Each release of Autodesk Maya and the Entertainment Creation Suite marks a step forward in the possibilities of movie special effects and digital animation. The recent release of Maya Entertainment Creation Suite 2011 (ECS) stays true to this trend.
Maya ECS 2011 includes essential applications for creating animating, character rendering, and adding effects Maya 2011, Mudbox 2011, and MotionBuilder 2011. There is also a version of the suite that comes with Autodesk 3ds Max in the place of Maya 2011.
Essentially, Maya is for 3-D animation, modeling, and other stages of rendering animations and objects. MotionBuilder is geared toward real-time character animation. MudBox is a digital sculpting and 3-D painting application, which is similar to shaping with digital clay. The applications sync well between one another, with the help of Autodesk FBX 2011 data integration, which allows users to quickly transfer their work between applications.
All three applications have been improved and dotted with new tools in the 2011 releases, although Maya 2011 seems to have received the most work of the three.
Autodesk is among the leading companies in 3-D design and creative software. Their applications include some of the major names in video editing, 3-D animation, and architecture design. Maya and MotionBuilder were used in the creation of Avatar, as well as in other big-name films, although the software suite can be used for virtually anything related to animation, character design, or 3-D rendering.
Maya seems to have received the most attention among applications in the suite, with quite a long list of new features and enhancements that make the update well worth it. As for Mudbox and MotionBuilder, there is a bit less in terms of new features, but some nice updates nonetheless.
The biggest update for Mac users is newly added 64-bit support in Maya 2011 and Mudbox 2011, which makes the applications run much faster and use the computer’s resources better. MotionBuilder is still Windows only, however.
Maya ECS 2011 includes essential applications for creating animating, character rendering, and adding effects Maya 2011, Mudbox 2011, and MotionBuilder 2011. There is also a version of the suite that comes with Autodesk 3ds Max in the place of Maya 2011.
Essentially, Maya is for 3-D animation, modeling, and other stages of rendering animations and objects. MotionBuilder is geared toward real-time character animation. MudBox is a digital sculpting and 3-D painting application, which is similar to shaping with digital clay. The applications sync well between one another, with the help of Autodesk FBX 2011 data integration, which allows users to quickly transfer their work between applications.
All three applications have been improved and dotted with new tools in the 2011 releases, although Maya 2011 seems to have received the most work of the three.
Autodesk is among the leading companies in 3-D design and creative software. Their applications include some of the major names in video editing, 3-D animation, and architecture design. Maya and MotionBuilder were used in the creation of Avatar, as well as in other big-name films, although the software suite can be used for virtually anything related to animation, character design, or 3-D rendering.
Maya seems to have received the most attention among applications in the suite, with quite a long list of new features and enhancements that make the update well worth it. As for Mudbox and MotionBuilder, there is a bit less in terms of new features, but some nice updates nonetheless.
The biggest update for Mac users is newly added 64-bit support in Maya 2011 and Mudbox 2011, which makes the applications run much faster and use the computer’s resources better. MotionBuilder is still Windows only, however.
Maya 2011
The first thing current Maya users will notice in the latest release is the new interface. In addition to a few new menus, it now features dock-able menus that can be moved and customized similar to Adobe Photoshop. Things look a bit more busy at first, but since users can customize the workspace to their liking, this can be fixed.
New look aside, the interface still sticks to what is expected from a 3-D rendering application. Users of Maya 2010 or Maxon Cinema 4D should still feel right at home.
There is quite a long list of new features and enhancements in Maya 2011. Essentially, there are new tools that help to better refine images, including more precise color selectors. The application is able to better calculate physics, wind, smoke, and how different meshes and objects affect one another.
There are also performance enhancements that make things work faster all around, including faster nParticle meshing, constraining evaluation, and of course 64-bit support on the Mac. Also, a new interactive viewpoint makes frame rates several times faster than previous versions, and also speeds up texture loading.
For creating characters and movements, there are tools to make better skinned characters with more realistic deformations, and in less time. After creating an animation for a character, users can also transfer the animation to another, and non-destructively make adjustments in real time without needing to re-bake in order to see the changes.
New 3-D editorial tools include a camera sequencer that allows users to layout and work with multiple camera shots in a single animation sequence.
Rigging characters is much easier in Maya 2011. In most applications, when defining joints and planes of movements in characters, such as elbows and knees, fixing deformations can take time. A Dual quaternion skinning feature in Maya 2011 improves on the old skinning method in Maya, and allows users to eliminate problems of defined bones twisting on their axis, and so on. There is also an interactive skin binding feature that allows users to quickly set skin weights, shape, and length to define which area of the character affects the other.
