Hehe, okay. Since I'm not exactly sure what your degree of knowledge about 3D modeling is, I'll explain it in the most noobiest way I can (no offense
).
First of all, it depends on what you're going to use your 3D model for. If it's going to be in a movie, then settings of the model (such as the shininess and glossiness) can be handled in the editing program (in your case, Maya). If you're aiming to use your models in games, then you have to use maps for your project. In case you don't know, after the modeling (which I think you've gotten down), you UV Map your model.
UV mapping is the same as unfolding a piece of origami, you add seams (where the model unfolds) in the right places, and unwrap the model propotionally. Next you make a
diffuse/texture map, which is basically the texture itself (you make this using the UV map). Then there's the
normal or bump map (most people use normal nowadays), which is basically a type of illusion that the lighting creates on the model to make it look like it has detail, such as a smoother surface, a grainy surface, etc. This can be done by two common ways that I know of: 1.) You use a plugin in the image editing program (such as photoshop) that creates the normal map according to the light and dark parts of the texture. 2.) You can bake a normal map, which is when you have a low poly version of the model (the one you plan on using) and a high poly one in the same place, which you then
bake (it's just an option in the 3D modeling program. All it does is it takes whatever appearance the model currently has, or in the normal map way, the high poly model, and then bakes it into a texture.) Finally there's the
specular map, which is just how lighting shines on the model. It can have a glossy shine, a smooth light shine stretching over vast parts of the model, etc. Specular maps are basically any color. The brighter the color is, the more shine it'll have, and the color of the specular map determines the color of the shine on the object. Here's a
link that explains the maps pretty well, and even includes a tutorial to making all three maps using photoshop. Good luck and hope I helped. P.S. I wouldn't rush into baking maps quite too quickly, it takes a degree of 3D knowledge to understand, but if you think you're ready, google it up. Hope you learn well - SJHooks
Typos, can't live with em, but somehow I do
