To ensure the lessons work as described, do these steps before beginning:

1. Make sure you understand the basic concepts of polygon modeling, animation, and dynamics.
2. If you have not already done so, download the lesson files from http://www.autodesk.com/maya-tutorials. Copy the Getting Started 2012 Lesson Files zip file to your local drive and unzip the folder.
3. Select File > Set Project and set the GettingStartedMaya2012LessonData\nParticles directory as your Maya project. For more information, see Downloading the lesson files and setting the Maya project.
4. As you work through these lessons, remember to save your work frequently and increment the name of the file every so often (filename1, filename2, and so on).

   In this way you’ll have earlier versions of your work to return to should the need arise.

5. Select the nDynamics menu set. Unless otherwise noted, the directions in this chapter for making menu selections assume you’ve already selected the nDynamics menu set.