Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 31, 2003. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Based on the latest release of the Maya software, Maya Personal Learning Edition 5 offers the complete range of capabilities of the Maya Complete software for non-commercial use. Maya Personal Learning Edition 5 includes almost all functions of the commercial Maya Complete version. The new features include:
- A new hardware-rendering option that makes the use of powerful, latest graphics cards possible. This allows images to be generated at significantly higher speed whose quality comes close to software-rendered representations.
- A unified rendering workflow that offers easy and consistent access to the various rendering options in Maya through a unified interface.
- Animation enhancements for constraints, forward and inverse kinematics as well as ghosting that provide greater flexibility.
- Conversion of Maya Paint Effects into polygons offers a completely new selection of looks, as do further editing and output options.
- An improved polygon-reduction process is particularly suitable for users who create polygon-reduced models for games and MODs.
Maya Personal Learning Edition 5 can currently be obtained only in combination with the Learning Maya Beginner’s Guide for 20 euros (plus VAT and shipping).
The possibility of downloading Maya Personal Learning Edition 5 free of charge at http://www.alias.com/mayaple is planned for the fall. Maya Personal Learning Edition can be used on the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems.
Maya Personal Learning Edition is expressly limited to non-commercial use. For this purpose, images are provided with a watermark and a special format that cannot be used commercially is used. Maya Personal Learning Edition is also not supplied with the Maya API and cannot be used with standard plug-ins. Use at schools and in training facilities or courses counts as commercial use. Educational institutions and training centers should therefore contact the local Alias sales office for further information on the current programs for academic seminars and training centers.
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