As this book goes into its 12th edition, I am thrilled that the Introducing Maya book is a favorite resource for students and teachers of the Autodesk® Maya® software. Education is the foundation for a happy life, and with that in mind, I’d like to thank the outstanding teachers from whom I have had the privilege to learn. You can remember what you’ve been taught—or, just as important, you can remember those who have taught you.

■

I also want to thank my students, who have taught me as much as they have learned themselves. Juan Gutierrez, Victor J. Garza, Robert Jauregui, and Peter Gend deserve special thanks for helping me complete the models and images for this book. Thanks to my colleagues and friends at work for showing me everything I’ve learned and making it interesting to be in the effects business. Special thanks to HP for its support and keeping me on the cutting edge of workstations and displays.

■

Thanks to my editors at Sybex and the folks at Autodesk for their support and help and for making this process fun. Thanks to the book team for bringing it all together: Stephanie McComb, Stephanie Barton, Christine O’Connor, and Kim Wimpsett. My appreciation also goes tenfold to technical editor Keith Reicher.

■

Thank you to my mom and brothers for your strength, wisdom, and love throughout. And a special thank-you to my lovely wife, Randi, and our son, Max Henry, for putting up with the long nights at the keyboard; the grumpy, sleep-deprived mornings; and the blinking and buzzing of all my machines in our house. Family!