Where to put Texture files?

[tashtego_jwm]

Okay, I'm still a bit new to Maya and am trying to use some of the free rigs here. Where do you place all of the texture/mel/etc. files that come with many of the rigs? I'm trying to use the DinoRig 2.0 which comes with textures; instructions for it say to "extract the .zip file to your c:// drive". Anyone know exactly where on the C Drve they go? I am using Maya 2011 Win 64. I can open up the rig, but it doesn't render out at all, I'm thinking because I don't have the textures in the right spot? Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks,

[joojaa]

Anyone know exactly where on the C Drve they go?

anywhere you wish to put them. Except the root of your drive which is a bit problematic. Then you tell maya that you wish to open a new project and point to the root directory.

but it doesn't render out at all,

that should not impact output. Its should just render with textures missing. IT still should render is the point. Whats the error message in your render log?

[tashtego_jwm]

Thanks Joojaa. I placed the files in a subdirectory on the c, and tried the new project. I was importing in a bunch of models originally, Dino included, and pointing the camera directly at hin under a spotlight, and he wasn't there when rendered out. Now maybe his stucture was there is some fashion unseen, but now with the textures in place, he renders out nicely. I did not look at the render log, so I couldn't say what it said.

My Maya class is so wrapped up in character animation, that a lot of the technical stuff I'd like to learn as well is just being left alone.

Thanks for the assist. 

[joojaa]

Well the most problematic thing is that basics are much harder to teach than how to do animation on ready made rigs, and a mainatined system. Why?

See everyone that started using computers after 1995 has a serious disadvantage. Thay have never needed to cope with using commandlines even if only for a very brief period. Commandlines force you to work on your mental model wheras the GUI is making a lot fo tasks a hit and miss process. Now even IN a fully graphical user interface having a solid mental model on how you think things operate under the hood is highly valuable. Commandlines also teached the value of quicly scanning any text documentation when you forget how things were done.

As a simple analogy you have just lended in on the brach of a 200 meter tall tree 100 meters up, Going down is as far as reaching te brach edge.

People just simply miss the foundations for doing it properly. Something as fundamental as a search path seems to ellude many users even after ist been troughly explained. But its hard to teach as everyone will just go what ive never going to need something like this. You get mired on even the smalest of concepts. But they dont understand that everything they do is built on theese principles and ist very hard not to get into areas where knowing thees emight not help you cope with the problems better.

Knowing how to use a commandline is essential prerequisite to understaning maya. But NOT using it as a simple comppany toiling lobourer. So theres really no reason to teach this.

LIkewise building and scrapping ones own mental modesl is what humans do naturally. However propel are very reluctant to do any changes for teh purepeasure of investigating the world to this past age 14. This does not include all humans but for some reason they are in majority, which is uncomprehensible to me.

Ive been trying to do this for ages and it allways fizzles in grand fashion. But if your really interested give me a holler i could need some insight in not being in the know how loop and im willing to try give a good overview.