Maya (software)

Maya , which wants to say Illusion in Sanscrit, is a famous Logiciel commercial for the synthesized images, developed by the company Alias Systems Corporation. It is strongly used by cinema industry, mainly under Linux. To version 6.5, it also functions under Irix for which it was initially created. Beyond this version, Irix is not dealt with any more, this one being done increasingly rare. Maya obviously also functions under Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. The software rests entirely on the powerful language MEL, allowing to the users software to personalize and add functionalities without needing to know the language C or C++.

Maya is used by the largest studios of cinematographic Post-production like ILM or Weta DIGITAL.

The Alias company was repurchased in October 2005 by Autodesk|discreet (company at the origin of software known in the world of graphics such as Flame, Inferno, Combustion or 3D Studio max).

History of Maya

Maya represents the 3D at its culminating point. Indeed, this software accumulates all the strong points of three software: Wavefront' S The Advanced Visualizer (in California), Thomson DIGITAL Image (TDI) Explores (in France) and Alias' Power Animator (in Canada). In 1993 Wavefront acquired TDI, and in 1995, Silicon Graphics Incorporated (SGI) adapted Alias and Wavefront (because of the pressure caused by the repurchase of Softimage by Microsoft earlier in the year) and combined the two companies in only one, thus beginning the programming of only one software (Maya) thanks to collective source code. In the middle of the years 1990, the pipeline (choice and order of use of various software to complete a project) the most used in the films Hollywoodiens was the combination of the software: Alias Studio for modeling, Softimage for animation, and PhotoRealistic RenderMan for returned. This combination was used for many films, such as Jurassic Park , Abyss or Terminator 2: The last Judgment . The association of the companies was then known under the name of Alias|Wavefront . It was necessary for Alias|Wavefront two years additional after fusion for finally marketing very awaited Maya.

At the time of the fusion of the companies, Alias and Wavefront worked both on the next generation of their software. Alias started by carrying Alias Sketch! , one their products for Macintosh, on platforms SGI and to add some functionalities to it. This project was then named “Maya”. The first commercial product animated with Maya was the mouth of Aladdin by the studio Disney.

After long discussions in the lately formed company, it was decided to adopt Maya for basic architecture, and then to add to it the code of Wavefront .

At the beginning of its development, Maya was based on the language TCL. But after fusion, there was a heavy debate aiming at determining which of these three languages would be used: TCL, Perl or Sophia? Sophia was faster in its execution than the other languages, it became thus the new language of development. But once the function of checking of syntax was established, the three languages appeared quite as slow.

With its marketing in 1998, Alias|Wavefront stopped the production and the assumption of responsibility of all its old software of animations, including Power Animator, so that its customers pass to Maya. This action singularly contributed to the expansion of its products on the market of graphics, with companies dominating the market of the special effects such as the Industrial Light and Magic and Tippett Studio passer by of Softimage in Maya.

Later, Alias|Wavefront was famous in Alias. In 2005, Alias was sold by the company on the decline, SGI, with the " Teachers' pension fund off Ontario " associated with the privately held company of investment " Accel-KKR ".

In October 2005, Alias was again sold, but this time at the company Autodesk, which supplemented acquisition on January 10th, 2006. Alias Maya is henceforth known under the name of Autodesk Maya.

Versions

There exist several versions of Maya, the last being version 8.5, marketed in January 2007. Here all the versions which were marketed:

Maya PLE (Personal Learning Edition)

Program identical (although free) to the full version, except the fact that the mention " Maya PLE" is posted on returned. You can download it directly here

Complete Maya

Basic program with the common tools which one finds in all the programs of 3D.

Maya Unlimited

Program similar to the full version but with in more five modules which increase the capacities.

Maya Fluid Effects

Allows to simulate and return an enormous variety of effect atmospheric, pyrotechnical, of liquid and oceans.

Maya Fur

Facilitate the creation of fur realistic and short hair.

Maya Cloth

Create simulations of clothing.

Maya Live

Tools of Alignment of cameras, to accurately recreate the movement of cameras in the program.

Maya To hate

Tools of creation and simulation of hair length. It also makes it possible to create lines dynamics.

See too

  • Alias
  • FBX
  • MB
  • MY

External bonds

  • the French-speaking Community of Maya: Mayalounge

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