Vimeo Tutorials - Installing Maya Plugins and Tools

Maya has many free plugins and tools which make an animators life much easier.  Below is a roundup of tutorials and links that explain how to use these free plugins.

The Escape Studios Vimeo Tutorial Channel is our main hub for our animation and VFX video tutorials, making it easy for our students to find tutorials to support their classroom studies. 

Maya Tools, Techniques, Plugins & Best Practice

File Referencing

How to Do File Referencing Right with Amedeo Beretta
https://vimeo.com/album/5874233
For more on file referencing, read this blog post.

Maya Grease Pencil Tool
Using the Grease Pencil Tool in Maya - by Amedeo Beretta
https://vimeo.com/showcase/5874233/video/332675669

Also read this blog post on the Grease Pencil tool.

Baking Curves in Maya

How to bake curves in Maya (and what "baking" actually means)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fot0D5AU_Cg&feature=youtu.be

Escape Studios' Animation Shelf
Learn how to install the Escape Studios' Animation Shelf, a special shelf put together by UG Program Leader Michael Davies.
To download it, read this blog post.

Working with Animation Layers

How to animate with Animation Layers with Amedeo Beretta. 

https://vimeo.com/576760099

It has been added to the Animation Best Practices showcase:

https://vimeo.com/manage/showcases/5874233/

Animation Layers with Lee Caller

How to Animate with Animation Layers with Lee Caller

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngMORO7EAqo

The ParentMaster Plugin
Installation of the ParentMaster Plugin - a super useful tool for attaching and un-attaching objects in Maya.  To get started, read this 2024 blog post. and video. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5R1X2qXv1g

To see how the ParentMaster works in detail, see this blog post.  You can download the  ParentMaster Plugin from HighEnd3D.com.  You can also find The Parent Master in the Assets folder in UG Shares. You can also find the latest version at Paolo Dominici's site here.

Animating with Constraints by Marc Stevenson
Animating with Constraints by Marc Stevenson
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIzoEJ0jom1fWGC90iL9exlp3xnoQoZc

For more on animating with constraints, read this blog post.

Using the Tween Machine to Break Down Key Poses

Using the Tween Machine with Alex Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8WvsX1CQfs

Also read this blog post on How to Install (and Use) the Tween Machine

Lock To World Tool

Lock to World Tool - Stops feet from sliding in walk cycles.

The Lock to World Tool is a super useful tool, easy to install, that stops feet from sliding in walk cycles. 

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