To ensure the lessons work as described, do these steps before beginning: 
         
         
            - If you have not already done so, download the lesson files from http://www.autodesk.com/maya-tutorials. Copy the Getting Started with Maya 2014 Lesson Files zip file to your local drive and unzip the folder. 
            
- Select  and set the GettingStarted2014LessonData\MEL directory as your Maya project. For more information, see Downloading the lesson files and setting the Maya project. 
            
- Select  to create a new scene. 
            
- Make sure the  icon (below the menu bar) is on. (If it is turned off, it has a large X across it.)  
            
- Ensure that the interactive creation option for primitives is turned off by selecting . The option is off when a check mark does not display beside the item’s name in the menu. 
            
- Ensure that the interactive creation option for surfaces is turned off by selecting . The option is off when a check mark does not display beside the item’s name in the menu. 
            
- For any code snippets, we suggest you write them out in the  rather than copy and pasting them. Certain symbols such as “ and ‘ may not copy and paste correctly. 
            
 Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
 Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License