Maya 7

Alias has extensively overhauled Maya 7's render layer architecture. One benefit of this revision for users in the print industry is that Maya 7 can output render layers to Photoshop layers in .psd image format.

Maya also integrates well with Adobe Illustrator files. The software can reference and (for example) automatically bevel an Illustrator format logo. Should the Illustrator artwork be altered, the change reveals itself in the Maya scene file as an updated model.

Maya 7 now offers the ability to paint blend weights onto blend shapes, and to "bake out" the results of such blends as new blend shape objects. Paint on one side of a face and a smile now becomes a sneer. Remodel one blend shape (to add an eye-patch, for example) and that change makes itself present in all related blend shapes.

Thanks probably to the influence of Alias's acquisition of Kaydara MotionBuilder 7, Maya 7 now supports full body IK. Pull on an arm and the effect propogates realistically throughout the rest of the body. Animators can also remodel already skeleton-rigged objects with relative ease.

Maya 7's fluid computations have been improved to allow finer voxel resolutions, which greatly enhances the look of the 3D fluid effects.

Duncan Brinsmeade concluded the evening with a demonstration of significant enhancements to Maya 7's toon shader. Thanks to the toon shader's tight integration with Maya Paint Effects, the user now has great control over line quality, color, wiggliness, motion and weight. Maya 7 users can create a variety of non-photorealistic crosshatching, engraving, and watercolor looks, over-extend lines as if in architectural renderings, light edges of objects with single-pixel-width edge glints, and even "hack" the shader into producing "ripped cloth" looks and "ocean wakes" at points of intersection between one surface and another.

A 64-bit version of Maya is in the works for future release, but it was far enough along for Alias to offer a glimpse of it.

Maya 7 is available for download to Platinum Customers as early as August 1. Pricing is unchanged.