Introduction

Learning Resources > Tutorials > Getting Started with Maya > Maya Basics > Lesson 2: Creating, manipulating, and viewing objects >

Introduction

Using primitive objects to model 3D forms is a great place to continue learning about Maya. You can create many types of 3D objects using Maya and then move, scale, and rotate them to create more complex forms in your scene.

In this lesson, you begin to construct a classic temple using the primitive object creation tools in Maya. The project is not very complex and provides you with experience in using some of the important object manipulation and viewing tools.

As you continue to work with Maya, you’ll learn how to visualize more complex forms using these basic objects. Maya has many advanced tools and options for modeling complex forms, as you will learn in later chapters.

In this lesson, you learn how to:

Create 3D primitive objects.
Select objects for manipulation and editing purposes.
Move and rotate objects using your mouse.
Move, rotate, and scale objects using numeric input.
Duplicate objects.
Change the viewing panels in Maya using a variety of methods so you can view your objects from different points of view.
Undo actions when you need to undo a particular task or step.