Maxon has released Cinema 4D 2025.3 on June 18 2025. It introduces a GPU-accelerated liquid simulation system, UDIM support in the UV editor, texel-density tools, AI-driven searches in the Asset Browser, and native integration of Laubwerk plant assets. All updates reflect real production needs—though as always, they should be tested before rolling out in client work.

Liquid simulation lands

The update expands the existing particle system into liquid territory using GPU-accelerated Position Based Dynamics (PBD). Users can create fluids via the Liquid Fill emitter or convert existing particles using the Liquify modifier. Liquids expose parameters such as surface tension and viscosity, can be meshed to geometry using the new Liquid Mesh, and can interact with other particle systems, cloth, and rigid bodies under the Unified Simulation System. The solution is optimized for small-scale effects—beer pours or sauce drips—not large-scale FLIP-type simulations. Users can recreate white-water or bubbles using existing tools. That was teased at Cinema 4D 2025.2

UDIM and texel-density tools

Cinema 4D now supports UDIM and UVTILE standards directly in the UV Editor. Tile grids extend indefinitely, allowing UV elements to be moved, rotated, and packed across tiles, with new controls for tile-specific packing. Game-art workflows benefit from texel-density tools offering get/set/match functionality across UV elements, tiles, and objects, with presets tailored to first-person, third-person, and top-down perspectives.

AI searches in Asset Browser

An AI-powered search feature now complements the standard text search in Maxon’s Asset Browser. The feature is image-aware, allowing a query like “furniture” to return relevant results even when metadata lacks the keyword. The searches operate locally, preserving asset privacy.

Laubwerk plants go native

As part of Maxon’s acquisition of Laubwerk, this update adds a parametric Plant object that enables adjustment of age, seasonal variation, level of detail, and display settings directly within Cinema 4D. The complete Laubwerk library now ships as Capsules, while prior LBW assets remain compatible.

Requirements and pricing

Cinema 4D 2025.3 installs over the 2025 base, requiring Windows 10 22H2 or macOS 13.6+; AI Search is not supported on Intel based Macs. Subscription pricing remains at US $109/month or $839/year, rental-only, now bundled with Redshift GPU acceleration.

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Final word

The introduction of native liquid simulation and UDIM tools brings Cinema 4D closer to a full-featured DCC solution. However, this new PBD system is aimed at small-scale effects; larger fluid dynamics will still require FLIP-style tools or external solvers. As always, users should validate stability, performance, and visual fidelity in production-standard scenarios before migrating pipelines.

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Release notes // Cinema 4D 2025.3 – June 18, 2025

The post Cinema 4D 2025.3 gets liquid sim and UDIMs first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Autodesk’s Maya 2026.1 introduces MotionMaker, an AI-driven animation system designed to generate character movements efficiently. By setting key start and end positions or defining a motion path, MotionMaker interpolates the in-between motions, primarily focusing on locomotion cycles for both bipeds and quadrupeds, as well as actions like jumping and sitting. This tool is particularly beneficial for layout and previs stages, aiming to provide approximately 80% of the animation, which can then be refined manually. MotionMaker includes its own editor window, allowing users to layer animations from various sources, including motion capture and keyframe animations retargeted from other characters. Additional controls such as speed ramping and character scale adjustments enable fine-tuning of movement timing and weight expression. The underlying AI models are trained on motion capture data from male and female human performers and wolf-style dogs, with the system designed to support additional motion styles in the future.

Bifrost Rigging: Modular and Integrated

Maya 2026.1 also debuts a new modular rigging framework within Bifrost, Autodesk’s node-based visual programming environment. This compound-based system allows for the creation of production-ready rigs that are fully integrated with Maya. Animators can interact with module inputs and outputs directly from the Maya scene, and rigs created with Bifrost can be converted into native Maya controls, joints, and attributes. It’s important to note that this release is compatibility-breaking and does not work with earlier versions of the toolset.

Bifrost Simulation: Liquid Enhancements

Bifrost 2.14 for Maya introduces improvements to liquid simulation workflows. Collider object properties such as bounciness, stickiness, and roughness now influence liquid behavior similarly to how they affect particles and other collisions. A new parameter controls air drag on foam and spray emitted by liquids. Workflow enhancements include the ability to convert Bifrost curves to Maya scene curves and batch execution options to write out cache files without the risk of overwriting them.

LookdevX: OpenPBR Support

Behind the seemingly modest “Graph tabs” toggle hides a structural overhaul of LookdevX’s node graph management. Each tab now acts as an explicit filter context for the Graph Editor, displaying only the MaterialX networks that belong to the currently-selected shading graph. In practice, this turns a single, spaghetti-like super-graph into a set of neatly separated workspaces: one tab for the hero character’s skin shader, another for the volumetric fog, a third for that procedural neon slime you promised lighting would be “quick”. Creating a tab spawns an empty graph container ready for fresh nodes, while switching tabs simply re-queries the underlying scene database—no node duplication, no hidden cross-links.

Because tabs are stored as scene metadata, their layout survives reloads and version control check-ins; the UI merely repopulates the view on file open. Performance-wise, filtering at the tab level slashes draw-calls in heavy scenes, so you can tumble the camera without the Graph Editor resorting to flip-book mode. Tab states are also respected by the smart-signalling system: only the currently visible graph flags downstream render contexts, keeping IPR refreshes snappy when you experiment with that last-minute anisotropy tweak. And if you still manage to get lost, the tab bar doubles as a breadcrumb trail—click a tab, and its full file path is echoed to the Script Editor for easy MEL or Python automation. In short, Graph tabs turn LookdevX from a one-room warehouse into a proper materials department, complete with labelled doors and the lights left on.

LookdevX: Graph Tabs for Organized Material Authoring

In Maya 2026, LookdevX introduces “Graph Tabs,” a feature that enhances material authoring by allowing users to create multiple tabs within the Graph Editor. Each tab serves as a separate workspace, enabling artists to organize and manage complex shading networks more efficiently. This compartmentalization facilitates focused editing and improves workflow clarity. The tabs are stored as scene metadata, ensuring that the layout persists across sessions and can be integrated into version control systems. This feature streamlines the material development process, particularly in projects with intricate shading requirements.

For more details on Maya 2026.1 and its new features, visit Autodesk’s official page: Autodesk Maya 2026.

The post Maya 2026.1’s MotionMaker: AI Walks the Walk first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.