As teams become more dispersed geographically, and the data used in entertainment creation is growing in both size and complexity, Autodesk is focused on providing complete solutions to help streamline creative, collaborative workflows that will allow for greater experimentation with new cloud and mobile technologies.
To this end, the 2016 3D animation portfolio is stronger than ever with significant updates to Maya and 3ds Max. Each release includes new features and improvements designed to boost performance, collaboration and simplify daily operations for advanced creativity.
Maya 2016 is faster and easier to use. Its animation performance with a parallel evaluation system takes advantage of the CPU and GPU to increase the speed of both playback and character rig manipulation. New capabilities in Bifrost, including adaptive foam and guided simulations, help deliver state-of-the-art, realistic liquid simulations.
3ds Max 2016 offers procedural content creation and tools for better collaboration. It features the new Max Creation Graph, a node-based content and tool creation tool kit that empowers users to extend 3ds Max with geometric objects and modifiers. The software also contains new XRef Renovations so that users can externally reference objects to scenes and animate/edit material on the XRef object in the source file without having to merge the object into the scene. Non-destructive animation workflows and improved XRef stability simplify collaboration among teams and throughout the production pipeline. The 2016 version also contains a new intuitive design workspace and template systems for easy access to object placement, lighting, rendering, modeling and texturing tools while creating high-quality stills and animations.
Autodesk also announced updates to the Flame family. The new releases of Flame and Flame Premium provide customers with a comprehensive, high-end VFX and creative finishing tool set, new look development tools, a connected workflow, faster, interactive performance and other user-requested improvements. The version contains new Look Development tools help artists exceed customer expectations, including: Lightbox, Matchbox in Action, and color management workflow enhancements.
The 2016 Entertainment Creation Suite includes all the new features and updates to Maya 2016 and 3ds Max 2016, in addition to updates and enhancements in Mudbox 2016 and MotionBuilder 2016 that help improve the daily work of artists, developers, directors and cinematographers.
Autodesk offers its standalone products on a pay-as-you-go basis through Desktop Subscription.