagine, you will need to spend some time on this course to complete all of the mentioned coursework.
Also, if you have no prior experience in Maya that is fine, however, having prior knowledge in animation before taking this course is highly recommended. If you have a beginner in animation as well, you can complete the Animation for Beginners course as suggested by the instructor.
8. Fast Animation and Rigging Techniques Using Maya 2017 🔗
This course is not for absolute beginners, however, it only requires very basic knowledge. If you know how to navigate Maya viewports, select objects, and other really basic skills in Maya, you can easily follow this course. As you can understand from the name of it, this is a short course with a focus on rigging a biped character and animating a walk cycle.
However, the course is not limited to those areas. You will have a chance to learn more advanced topics like applying and editing motion capture to your characters. After finishing this short but informative course, you will be able to start creating animations on your own!
9. Maya Character and Environment FX with Bifrost and XGen 🔗
If you already know the basics of Maya, but want to take your skills to the next level; especially in character and environment creation, this course is the one for you!
Firstly, you will start with creating a tree from scratch and then slowly build up your skills for creating a dripping mud monster by yourself. By the end of this course, you’ll know how to build a forest of your own and bring it alive with mud and water! If these sound interesting to you, I suggest you check this course out, and you will be amazed by how a short class can teach you so much.
10. Maya: Advanced Modeling 🔗
This suggestion is for advanced users of Maya, so if you are not on that level yet you can start with one of the other suggestions and then come back and start this one to advance your Maya skills.
The course starts with overviewing the basics of modeling, then teaches the advanced techniques and tools that will help you gain the confidence for modeling nearly any shape! Once you finish it, you will be amazed by the room that you have created on your own by following this course. Also, you can enjoy your certificate of completion as you would like to!
That is the end of our list! One more small note, you don’t need to get overwhelmed and stressed because there are too many options. Autodesk Maya is quite fun-to-learn software and if you focus on one of the courses above, you can start producing results in no time!
If you liked the list of courses we gathered and found this article helpful, you can check out more content about Maya here.
