Skip to main content
TrustRadius
Autodesk Maya

Autodesk Maya

Overview

What is Autodesk Maya?

Autodesk offers Maya, a 3D animation, modeling, simulation and rendering tool available to artists, animators, and educators, used to create realistic characters, models, and scenes, as well as effects such as explosions, cloth movement, etc.

Read more
Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Autodesk Maya has become an indispensable tool for professionals in the fields of modeling, rigging, animation, and rendering. Users rely …
Continue reading

Maya

8 out of 10
July 06, 2019
Incentivized
In my organization, we have several programs, and one of these is Maya. Depending on each designer or project, one program or another is …
Continue reading
Read all reviews
Return to navigation

Pricing

View all pricing

Monthly

$235

On Premise
per month per user

Yearly

$1875

On Premise
per year per user

3-Year

$5625

On Premise
3 years per user

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Starting price (does not include set up fee)

  • $234 per month
Return to navigation

Product Demos

Maya Quick Tip: Fixing broken textures and references

YouTube

Creating Topological Art with XGen

YouTube

Creating an ocean - Part 3 of 4: Adding a boat wake

YouTube

Intro to Maya 2019: Interface Tour

YouTube

MASH Dynamics: Basics

YouTube

UV Mapping Game Assets: Character

YouTube
Return to navigation

Product Details

What is Autodesk Maya?

Autodesk offers Maya, a 3D animation, modeling, simulation and rendering tool available to artists, animators, and educators, used to create realistic characters, models, and scenes, as well as effects such as explosions, cloth movement, etc.

Features include

  • Bifrost for Maya - Creates physically accurate simulations in a single visual programming environment.
  • USD in Maya - Large datasets can be loaded and edited quickly and users can work directly with data using native tools.
  • Fast playback - For faster animations review with fewer playblasts using cached playback in Viewport 2.0.
  • Unreal Live Link for Maya - Streams animation data from Maya to Unreal in real time with the Unreal Live Link for Maya plug-in.
  • Time editor - Makes high-level animation edits with a nondestructive, clip-based nonlinear editor.
  • Graph editor - Used to create, view, and modify animation curves using a graphical representation of scene animation.
  • Polygon modeling - Supports 3D models using geometry based on vertices, edges, and faces.
  • NURBS modeling - 3D models from geometric primitives and drawn curves.
  • Character setup - Sophisticated skeletons, IK handles, and deformers for characters that deliver lifelike performances.
  • Integrated Arnold renderer - Used to view scene changes in real time, including lighting, materials, and cameras.

Autodesk Maya Video

Autodesk Maya Introduction

Autodesk Maya Competitors

Autodesk Maya Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsWindows, Linux, Mac
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Autodesk offers Maya, a 3D animation, modeling, simulation and rendering tool available to artists, animators, and educators, used to create realistic characters, models, and scenes, as well as effects such as explosions, cloth movement, etc.

Autodesk Maya starts at $234.

Autodesk 3ds Max are common alternatives for Autodesk Maya.

The most common users of Autodesk Maya are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
Return to navigation

Comparisons

View all alternatives
Return to navigation

Reviews and Ratings

(33)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Autodesk Maya has become an indispensable tool for professionals in the fields of modeling, rigging, animation, and rendering. Users rely on Maya to create complex or organic-shaped products that are difficult to achieve with other software. The ability to create separate pieces and assemble them into one product is a particularly valuable feature. In the motion picture and film industry, Maya is commonly used for rendering and creating scenes, allowing for the creation of stunning visuals. Despite occasional crashes, Maya is highly regarded by its user base, who have seen the software evolve over time. Its customization options make it easy to build workflows and improve work efficiency, making it an essential tool for many companies. Additionally, Maya's capabilities have even found applications beyond the entertainment industry, with users recommending it for creating concept videos in fields like cyber security, AI, services, and solutions. Overall, Autodesk Maya offers comprehensive 3D capabilities that cater to a wide range of industries and creative projects.

Versatile and Feature-rich: Many users have praised Autodesk Maya for being a complete 3D package with a wide range of features, making it convenient for various tasks. Reviewers appreciate the ability to add scripts and plug-ins, enhancing its functionality and customization options.

High-Quality Renders: Numerous reviewers have highlighted Maya's strength in creating high-quality renders, making it suitable for producing visually appealing images and animations. The software's rendering engine contributes to its impressive visual outputs, ensuring professional-grade results.

Intuitive User Interface: Several users have mentioned that Maya has an intuitive user interface that makes it easy to use, even for beginners. This user-friendly design allows for a smooth learning curve and efficient workflow navigation.

Rendering and Stability: Some users have experienced frustration with the rendering time and occasional crashes in Autodesk Maya. The software's performance in these areas has been mentioned by multiple reviewers as a drawback.

Interface Design: The design of the interface in Maya has been criticized for its lackluster usability. Users have suggested that improvements to the interface would enhance their overall experience with the software.

Lack of Innovative Tools: Multiple reviewers have expressed disappointment in the lack of innovative and helpful tools within Autodesk Maya. This suggests that the software may not be keeping up with industry trends, which could hinder users' productivity and creative workflow.

Users commonly recommend the following:

  1. Use the free version and self-hosted option: Users suggest starting with the free version of the software and recommend using the self-hosted version instead of the cloud version.
  2. Explore other software options: Some users suggest exploring alternative software options such as 3DSMax and Blender, especially for 3D testing or creative modeling and animation.
  3. Follow tutorials and learn through forums: Many users recommend taking advantage of tutorials and forums to learn the software's tools and shortcuts. They also suggest setting up project folders before starting a project to stay organized.

