Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 26, 2017. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
SIGGRAPH 2017 is just around the corner – time for software manufacturers to bring the latest versions of their tools to market. Autodesk has now released the 2018 version of Maya – we summarize what awaits you in the release here. You can reach Autodesk’s official release entry here.
The New Features in Maya 2018
General New Features
The old Legacy Standard and High-Quality viewports are no longer available in the new version. This makes Viewport 2.0 the primary viewport. In the Node Editor, it is now easier to connect nodes to one another – you can click the source and destination ports to create connection lines. Also new is a search field in the Plug-in Manager, as well as the option to navigate backwards through parameter inputs with Shift + Tab.
Modeling and UV
Autodesk already integrated some of the new modeling and UV layout features into the last 2017 Update 3, including most of the UV Editor improvements. New features since Maya 2018 include:
- the Circularize command, which transforms the selected geometry into a circle, making it easier to create circular extrusions (see attached image)
- Global symmetry is now respected across all tools – you can perform sculpting operations on topologically symmetrical meshes even when both sides are aligned asymmetrically.
- New smart hotkeys to transform, duplicate or extrude geometry.
Animation
The clip-based Time Editor also contains some new features, including a new “Loop Progressive” option for creating complete motion cycles from shorter animation clips. Character animators also get a new visibility mode that only shows rig controls when you hover over them with the mouse. For other animation improvements already included since 2017 Update 3, Autodesk also published this video.
Motion Graphics
The MASH motion graphics toolset gets new primitives geared toward creating abstract objects such as discs, gears and super shapes. In addition, there is a new Dynamics Node for MASH networks. This now lets you add dynamics to MASH networks or polygon objects, which can then be simulated with Bullet physics.
Rendering and Shading
Render Setup has been revised to make it easier to create or customize collections and overrides, as well as perform sequence and batch rendering. More information can be found here in the documentation. Autodesk has also updated the version of the integrated Arnold renderer. Accordingly, the new PBR shaders for surfaces, hair and volumes are now included. For an overview of the shaders and the new version five of the Arnold renderer, we created a summary here.
Costs and Download
Maya 2018 is available for Windows 7 and 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5, 7.2 WS, CentOS 6.5 and 7.2, and Mac OS X 10.10.5 and later. Licenses are available from €238 per month, €1904 per year or €5712 for three years – here is the subscription shop. After registering, students can download a three-year free version here. Anyone who wants to test the tool can also find a 30-day trial version here. The complete release notes for Maya 2018 can be viewed here.
