Animation "Tutorial" 2: Path Animation
This (slightly edited) exerpt from the Maya On-line Help will get you to make an object move along a curve:
User Guide > Animation > Animation > Path Animation > Create a motion path animation.
Below you can also find a video explaining the basics
To create a motion path by attaching an object to a curve
- Create
a NURBS curve.(You can use the Create → Curve Tools → CV Curve Tool to do this)
The curve is the path along which the object moves. The direction you create the curve is the direction the object moves.
- Select
the object you want to animate on the path, and then SHIFT-select
the curve.
You can animate many objects along the same path curve by first selecting the objects, and then selecting the curve. You must select the curve to be used as the path curve last.
- Select Animation → Constrain → [Motion Paths] Attach to Motion Path.
The object moves to the point on the curve where it is positioned for the current time. Also, two motion path markers with numbers appear at each end of the curve. These markers indicate the position and time at which the object moves to those marker positions.
Deltails on all parameters can be found in the Maya help file for Path Animation (also available on-line, wait for it to finish loading!) - To view the animation of the object, click the Play button in the Playback controls.
Tip: If your object does not follow the motion path, it may be due to existing transforms on the parent of the object. To force the object to follow the path, attach the parent of the object to the motion path instead of the object, and then move the parent’s pivot until the object (its child) is on the path.
Motion Path Video
This video shows you the basics of path animation