How to Create a Photo Swoop in Autodesk Maya and Export a Render Image
In this Autodesk Maya tutorial, I will show you how to create a photo swoop quickly and easily. I will also show you how to export a render image of your scene.
Step 1: Create a Photo Swoop
The first thing you need to do is create a photo swoop in Maya. You can do this by following these steps:
- Go to the Poly Modeling shelf and select the “Plane” tool.
- Click and drag in the viewport to create a plane.
- Set the subdivisions of the plane to 1 by opening the Attribute Editor and going to the “Polyplane” tab.
- Switch to Edge Mode by right-clicking and holding, then selecting “Edge Mode” from the menu.
- Extrude the edges of the plane by pressing
Ctrl
+E
and then clicking and dragging the mouse up. - Bevel the edges of the plane by holding
Shift
and right-clicking, then selecting “Bevel Edge” from the menu. Set the “Segments” to 4 and the “Fraction” to 0.5. - Scale the plane by pressing
R
and then dragging the mouse. - Smooth the plane by right-clicking and selecting “Smooth” from the menu. Set the “Divisions” to 2 or 3.
Step 2: Add a Cube
Now that you have created a photo swoop, you can add a cube to your scene. You can do this by following these steps:
- Go to the Poly Modeling shelf and select the “Cube” tool.
- Click and drag in the viewport to create a cube.
- Move the cube so that it is in front of the photo swoop.
Step 3: Add Lights and Materials
Now that you have added a cube to your scene, you can add lights and materials. You can do this by following these steps:
- Add a light by going to the Arnold menu and selecting “Create > Light > Area Light”.
- Move the light so that it is shining on the cube.
- Set the intensity of the light by opening the Attribute Editor and going to the “Area Light Shape” tab.
- Add a material to the cube by right-clicking on the cube and selecting “Assign New Material”.
- Select the “AI Standard Surface” material and click “OK”.
- Set the color of the material by opening the Attribute Editor and going to the “Phong” tab.
Step 4: Export a Render Image
Now that you have created a photo swoop with a cube, you can export a render image of your scene. You can do this by following these steps:
- Go to the Render menu and select “Render > Camera”.
- Select the “File” tab and enter a name for your render image.
- Select the “Format” tab and select a format for your render image.
- Click “Render” to export your render image.
That’s it! You have now created a photo swoop in Autodesk Maya and exported a render image of your scene.
Here are some additional tips:
- You can use this technique to create any size or shape of photo swoop.
- You can also use this technique to create a backdrop for any object that you want to render.
- You can add more detail to the photo swoop by adding edge loops and vertices.
- You can use different materials to create different looks for your photo swoop.
- You can use different lights to create different moods for your photo swoop.
I hope this tutorial was helpful!