Autodesk ships Maya 2024.1 and Maya Artistic 2024.1

Wednesday, Might seventeenth, 2023 | Posted by Jim Thacker

Autodesk has unveiled Maya 2024.1, the newest model of its 3D modelling and animation software, and Maya Creative 2024.1, its pay-as-you-go version.

Each releases function updates to new USD-based look dev toolset LookdevX, whereas animators get additional updates to the Time Slider, Pores and skin Clusters and the Proximity Wrap and Lattice deformers.

The updates additionally introduce Hydra for Maya, an experimental new Hydra viewport render delegate, obtainable by way of the newest model of the official USD for Maya plugin.

Look growth: workflow enhancements to LookdevX
Maya 2024.1 builds on the adjustments made in Maya 2024 earlier this 12 months, together with an replace to one of many primary new options it launched: USD-based look growth system LookdevX.

The toolset, which lets artists writer USD materials graphs inside Maya, will get a variety of workflow improvements, together with the choice to create customized tabs within the LookdevX Graph Editor.

The tabs can then be used to filter shading graphs from totally different scenes.

Different adjustments embrace the choice to set node backdrops to maintain advanced graphs organised, and to mechanically develop a node compound’s attributes by holding [Ctrl] whereas hovering over it.

Animation: extra updates to Pores and skin Clusters and the Proximity Wrap and Lattice deformers
Animators get further updates to the Pores and skin Cluster system, which was up to date in Maya 2024 to help a number of clusters on a single piece of geometry.

The Unbind Skin options now allow you to select whether or not to unbind all pores and skin clusters or to unbind clusters individually, and the Bake Deformer now helps a number of clusters.

The Proximity Wrap deformer will get a brand new Scale Compensation attribute, and the Lattice deformer will get a brand new Minimal Measurement choice to keep away from artefacts ensuing from scale values of 0.

The Time Slider will get workflow improvements together with the choice to carry [Ctrl] to repeat a number of keyframes.

UX: delete a number of layers concurrently within the Show Layer Editor
Different adjustments embrace the choice to delete a number of layers by way of a contextual menu possibility within the Display Layer Editor, one thing beforehand solely attainable within the Animation Layer Editor.

USD for Maya: experimental new Hydra for Maya viewport delegate
Exterior the core software program, there has additionally been a major replace to USD for Maya, the USD plugin bundled with each editions of the software program.

USD for Mays 0.23, the newest model of the plugin, introduces a know-how preview of Hydra for Maya.

Finally meant to supersede the outdated Maya to Hydra (MtoH) plugin, it may be used as a viewport render delegate inside Maya as an alternative choice to Viewport 2.0.

Within the present launch, Hydra for Maya isn’t meant to be used in manufacturing, and is barely supported on Home windows and Linux, not macOS.

Maya 2024.1 solely: new model of Bifrost for Maya
Maya customers additionally get an replace to Bifrost for Maya, the multiphysics and effects-authoring plugin bundled with the total version of the software program, however not Maya Artistic.

You’ll be able to learn a full checklist of latest options in Bifrost for Maya 2.71 in a separate story.

Value and system necessities
Maya 2024.1 is obtainable for Home windows 10+, RHEL and Rocky Linux 8.6, and macOS 11+. The software program is rental-only. Subscriptions price $235/month, or $1,875/12 months.

Maya Artistic is obtainable pay-as-you-go, with costs beginning at $3/day, and a minimal spend of $300/12 months.

In lots of nations, artists incomes underneath $100,000/12 months and dealing on initiatives valued at underneath $100,000/12 months, qualify for Maya Indie subscriptions, now priced at $305/12 months.

Read a full list of new features in Maya 2024.1 in the online documentation

Read a full list of new features in Maya Creative 2024.1 in the online documentation

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