WoLD Archives Search About Contact

World of Level Design

Tutorials to Becoming the Best Level Designer and Game Environment Artist (since 2008)

Maya Beginner Tutorial Series 2/17: Interface Overview - Everything You Need to Know

Category: Maya
January 08, 2025

The following tutorial series is directly from Module 1 of 3 of "Maya Foundation: Home-Study Course" tutorial course.

I've released this entire first Module completely free. It is focused on teaching you how to get started learning Maya completely from scratch in 4 hours. Start with all videos in order within Maya Beginner Series here.

The full "Maya Foundation: Home Study Course" contains 3 Modules and 18+ hours of tutorials.

  • Module 1 is focused on interface overview for game environment modeling.
  • Module 2 is focused on environment modeling techniques (27 videos, 8+hrs).
  • Module 3 is focused on UV mapping and UVing (21 videos, 5+hrs).

In this tutorial we will cover Maya interface and everything you need to know.

Video Tutorial

Interface Overview

Here is what we will cover:

  • 1. Menu Sets
  • 2. Status Line
  • 3. Shelf
  • 4. Tool Box
  • 5. Layout Menu
  • 6. Viewport Toolbar
  • 7. Poly Count Display
  • 8. Viewport
  • 9. Channel Box/Attribute Editor
  • 10. Display Layers
  • 11. Animation Controls
  • 12. Help Line
  • 13. Mel/Python Command Line
  • 14. Script Editor
  • 15. Workspace

click on image to view full size

1. Menu Sets

Menu Sets help you use Maya for specific purpose. Such as for Modeling, Animation, Rigging, FX, Rendering:

Whichever Menu Set you make active, the first 7 drop down bar menus will be the same BUT the rest of the drop down menus will change, streamlining your workflow:

For environment modeling, set this to Modeling, it is what you'll be using the most.

2. Status Line

Status Line gives you access to most commonly used functions like selections, snapping options, saving and more.

Most important items under Maya's Status Line are the Snapping options:

Snapping objects to grid and to other geometry is extremely important for environment art and we'll focus on the first three:

  • Snap to Grids
  • Snap to Curves/Edges
  • Snap to Points/Vertices

We'll be using a hotkey for snapping but you can also enable/disable these in the Status Line to always have on.

How to use snapping in Maya will be covered in a later tutorial within this series.

3. Shelf

Shelves in Maya give you access to most commonly used commands so you don't have to use the drop down menu every time.

Maya comes with default shelves already created such as Curves/Surfaces, Poly Modeling, Sculpting, Rigging and more:

But we'll create our own custom Shelf and place most commonly used modeling functions to help speed up Maya's workflow.

4. Tool Box

Tool Box contains quick access for object movement and selection. These include Select, Lasso, Paint Select, Move, Rotate and Scale:

You will be using shortcut keys to switch between Select, Move, Rotate and Scale instead of left-clicking on the icons. We'll cover how in a later tutorial.

You can also double-click on any of the Tool Box icon to access more settings for that Tool.

5. Layout Menu

Layout Menu allows switching between different layout panel configurations:

Right-click on any of the Layout Menu icons for additional options:

Most commonly used for game environment modeling are Single Perspective, Four View and Orthographic/Perspective (first three icons):

Last icon is the Outliner. This will show a text list of all objects in the scene:

6. Panel Viewport Toolbar

Each viewport contains a panel toolbar, giving you a quick access to viewport options.

You can toggle this menu bar with Ctrl + Shift + M.

  • Ctrl + Shift + M = Toggle Viewport Menu Bar

Viewport Panel Toolbar has many options to control how that specific viewport will look.

7. Poly Count Display

Knowing your object's triangle, poly and vertices count is very important. It will be shown at the top left of the viewport:

You should have Poly Count Heads Up display enabled. Go to Display > Heads Up Display > Poly Count:

Here is what each column represents:

  • First Column: entire scene
  • Second Column: selected object only
  • Third Column: selected components (accessed in Component Mode)

8. Viewports

Viewports need no introduction. It allow you to see what you are creating.

