MayaMan Quickstart Tutorial

This tutorial steps through the simple process of rendering a simple scene using MayaMan.

Note, this tutorial assumes a certain level of familiarity with 3D Maya, in particular the ability to create objects, animations and materials i.e. you should be able to build simple Maya scenes.

1. Before commencing, ensure your RenderMan renderers are correctly installed, and that you have performed a successful MayaMan installation.

2. Start by making a scene that consists of nothing but a NURBS sphere and an omni-light. The exact layout isn't very important, as long as the light is outside the sphere, and the sphere is visible within the perspective viewport.

   TIP: Most RenderMan renderers give much better results using parametric surfaces such as NURBS, which is why we reccomend you create a NURBS sphere in this tutorial.

3. Do a preview of this scene using Maya's own renderer, so that you know what to expect. In general, if you are ever having a problem with your MayaMan renders, you should also test the scene using the Maya renderer.

4. Ensure that the MayaMan plugin has been loaded by using Maya's Plugin Manager. This can be found under Window->Settings/Preferences->Plug-in Manager under the Maya menus.

   

   If the MayaMan installer has run correctly, you should see an entry for MayaMan in the plugins list. Click the 'loaded' checkbox, and also the 'auto load' checkbox if you want it always available (merely having the MayaMan plugin loaded does not use a license). When MayaMan is loaded you should see a 'MayaMan' menu in Maya's main menu bar when you are in 'Rendering' mode. If the plugin or MayaMan menu is not visible, please see the Troubleshooting guide.

5. Now, you need to tell MayaMan which RenderMan renderer you want to use. MayaMan currently has direct support for PRMan, Entropy, BMRT, RenderDotC and Air renderers, with support for others in development. PRMan is selected by default, but you can change this in MayaMan->MayaMan Globals->Basic Options->RenderMan Renderer. While you're looking at the MayaMan Globals window, you should have a quick look around at the other settings. The defaults should all be ok for now, unless your RenderMan renderer doesn't support PRMan compatible display drivers, in which case you should set the 'Display Driver' setting to be 'framebuffer'.

6. Next, initiate a render by clicking 'Preview' from the MayaMan menu. If all goes well, you should shortly see a window pop up with your RenderMan rendered image in it! If not, please see the Troubleshooting guide.

   

7. Now that you have a basic render working, you can make a more complex material for your sphere. Try applying a file or checker node in the color channel in Maya's HyperShade, and see the result in your RenderMan render. Most materials should translate directly into RenderMan shaders written on-the-fly by MayaMan. Now try rendering some of your existing Maya scenes through MayaMan!

MayaMan Help Contents