A character rig is the most important thing to have properly done in animation, it usually consists of 72 bones in an average biped and if named properly will allow you to transfer your character into games and character animation programs such as motion builder. It is used to orient joints and position your character in animations, without it characters are impossible to work with.
Autodesk Maya was created in 1998-02.
Autodesk Maya was originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation but is now maintained by Autodesk.
No, although Autodesk Maya is included with the entertainment creation suite, it is not necessary when running other autodesk programs.
Autodesk Maya, originally owned by Alias System Corporation but is now maintained by Autodesk, was first released in February of 1998 with Maya 1.0
Yes, although be sure to buy the windows specific version of autodesk maya
Autodesk Maya mainly uses MEL (Maya Embedded Language) and Python for scripting.
AutoDesk
Autodesk Maya, with Autodesk being the name of the developer. Since it is well known by most 3D and visual effects professionals, it is commonly referred to as only Maya.
Autodesk has their own website (www.autodesk.com) you will need to contact a sales representative and they will provide you with a product key and serial number, you can download Autodesk maya or order a disk set to install from.
No, although Autodesk Maya is included with the entertainment creation suite, it is not necessary when running other autodesk programs. However if you plan to animate you object I suggest that you use Autodesk maya due to its incredible capabilities or Cinema 4d for its simplicity. If you can't afford these programs then look into learning Blender 3d, it is a little more complicated but it gets the job done
Mental Ray is one of the rendering engines in Autodesk Maya software.
It has a competley differant UI (user interface).