CoreCG has recently released the Mental Core Plugin for Maya (back in December 2011) that provides a more sturdy and centralized workflow for using Maya Mental Ray. The CoreCG site has recently added a suite of tutorials covering the use and features of MentalCore, hosting a plenty of MentalCore overview tutorials in one handy place.
Check out the features page for more information.
MentalCore is a plugin that provides an alternative to the standard rendering workflow for Maya and Mental Ray. Designed and proven in production, MentalCore completes the shading, lighting and rendering pipeline, and is suitable for small to large productions. MentalCore allows you to focus on creating great renders in less time, and the shader library provides a wide range of material, texture and utility shaders to help you achieve the look you need.
