Autodesk Inc. today announced this it is shipping Autodesk Maya 8.5, the latest version of its market-leading 3D animation, modeling and rendering software. The update promises enhanced creative control, enabling faster completion of complex animation and simulations for film, television, visual effects and video games. The company is also trumpeting the fact that the software supports Intel-based Macintosh computers.
“Autodesk is committed to making Maya the foundation for modern production
pipelines,’ says Marc Petit, VP of Autodesk’s Media & Entertainment unit. ‘Maya 8.5 supports industry-standard Python scripting, offering improved workflows and development productivity. As well, the software features innovative new capabilities for character animation; the new Maya Nucleus unified
simulation framework enables interactive simulations while keeping artists
in full control of the animation.”
Maya Nucleus features technology developed by Autodesk’s Academy Award-winning principal research scientist Jos Stam. The unified simulation framework allows artists to create elements that interact, in 3D animation, with other dynamic objects such as fluids, cloth and rigid bodies.
Maya 8.5 features Maya nCloth, the first module of Maya Nucleus. Maya nCloth is designed to allow artists to quickly direct and control a range of
simulations, including cloth, plastic, metal and other materials. According to the company, the application simplifies the creation of believable cloth-on-cloth simulations with complex cloth collisions, such as a cape over a jacket. In addition, a unique air-pressure model enables artists to use any geometry’ whether a closed, sealed volume such as an inner tube, or an open volume such as a balloon’to create an inflatable object with internal and external pressure.
Another new feature of Maya 8.5 is Python scripting. This popular open-source
programming language helps accelerate facility-specific custom script
development and plug-in prototyping, extending and automating Maya
production pipelines. Described as a powerful alternative to Maya software’s native scripting language, MEL, Python scripting gives scriptwriters the ability to efficiently manipulate, customize and automate the software.
Maya 8.5 is available as a Universal application release for Intel- and
PowerPC-based Macintosh computers, as well as the Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms. For a complete list of features in Maya 8.5, go to www.autodesk.com/maya.
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