In this tutorial Kurt takes us through the fundamental principles of NURBS and polygon modeling where we start off with a basic concept sketch and progress to a fully lit scene in black and white. If you're completely new to Maya, this is a good tutorial for you as it shows how to create something fairly complex in a quick way and through simple methods.

During the modeling parts we teach you how to use the sculpt geometry tool to create basic shapes that are later adjusted through CV's to achieve fine detail as well as re-use the pre-existing geometry by extruding and duplicating to speed up your workflow. You will also learn how to put tools such as cut faces and EP curve tool to practical use and create polygons from NURBS surfaces. Some parts of the scene are done in Paint effects which will give you an understanding of how this powerful feature in Maya works and can be used to create certain things fast that would otherwise be very time-consuming.

The tutorial finishes off with showing you how to create a realistic background with the ramp shader and setting up a three point lighting system for the scene.

Please note that this is the creation of a fantasy house done from the artist's own concept sketch and not an architectural project where blue prints would be used. All scene files and reference images are included with this tutorial.