Python Programming for Maya Artists (Udemy.com)
Master Python scripting and become a more efficient artist
Created by: Anim TD
Last updated January 2025
What you will learn
- Learn the basics of programming with Python
- Create production-ready tools for Maya
- Automate and improve animation workflows
- Gain a strong foundation to continue learning programming
How it compares
Against the other 545 rated Udemy courses in 3D Modeling on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.8 out of 5higher than 90% of them
- Reviews173#343 of 546 by number of reviews
- Length9.7 hourslonger than 66% of them
- Last updatedJanuary 2025more recently than 74% of them
Course Description
Welcome to this Introduction to Python Programming for Maya!
In this course, you will go from zero to a comfortable level of programming knowledge that will allow you to create your own tools, automate tedious parts of your workflow and help yourself and your team work a lot more efficiently.
The course will be more relatable to animators, as well as layout and rigging artists, mainly due to the nature of the projects, however, anyone working in Maya could benefit from the lectures if they are looking to learn Python programming.
Whether you're just looking to improve your daily work or considering switching to a technical role, I'm sure this course will bring you a step closer to your goal!
What is covered?
Foundational programming concepts in Python: Loops, if statements, functions, lists, dictionaries, etc.
Fundamental techniques and best practices: Even if it's a beginners course you will learn some best practices that professional TDs and developers use.
Maya cmds library: The skills you'll acquire are broad programming skills, but the projects use the cmds library a lot since the tools being created are for Maya.
Production tools: You will finish the course with actual tools that you can use in your work.
UIs: You will learn how to create UIs using the built-in libraries in Maya.
Who is this course for?
Maya artists: This course will NOT teach you how to use Maya, you might learn some new Maya tricks, but it is assumed that you have some basic knowledge of Maya (although you do not need to be advanced at all).
Complete beginners or people with some basic knowledge of Python.
Programmers looking to become familiar with Python for Maya. The contents are geared towards beginners, but the projects might help someone become familiar with Maya and its libraries.
Best way to approach the course:
Follow the projects in order: The projects are designed to introduce new concepts naturally as they are needed, from the most basic to more complex, and each project will reuse previous knowledge.
Deep Dives: The deep dives give you a break from the project to delve deeper into a specific topic. They are placed after a concept has been introduced, you might want to watch them immediately after learning the concept but you can also treat them as a reference library to go back to in the future.
Source Code: Keep a look out for the resources in each lecture, you will have be able to download the files with the source code for a portion of the project.
Video Timestamps: Unfortunately this platform doesn't offer timestamps on videos but you will be able to download text files (in resources) with time codes for important points in the lecture.
Quizzes and Exercises: You will find quizzes and coding exercises after some lectures, these are optional, but a great way to practice.
Instructor Details
- 4.8 Rating
173 Reviews
Anim TD
Hi! I'm Fernando, a technical director with a passion for helping artists work better and more efficiently.
As a TD I've worked on films and tv shows such as Once Upon a Time, Arrow, The Lego Movie 2, Peter Rabbit 2, DC League of Super-Pets and more.
Before becoming a TD I was a 3D animator, I loved animation but I also fell in love with the power of programming which launched me into the long and tedious process of figuring out how to create things with Python as an artist. That, along with the many times I was asked by other animators "how do I learn coding?", is why I decided to create this course.
I've been through that challenging learning journey, now I'm here to help you with it!
Visit the Anim TD website for more learning resources and free tools.
(The content, feedback and opinions given here are entirely mine and don't represent nor reflect the opinion of any company I work for.)
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Reviews
By Jay H. on 7/26/2025
As someone with extensive Maya experience and slightly above beginner level Python knowledge, this course felt perfect for me. It was informative without being overwhelming and spent a good amount of time on fundamentals, while laying out the process of tools development for Maya in a very digestible way. This course is well worth the time and money, and I would recommend it to any Maya artist looking to add a new tool to their toolbelt.
By Patricia Solomka on 3/16/2025
So far this course is the very first one that is getting Python through my thick Artist's skull! I love the detailed explanations and examples. I would totally recommend it to anyone that is frustrated with getting into code and finds other tutorials confusing or not detailed enough.
By Mehveesh Nida on 1/24/2025
I'm an Animator with no prior experience with Python or coding. The precise and clear explanation helps me understand all the concepts in the videos. I'm glad I took this course!
By にゃん じろり on 12/9/2024
I am a programmer and I took this course to understand the basics of MayaPython. I'm glad I was able to understand the basic usage of MayaPython. It was also great to learn about Maya's reference and namespace features. For designers, I think it would be nice to have an explanation of the basic syntax of Python. thank you very much!
By Fernando Alvarez Lopez on 8/16/2023
EL curso es bueno pero creo no es para principiantes hay que tener bases para poder comprenderlo mejor ya que algunas cosas hay que buscarlas por uno mismo ya que del tiempo en que se realizo este curso a lo actual hay cambios en el codigo, pero sin duda vale la pena
By Ignacio Olivares on 8/5/2023
Amazing course so far, i'm at 50% and planing to finishin the course this week. With a little knowledge of python previously, this is the perfect course to bring this little knowledge to this course and expending it to a bigger scaler and bring that to maya. Love it! :)
By Natalia Luna Álvarez on 7/28/2023
Me gusto, pero creo que se podria beneficiar de ejercicios mas complejos como tarea (en este momento solo vi 2 preguntas sencillas) y que hubiese un video aparte donde explica la solución. Porque asi como esta estructurado el curso siento que nos da todas las respuestas y no nos reta a pensar como solucionarlo.
By Nick Mahoney on 6/20/2023
sometimes got a bit too fast when he'd get into it but amazing course and actually learned stuff from coding which has been hard for me for years. some could complain about it being too follow and not enough do your own but as a starting course it gives you what you need amazingly
By Rafael on 4/7/2023
I'm halfway through and can vouch that the course is a fantastic introduction to Python. Very clear, very well explained throughout and every aspect of my learning so far feels very relevant to my day to day work as an animator.
By João Paulo S. Tavares on 3/30/2023
Esperava uma forma de aprender Python para aplicar no meu workflow como animador 3D, e me encaminhar para o rumo de me tornar um Animador Técnico. Minhas expectativas forma mais do que atendidas, o curso entrega isso de forma direta, precisa e de fácil aprendizado. Conteúdo maravilhoso, obrigado.
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 96 / 100






