Free online courseMaya 3D Animation Course: Basics to Advanced Acting and Body Mechanics

Course Description

Learn character animation in Autodesk Maya with a free online course that guides you from essential foundations to advanced acting and body mechanics. Designed for artists in Design and Creative Arts, this training helps you build confidence in Maya animation workflows while developing an animator’s eye for timing, spacing, and clear posing.

Start by getting comfortable inside Maya and strengthening your core animation process with practical techniques for planning shots, refining timing, and working efficiently. You will also dive into the Graph Editor to gain precise control over motion, polish arcs, and create natural, appealing movement that reads well on camera.

As you progress, the course shifts into body mechanics, focusing on believable weight, balance, and momentum. You will practice walk and run patterns, jumps, leaps, settles, and actions that require pushing and lifting, helping you understand torque, power, and how force travels through the body. These skills translate directly into stronger performance and more convincing physicality in any scene.

Finally, move into acting and dialogue work. Explore mood, posture, pantomime, and silhouette clarity, then advance into facial animation, lip sync, accents, and gesture choices that support storytelling. The course culminates in more complex dialogue work, preparing you to handle monologues and multi-character interaction with cleaner staging and stronger performance decisions.