Here's an example of my actual classwork as I learn Maya. This was the last part of the a head that we modelled, building slowly out of individual polygons like the ones you see here. By this point I think I get Maya pretty well (the small slice of it that we're using, I mean), because I rocked the ear in one class with time left over for goofy spaceships.Once you've got it assembled like this, you hit a button and it all smooths out:
