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Game artists know that there are three sure things in life: death, taxes, and Autodesk's release schedule. The 2011 version of Autodesk Maya is chock-full of new and updated features, including a long awaited user interface overhaul, so let's take a look at some of these features and find out if 2011's beauty is more than skin deep.
In The Beginning
>> As the new Qt framework-based UI is the most obvious update and the new feature that users will encounter first, let's start there. In addition to the new carbonized look, which Autodesk claims will help reduce color bleed from the UI to the viewport, Qt brings a new level of UI customization to Maya. Some elements can now be torn off and docked in new locations and other elements can be resized by dragging. Have you ever needed to pull out the Attribute Editor just a little further to see that super long attribute name? Well, now you can!
Several individual windows have also been updated. Those that rely on custom shelves will love the new options provided by the updated Shelf Editor. New icon formats, including GIF and JPG, are supported, and individual icon elements such as background color and transparency can be customized. Maybe it's time to hire that full-time icon artist you've been considering! 2011 also includes a new File Browser, which allows users to set bookmarks, manage projects, and even set file options such as referencing and namespaces. Speaking of namespaces, Maya 2011 includes a new Namespace Editor that allows users to view and manage a scene's namepaces, as well as manipulate the contents. Overall, Autodesk wasn't content to just make the new UI more attractive; they've also made it more functional as well. That said, it will take some time to adjust to the new layout.
Do My Little Turn
>> Now for some of the new modeling features in 2011. Past versions of Maya may not have been at the top of most artists' list when they were discussing preferred modeling packages, but Autodesk has been taking great strides to improve that perception.
The first major modeling feature is Export To Mudbox. Many studios have probably scripted their own interop pipelines by now. Even so, Autodesk's solution...