Introduction to VFX in Maya and After Effects

The art of VFX (visual effects) and CGI (computer-generated imagery) allows you to create seamless and mind-bending scenes thanks to software like Maya and After Effects. For renowned digital artist and director John Bashyam, this art form has led him to create striking visuals for Coachella’s top musical acts, as well as for Hollywood feature films.

In this online course, John teaches you to create surreal scenes that appear remarkably realistic step by step. He walks you through Maya + Redshift, After Effects, and SynthEyes to create a playful scene of giant, life-like donuts raining down on a classic American monument. Are you ready to amaze yourself with the power of VFX and CGI?

Meet John Bashyam, a digital artist, director, entrepreneur, and your teacher for this course. He shares his creative journey, which has led him to a successful career in VFX. Hear about his inspirations, from YouTube creators, film directors, artists, and more.

Get a brief overview of the whole VFX process. John then walks you through the basic functions of Maya + Redshift, After Effects, and SynthEyes, before moving on to planning your shot.

Learn how to prep your footage in After Effects, then export it to SynthEyes, so for tracking. See how to move your workflow onto Maya for the scene layout and animation.

Next, John shows you how to fix the materials and textures by setting up a rig and keyframes for your animation. See how to add realistic lighting and reflections, and render your video.

Finally, take your CG renders back to After Effects, where John shows you how to composite the various layers, and do any necessary rotoscoping and color correction.

More info