Autodesk Maya

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Introduction

Autodesk Maya is a professional-grade 3D computer graphics software developed and provided by Autodesk. It is widely used in industries such as film, animation, games, commercials, and architectural visualization, and is suitable for scenes that require high-level 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and simulation.

Originally developed by Alias, the software was acquired by Autodesk and is known as a standard tool in the film and visual effects industry.

File Structure

.ma (Maya ASCII): Maya’s unique text-based file format. Since it is human-readable, it is easy to manage versions and scripts.
.mb (Maya Binary): Maya’s native binary format. Fast reading speed and small file size.
.fbx (Autodesk FBX): Used for data exchange between different 3D software. Can contain animation and rigging information.
.obj (Wavefront OBJ): Widely used exchange format for geometric (shape) data.
.abc (Alembic): Open source format for large-scale cache data exchange.
.usd (Universal Scene Description): A scene description format developed by Pixar that has attracted much attention in recent years.

Pros

Industry standard reliability: It has been used by the film and game industries for many years and can meet the needs of complex production processes.
**Rich in functions: **From modeling, animation, special effects to rendering, all processes can be completed in one software.
Strong scalability and customization: It supports script control using Python and MEL (Maya embedded language), which can be used for tool development and process automation.
Flexible renderer support: It can smoothly collaborate with external renderers such as Arnold, Redshift, V-Ray, etc.
Suitable for large projects: It has a complete structure and supports multi-person collaboration and version management.

Cons

High price: It adopts a subscription system and is billed annually, which is a heavy burden for individuals or small and medium-sized studios.
Complex operation: The interface and operating system are relatively complex, and beginners need a long time to get started.
High requirements for system performance: It requires high-configuration equipment, and old computers or laptops may run slowly.
**Version compatibility issues: **Different versions are not always fully compatible, so be careful when sharing projects.

Application Scenario

Autodesk Maya is widely used in Hollywood movies, large-scale game projects, TV animation, advertising, architectural visualization, VR/AR production and many other fields. Especially in character animation and visual effects production, Maya has a very high evaluation compared to other 3DCG software, and has a high degree of precision and flexibility in rigging and simulation. In addition, Maya has also been introduced as a professional tool to educational institutions and is a basic skill recommended for CG artists to master.

Example

Version management with Maya.

Preview of Alienbrain (asset management system) in Maya.