Most common set up you will use for modeling are maximized Perspective Viewport, Side by Side (orthographic and perspective), Four Views (2x2 Split).

Perspective View:

Side by Side (Orthographic and Perspective):

2x2 Split Views (Perspective, Top, Side, Front):

Each viewport contains a lot of options for how to view your objects in it. We'll cover some of them in more detail later.

For now you can use the Layout Menu to switch:

If you hover mouse pointer over any viewport and hit Spacebar - you will cycle between maximized and restored viewports. Each viewport is mouse sensitive and by simply placing the cursor inside a viewport and pressing Spacebar, Maya will maximize or restore that viewport.

9. Channel Box/Attribute Editor

Channel Box and Attribute Editor allow editing and adjusting properties for selected objects.

Channel Box is the compact view and Attribute Editor is expanded view of the Channel Box.

Channel Box:

Attribute Editor:

Press Ctrl + A to switch between Channel Box and Attribute Editor or click on the tabs here:

  • Ctrl + A = switch between Channel Box and Attribute Editor

Each object will contain variety of different options to edit and adjust. Channel Box will have some limited options to set:

Compared to the Attribute Editor, which will offer more options to choose from:

For environment modeling you will be using both Channel Box and Attribute Editor to set various dimensions for the polygonal objects such as width, height, depth, subdivisions, renaming objects, setting input/output components and editing material/shader properties on objects. More on this in a later video tutorial within this series.

10. Display Layers

Below the Channel Box and the Attribute Editor you'll find Layer Editor:

Layer Editor allows placing objects onto display layers and controlling their visibility in the viewport. This helps us to organize your scene, especially when the viewport becomes cluttered with too many objects.

11. Animation Controls

Playback, Time Slider and Range Slider are used for animation controls. We won't be using them for environment modeling.

You can hide viewport elements you don't need by going to Window > UI Elements > Uncheck Time Slider and Range Slider:

12. Help Line

Help Line shows a short description of tools and menu items. It gives you tips of what the tool is or what next step with that tool is:

13. MEL/Python Command Line

MEL/Python are scripting languages inside Maya. This menu allows to toggle between MEL and Python execution of the command line source. As a beginner you don't need to know about this.

14. Script Editor

The Script Editor lets you execute single or multi-line scripts in a MEL or Python as well as see the output history.

15. Workspace

Workspaces allow you to choose between different Maya interface layouts to streamline for specific workflow.

Next Tutorial in the Series

Maya Beginner Tutorial Series 3/17: Complete Guide to Viewport Navigation

Maya Foundation: Home-Study Course

Learn environment modeling. Pick Maya go all in. Learn how to model and UV with it better than anyone else. Become a modeling master with it. In "Maya Foundation: Home Study Course" I will show you how.

SUBSCRIBE & GET FREE, UPDATED PDF GUIDE

Subscribe to receive FREE & Updated "Maya 3D Primer" PDF Guide (200+ pages).

Subscribe and Get a Free Maya 3D Primer PDF Guide

See more about this Free PDF Guides and what you are subscribing to.


Follow WoLD




MAYA FOUNDATION COURSE


SUBSTANCE PAINTER ESSENTIALS


UE5: RETRO OFFICE PROJECT


LEARN THE PREPRODUCTION PROCESS


ABOUT WoLD & ALEXG

About World of Level Design

My name is AlexG. I am self-taught level designer, game environment artist and the creator of World of Level Design.com. I've learned everything I know from personal experimentation and decades of being around various online communities of fellow environment artist and level designers. On World of Level Design you will find tutorials to make you become the best level designer and game environment artist.

Read More »


Home Terms of Use/Trademarks/Disclaimers Privacy Policy Donate About Contact

All content on this website is copyrighted ©2008-2024 World of Level Design LLC. All rights reserved.
Duplication and distribution is illegal and strictly prohibited.

World of Level Design LLC is an independent company. World of Level Design website, its tutorials and products are not endorsed, sponsored or approved by any mentioned companies on this website in any way. All content is based on my own personal experimentation, experience and opinion. World of Level Design™ and 11 Day Level Design™ are trademarks of AlexG.

Template powered by w3.css