
The Shelf Editor allows you to create new shelves or edit current ones, as well as giving you the option to rename, add/delete, change icons and backgrounds etc. By default, Maya comes with this pre-set tool shelf (Fig.03). The tool shelf allows you to access the most commonly used functions within Maya. Speeding up the workflow you use in Maya is one of the most important aspects when we tackle a project, and having quick access to software tools is undoubtedly the best way to save time. For the purposes of this tutorial, let's call the project "3dcreativetut" (Fig.02). Doing this tells Maya which project folder to save scene files into, and where to look for textures, geometry, scenes, etc. Choose the project you're working on and click Set.

This will bring up a dialog box with a list of all the projects currently in your directory. We're going to start by creating a new project, so go to the File menu and choose Set Project (Fig.01). That includes having a fine-tuned workflow and creating shelves, but also planning out the process that precedes the modeling. In this tutorial we will find a way to eliminate all kinds of distractions and potential problems right at the beginning. The modeling process in Maya can sometimes turn from enthusiasm into a nightmare, especially for beginners. Learn how to create a mighty machine from a technical drawing to a 3D model in Maya - chapter preview…