Effects and dynamics—which include my personal favorite features in Maya—have also received some new additions. The features that work on physics and how objects dynamically affect one another, now include self attraction and repulsion which can make effects such as galaxies expanding and contracting or to make an object expand and create a realistic explosion sequence.
There are new tools to control weight, temperature, and density, as well as new fluid tools that can be used to adjust color, opacity, and iridescence. Autodesk gave an example of these features in action, by creating a flow of magma, which has glowing liquid peeking out from behind darker cool areas, as it drips, pours, and steams.
A surface tension feature can be used to make beads of water join together and affect one another realistically, while other tools allow users to better customize properties such as strength of collision between two particles.
Some effects users may also recognize when looking at screenshots from Maya 2011 is better depth of field, created by using new motion blur tools.
Also, going with the 3-D film trend, Maya 2011 has new stereoscopic tools, which enable designers to more easily create movies which can be viewed in 3-D.
Mudbox 2011 & MotionBuilder 2011
With Mudbox 2011, the simplicity of the application has been one of its key drawing points. Similar to ZBrush 3, Mudbox allows users to digitally sculpt 3-D characters and objects. There are quite a few tools to scrape, add to, and alter the digital clay; while others such as noise and advanced coloring tools allow users to create near photo-realistic images.
Users can now import models rigged in other 3-D applications, including Maya 2011, 3ds Max 2011, and Softimage 2011. Once imported, new posing tools will also allow users to pose and transform their models, which can be handy for doing presentations. The addition of two new movie recording features also add to the presentation options, and can be used to quickly animate the image to rotate 360 degrees. The video recording features can’t do anything too complex, however, as they seem to be more for simple presentations.
There are plenty of new paint brushes and tools, including those for coloring, texturing, adding contrast, and blurring—which work similar to tools found in applications such as Adobe Photoshop CS5. The application also works better with Photoshop, and supports multiple paint layers in a single channel.
A projection tool allows users to take color and textures from an image and paint them onto their model.
A vector displacement map tool lets users copy and recreate more complex images, including undercuts and overhangs. This can be used to duplicate an image such as an ear, which has spaces between it and the object it is connected to.
For materials, both normal and bump maps can now be viewed at the same time on a model, as opposed to previous versions when a user could only view one at a time. Also, new blending modes allow for non-destructive edits to paint layers, including editing lightening, contrast, darkening, and so on.
MotionBuilder 2011 has also received a few enhancements, including features that help it work better into the overall production pipeline. Most of the work done is fine tuning, such as better consistency in handling materials and better integration with other applications.
By running calculations skinning and blendshape deformations on the GPU, playback of skinned characters is much faster. It can handle materials better, and there are also improvements to the story tool, which makes it more stable.
In a Nutshell
If you use the applications for work, the upgrade is a definite. A new interface, tools to eliminate problems in older versions, and other tools to streamline the workflow add up into what could save time and money during a job.
For Mac users, the 64-bit support will also make a big difference in terms of how well the applications utilize the power of the computer—resulting in faster load times and less lag while working, particularly when working with large files.
For hobbyists and those interested in learning 3-D animation and rendering, Maya ECS is a great place to start, since it provides all the tools for the job. There is a pretty high learning curve with such applications, but not so high to make it unusable for users with enough interest to follow a few tutorials. Also an inexpensive app, which is a good place for beginners to start is Cheetah 3D.
Up there with Maya is Cinema 4D, and similar to Mudbox is ZBrush, which are both great applications. The benefits of the Maya ECS, however, are that the user ends up paying less for each application, and the way in which the applications sync with one another, although both ZBrush and Cinema 4D include features for syncing between applications.
Users on a budget or beginners could consider Blender, which is a free, open source application for 3-D rendering, animation, and which even includes tools for making video games. However, the application is difficult to use and its interface is a bit distant from the conventional 3-D creative application.
The first thing current Maya users will notice in the latest release is the new interface. In addition to a few new menus, it now features dock-able menus that can be moved and customized similar to Adobe Photoshop. Things look a bit more busy at first, but since users can customize the workspace to their liking, this can be fixed.
New look aside, the interface still sticks to what is expected from a 3-D rendering application. Users of Maya 2010 or Maxon Cinema 4D should still feel right at home.
There is quite a long list of new features and enhancements in Maya 2011. Essentially, there are new tools that help to better refine images, including more precise color selectors. The application is able to better calculate physics, wind, smoke, and how different meshes and objects affect one another.
There are also performance enhancements that make things work faster all around, including faster nParticle meshing, constraining evaluation, and of course 64-bit support on the Mac. Also, a new interactive viewpoint makes frame rates several times faster than previous versions, and also speeds up texture loading.