Reviews

(1-7 of 7)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Autodesk Maya helps me with modeling, animation and effects for the different shots I work on. I use it to create shots for series and movies.
  • Animate
  • Modelate
  • X-GEN
  • Real-time rendering
  • Motion graphics
  • Auto-Save
It is appropriate to use Autodesk Maya to animate characters and it is not appropriate if you want the rendering process to be fast.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We were looking for a solution to get started with creating the videos for our concepts in cyber security and that's when one of our engineers in the creative team suggested Autodesk Maya. Where the Autodesk Maya is being used predominantly is creating concept videos for our cyber security products, AI, services, solutions that we are offering.
  • Simple installation
  • Ease of working
  • Helps with heavy rendering if and as required using supported tools
  • Integration with other platforms/tools
  • Additional features for better use of the graphics
  • Costing could be lowered
We have the design team using that to create videos for our concepts in the Cyber security - Products, services and solutions as well as in AI/ML, basically everything that needs to be communicated in the best way we use Autodesk Maya for the videos thus making it more fun and easy to understand the concepts to get going.
Salomi Rai | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
In my organization, we use Autodesk Maya for almost everything--modeling, rigging, animation, and rendering. At first it is difficult and requires a lot of practice to learn, but after you get used to it, its very convenient and a complete package for 3D. Sometimes it crashes, which is frustrating, but overall it's great.
  • Complete 3D package
  • Many features and convenient
  • You can add scripts and plug-ins
  • Takes a lot of time to render
  • Sometimes it crashes
  • It would be great to add texture feature
  • Expensive
Autodesk Maya provides a complete 3D package; therefore, it is well suited for freelancers and small-budget companies, as they won't have to buy other software for other 3D features apart from texturing and sculpting. Maya also provide free licenses for students, so I highly recommend that students use this amazing software and explore it as much as they can.
vijay kumar | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We are into motion pictures and films so as per our client needs, we use Maya for rendering and scenes. We have limited users of Maya because we only get a small amount of work for 3D, but I've been using Maya for 7 years. I have seen Maya grow with time.
  • Mash, which comes with Maya, is a powerful tool for rendering heavy scenes.
  • Sculpting tool is almost like Zbrush. We can’t compare both but still, it is useful.
  • The geometry conversion option in Maya 2020 is so powerful and useful as well. It can convert any complex geometry into a proper topology.
  • There is nothing to complain about Maya features. The backend team of R&D which gives them the best developer tools.
Maya is a powerful tool in the industry, heading towards unreal, but Maya is still hard to compare with others. Maya is powerful in itself.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Maya as the main tool in the studio. Since Maya is highly customizable, it is easy to build a workflow and it helps to improve work efficiency. In addition, most other companies also use Maya, so it is an indispensable tool when considering data linkage.
  • Easy to build workflow due to strong customizability.
  • Industry share. Easy to collaborate with other companies.
  • Strong cooperation with other software.
  • There are few useful plugins like those in blender and 3ds Max.
  • The sculpting function is weak. I want you to integrate mudbox.
  • I want you to install more powerful GPU rendering.
I think it's the best tool for studios that need a pipeline, such as making a feature film, etc. However, there are few convenient plug-ins, so it is difficult to make small turns.
July 06, 2019

Maya

Alan Urbina | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
In my organization, we have several programs, and one of these is Maya. Depending on each designer or project, one program or another is used. Maya we only use a little, but when we use it, it turns out to be a good program to model and design the pieces. It is generally used to model certain types of products that, due to their complexity or organic shapes, cannot be made so easily in others. We can also make pieces separately, and then make an assembly or a product in one piece.
  • Creates good renders.
  • Organic forms.
  • Rendering engine.
  • It's easy to use.
  • Better design of the interface.
  • Better price.
At first, it can be a little complex to use or learn how to handle it, but after you have practice, it becomes very easy and simple. Also at the beginning, if you do not know any other program, it can be difficult to remember the different functions, operations, or buttons. You can generate different parts to later assemble without any mishap or problem, or it helps you generate complex and organic shapes in an easier way.
Miroslav Bobryshev | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We mainly use Autodesk Maya for creating 3D models(characters, vehicles, props) of varying complexity, sometimes for animation, assembling(layout) 3d assets to scenes for subsequent export to sideFX Houdini.
  • The program is a complete product for modeling, animation, shading and rendering 3d assets for static images and animation.
  • Maya has one of the best animation tools in 3d industry. It's simple to create/edit complex animation using Time Editor, Graph Editor and etc.
  • Well known in the game and film industry. Many studios use it, so there is no problem for just hired employee to settle in.
  • It has simple(enough) python API. It's easy to create scripts and plugins. And there are lots of free or paid plugins in the internet to speed up 3d work.
  • It has good node-based workflow for procedural creation.
  • Right now Maya has no good viewport like Blender 2.8 has. It is good that Maya 2019 devs focused on performance and stability but it's strange to see that mainstream soft aren't on trend in developing really cool and helpful tools.
  • Maya LT is very good for artist who don't need complex FX tools. So the devs must add python API to Maya LT.
  • Add more helpful tools to modeling section especially for retopology.
Autodesk Maya is perfect for the integrated creation of three-dimensional assets: modeling, creating UV, animation, shading and rendering, as well as simulating effects - the strengths of the program. Sculpting and texturing must be done in third-party applications.
Return to navigation