Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 6, 2015. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Sculpting Tools
In addition to the brush-based sculpting toolset, which is similar to that of Mudbox and also includes spline IK and cluster deformation, Unfold 3D UV unwrapping tools are intended to enable a brush-based UV workflow. For example, the functions "Automatic Projection", "Pinning", "Weld" and "Unfold Brushes" will be added.
The ShaderFX toolset has also been expanded, so that physically based materials can now be created that are supported in game engines such as Unreal Engine 5 and the upcoming Unity 5.
Improved Animation Tools and Export Functions
The animation tools now support spline IK and cluster deformation, and the Game Exporter has also been optimised so that multiple animations can now be exported to the game engine at the same time. The maximum polygon count of exported .obj and .fbx files has also been increased to 100,000 polygons.
Redesigned UI
Autodesk has improved viewport performance overall, so that the user interface now runs better on high-resolution screens (HiDPI), and thanks to the new technology that is switched between CPU and GPU, the viewport updates faster. The textures now also load in the backgroun, allowing very large scenes to be edited much faster.
More New Features
Also being added will be a customisable, preset lighting environment that can be used to standardise the appearance of imported assets. Furthermore, a fog effect in the viewport with which the user can focus on the object closest to the camera view. In addition, users in the new version are able to buy 3D content for game developers directly from a special page on Creative Market – the online 3D model retailer that Autodesk bought last year.
Here is another overview of Maya LT 2016:
Price and Availability
According to Autodesk, Maya LT 2016 will ship on March 26; a price is not yet known – but the current version costs around 795 US dollars for a perpetual licence or 30 US dolllars as a pay-as-you-go subscription.
All further informatione about Autodesk Maya LT 2016 is available here.
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