For creating characters and movements, there are tools to make better skinned characters with more realistic deformations, and in less time. After creating an animation for a character, users can also transfer the animation to another, and non-destructively make adjustments in real time without needing to re-bake in order to see the changes.
New 3-D editorial tools include a camera sequencer that allows users to layout and work with multiple camera shots in a single animation sequence.
Rigging characters is much easier in Maya 2011. In most applications, when defining joints and planes of movements in characters, such as elbows and knees, fixing deformations can take time. A Dual quaternion skinning feature in Maya 2011 improves on the old skinning method in Maya, and allows users to eliminate problems of defined bones twisting on their axis, and so on. There is also an interactive skin binding feature that allows users to quickly set skin weights, shape, and length to define which area of the character affects the other.
Effects and dynamics—which include my personal favorite features in Maya—have also received some new additions. The features that work on physics and how objects dynamically affect one another, now include self attraction and repulsion which can make effects such as galaxies expanding and contracting or to make an object expand and create a realistic explosion sequence.
There are new tools to control weight, temperature, and density, as well as new fluid tools that can be used to adjust color, opacity, and iridescence. Autodesk gave an example of these features in action, by creating a flow of magma, which has glowing liquid peeking out from behind darker cool areas, as it drips, pours, and steams.
A surface tension feature can be used to make beads of water join together and affect one another realistically, while other tools allow users to better customize properties such as strength of collision between two particles.
Some effects users may also recognize when looking at screenshots from Maya 2011 is better depth of field, created by using new motion blur tools.
Also, going with the 3-D film trend, Maya 2011 has new stereoscopic tools, which enable designers to more easily create movies which can be viewed in 3-D.
Mudbox 2011 & MotionBuilder 2011
With Mudbox 2011, the simplicity of the application has been one of its key drawing points. Similar to ZBrush 3, Mudbox allows users to digitally sculpt 3-D characters and objects. There are quite a few tools to scrape, add to, and alter the digital clay; while others such as noise and advanced coloring tools allow users to create near photo-realistic images.
Users can now import models rigged in other 3-D applications, including Maya 2011, 3ds Max 2011, and Softimage 2011. Once imported, new posing tools will also allow users to pose and transform their models, which can be handy for doing presentations. The addition of two new movie recording features also add to the presentation options, and can be used to quickly animate the image to rotate 360 degrees. The video recording features can’t do anything too complex, however, as they seem to be more for simple presentations.
There are plenty of new paint brushes and tools, including those for coloring, texturing, adding contrast, and blurring—which work similar to tools found in applications such as Adobe Photoshop CS5. The application also works better with Photoshop, and supports multiple paint layers in a single channel.
A projection tool allows users to take color and textures from an image and paint them onto their model.
A vector displacement map tool lets users copy and recreate more complex images, including undercuts and overhangs. This can be used to duplicate an image such as an ear, which has spaces between it and the object it is connected to.
For materials, both normal and bump maps can now be viewed at the same time on a model, as opposed to previous versions when a user could only view one at a time. Also, new blending modes allow for non-destructive edits to paint layers, including editing lightening, contrast, darkening, and so on.
MotionBuilder 2011 has also received a few enhancements, including features that help it work better into the overall production pipeline. Most of the work done is fine tuning, such as better consistency in handling materials and better integration with other applications.
By running calculations skinning and blendshape deformations on the GPU, playback of skinned characters is much faster. It can handle materials better, and there are also improvements to the story tool, which makes it more stable.
In a Nutshell
If you use the applications for work, the upgrade is a definite. A new interface, tools to eliminate problems in older versions, and other tools to streamline the workflow add up into what could save time and money during a job.
For Mac users, the 64-bit support will also make a big difference in terms of how well the applications utilize the power of the computer—resulting in faster load times and less lag while working, particularly when working with large files.
For hobbyists and those interested in learning 3-D animation and rendering, Maya ECS is a great place to start, since it provides all the tools for the job. There is a pretty high learning curve with such applications, but not so high to make it unusable for users with enough interest to follow a few tutorials. Also an inexpensive app, which is a good place for beginners to start is Cheetah 3D.
Up there with Maya is Cinema 4D, and similar to Mudbox is ZBrush, which are both great applications. The benefits of the Maya ECS, however, are that the user ends up paying less for each application, and the way in which the applications sync with one another, although both ZBrush and Cinema 4D include features for syncing between applications.
Users on a budget or beginners could consider Blender, which is a free, open source application for 3-D rendering, animation, and which even includes tools for making video games. However, the application is difficult to use and its interface is a bit distant from the conventional 3-D creative application.
Price: $4,995
Website: www.autodesk.com
[etRating value=“ 4.5”]
