Introduction to VFX in Maya and After Effects

A course by John Bashyam , Digital Artist and Director

Digital Artist and Director. Los Angeles, United States.
Joined August 2021

Learn the VFX pipeline from start to finish, and create a realistic video with surreal elements by rendering and compositing objects into live action footage

100% positive reviews (34)
1,991 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Learn the VFX pipeline from start to finish, and create a realistic video with surreal elements by rendering and compositing objects into live action footage

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?

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

30 lessons & 25 downloads

Skills Needed for the Project
6 minutes, 49 seconds
The Softwares
10 minutes, 11 seconds
Planning Out the Shot
10 minutes, 1 second
  • 100% positive reviews (34)
  • 1,991 students
  • 30 lessons (7h 5m)
  • 25 additional resources (7 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Create a surreal video involving rendering and compositing giant life-like donuts into live-action footage.

Who is this online course for?

This course is for anyone who wants to create realistic VFX and CGI from scratch.

Requirements and materials

Basic understanding of 3D software (preferably Maya), After Effects, and live-action filming and 3D tracking principles is required to take this course.

In terms of equipment, you need a reasonably powerful PC with Nvidia graphics card and access to Maya, Redshift, After Effects, and SynthEyes software.

New to Adobe After Effects? In that case, we recommend taking Domestika Basics courses to learn how to use the software: Introduction to After Effects.


Reviews

1,991 Students
34 Reviews
100% Positive ratings

John Bashyam

A course by John Bashyam

Teacher Plus
Digital Artist and Director

John Bashyam is a digital artist, director, and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in film and animation, he went on to co-found Warm & Fuzzy, an animation, visual effects, and design studio with offices in LA and Colorado.

His studio is on the cutting edge of digital technology, servicing some of the top brands in the world, including Nike, adidas, New Balance, Honda, Budweiser, Reddit, Facebook, NBC, Apple, Disney, and Lululemon, among others. He’s also worked on films like Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant Man, Ghostbusters, The Finest Hours, The Shallows, The Walk, and Unbroken, and as a visual effects artist at Coachella for artists like The Weeknd, Muse, ACDC, Guns N’ Roses, Skrillex, Kaskade, Zedd, Kid Cudi, and many more.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Preparation

    • Skills Needed for the Project
    • The Softwares
    • Planning Out the Shot
  • U3

    3D Tracking and Layout

    • Prepping the Shot in After Effects
    • Tracking the Footage in SynthEyes 1
    • Tracking the Footage in SynthEyes 2
    • Tracking the Footage in SynthEyes 3
    • Importing the Tracked Camera to Maya 1
    • Importing the Tracked Camera to Maya 2
    • Placing 3D Models in the Scene 1
    • Placing 3D Models in the Scene 2
  • U4

    Animation, Lighting, and Rendering

    • The Animation 1
    • The Animation 2
    • The Animation 3
    • Lighting 1
    • Lighting 2
    • Materials and Textures 1
    • Materials and Textures 2
    • Materials and Textures 3
    • Materials and Textures 4
    • Rendering Setup 1
    • Rendering Setup 2
    • Rendering Setup 3
  • U5

    Compositing the VFX Shot

    • Importing the CG Renders
    • Color Correction 1
    • Color Correction 2
    • Color Correction 3
    • Export for Social Media
  • FP

    Final project

    • Introduction to VFX in Maya and After Effects

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Introduction to VFX in Maya and After Effects. 3D, and Animation course by John Bashyam

Introduction to VFX in Maya and After Effects

A course by John Bashyam
Digital Artist and Director. Los Angeles, United States.
Joined August 2021
  • 100% positive reviews (34)
  • 1,991 students