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Maya Unlimited Reduced Price and Maya 2008 Extension 2 
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Posted On:  Feb 19 2008 @ 05:02 PM   By:  admin   In Section:  Software

Autodesk Reduces Pricing for Maya Unlimited and Announces Maya 2008
Extension 2

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2008 Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) today
announced reduced pricing for Autodesk Maya Unlimited 3D modeling,
animation, and rendering software - the tool of choice for designers and
artists working in film, television and games. Autodesk also announced
Maya 2008 Extension 2 software, which provides enhanced creative control
over polygon modeling and UV texturing, as well as significant improvements
to the Maya Muscle toolset. Maya was recently inducted into the Game
Developer Front Line Award Hall of Fame for its outstanding contribution to
the game development industry.

"The reduced price of Autodesk Maya Unlimited makes its extensive toolset
more accessible to new users and existing facilities that want to expand
their Maya-based pipelines," said Marc Petit, senior vice president,
Autodesk Media & Entertainment. "More artists can now take advantage of the
software's professional tools and advanced workflows to meet demands for
captivating content created on shorter deadlines and tighter budgets."

Maya Unlimited contains everything offered in Maya Complete software, plus
innovations such as Maya Fluid Effects, Maya nCloth, Maya Hair, Maya Fur,
and Maya Live. Pricing for Autodesk Maya Complete remains unchanged.

The Autodesk suggested retail price of a new license of Maya Unlimited,
Standalone has been reduced from US$6,995* to US$4,995*. The Autodesk
suggested retail price of a new license of Maya Unlimited, Network has been
reduced from US$8,345* to US$6,245*. Maya Complete 2008 customers can now
cross-grade to Maya Unlimited 2008 at the reduced Autodesk suggested retail
price of US $2,995*. All price changes are effective as of Feb. 18, 2008.



Autodesk Maya Extension 2 Software

Autodesk Maya 2008 Extension 2 software is expected to be available for
download to Maya Complete 2008 and Maya Unlimited 2008 Autodesk
Subscription customers with Gold support in March 2008. The Extension 2 is
not sold separately.

Key features and enhancements offered in Autodesk Maya 2008 Extension 2
include:

Superior Modeling Workflow: New selection management features offer
modelers a fast and precise workflow for controlling large amounts of
complex geometry. Also, symmetrical modeling has been enhanced through such
additions as seam preservation functionality.

Faster Texturing through Streamlined UV Workflows: New and enhanced UV
workflow tools provide artists with more control over their texturing,
which enables them to achieve their desired results faster.

Detailed Skin Articulation and Animation: New features and enhanced
workflows for Maya Muscle extend the animator or technical director's
ability to precisely direct muscle and skin behavior. These include a new
smart collisions toolset, support for three new forces, and the ability to
displace skin.

For more information about the features offered in Autodesk Maya 2008
Extension 2, visit www.autodesk.com/maya-extension2.

New Autodesk Subscription Offering for Maya Complete

Autodesk is also introducing a new entry-level Autodesk Subscription
offering for Maya Complete software.** This offering will allow Maya
Complete customers to maximize the value of their software investment and
simplify the process of staying current on the latest versions. The
Autodesk suggested retail price of Autodesk Subscription for Maya Complete
is US$595.* Subscription customers have access to up-to-date software,
learning resources, and an extensive online technical knowledgebase. For
more information about the Subscription offering for Maya Complete, visit
www.autodesk.com/mayasubscription.

* International pricing may vary
** Not available in Japan

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the
manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment
markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has
developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping
solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real..
Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize,
simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to
save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional
information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

artycoon writes:
    (02/21/08) Post id 2815


Crazy!


aesnakes writes:
    (02/22/08) Post id 2821


Crazy? its about time, charging way too much for lack of updates and unstable releases. Have you seen the new max release? Who in their right mind would spend the cost of an upgrade fee for that? Lets hope that something incredible happens for the next release because I'm half way to changing to another software, Houdini 9.1 anyone


stealth_kid writes:
    (02/23/08) Post id 2823


i have a feeling that the end is nigh. good! good... as for houdini, it's an excellent option. the modeling workflow might seem a bit weird for someone used to maya's tools, although the latest version has a really easy to use toolset. but, if for some reason you don't like it, you can always use another package for modeling. as for the effects module (particles, cloth, fluids, rigid/soft bodies etc), it's just awesome. for procedural effects houdini is way better than maya. i'm not an animator, so i cannot tell you much about the rigging/skinning/animation workflow, but overall i say switching to houdini is totally worth it. i used to use maya, i switched to houdini a while ago, lived happily ever since and never looked back.

edit: i forgot to say, for modeling, you might want to take a look at silo. it only handles poly/subD modeling, so no animation, rendering or physics, but alone it does pretty much everything that maya + mudbox do. and it only costs 160$.


andrewkerr writes:
    (02/25/08) Post id 2825


I would be surprised if they can give it away; I've been pulling my hair out with 8.5 and am I backing down to 7;

if it aint broke don't fix it...

My current gripe- Maya used to be able to import DWGs without any problems; you just had to install that little importer; then Autodesk buys Maya- changes all that and now half the DWGs from Autocad can't be imported- I know they have come up with a new system in 2008 but you have be joking if you think I will give them more money for fixing thier own dumb mistakes.


BTW- if you are fed up with later Maya versions but can't open your files in previous versions- save them as .ma files; open them in notepad and manually change the "8.5" to"7" three times in the top line..it's drag but it will save you time in avoiding crashes.


Geegrafix writes:
    (02/26/08) Post id 2827


Actually, in 2008, the dwg and dxf exporter seem broken still. I have to save my files as ascii, change them like you said, then open them in Maya 6, then export to dwg from there. It works great from 6. What a joke!


Joojaa writes:
    (02/26/08) Post id 2830


Few asnwers to things said:


>> i have a feeling that the end is nigh. good! good... as for houdini,

Yes but I think the proce drop is bacause too few are buying unlimitted, prefeering complete.

But hey the business model of houdini for 99$ cannot be profitable.

>>Actually, in 2008, the dwg and dxf exporter seem broken still.

Theres used to be 2 dxf exporters in maya. One is part of fbx_maya this one works reliably in the 4 different apps i tested (now they deleted wrong dxf as it seems). It was however broken in 2 others I tested. The file is very valid DXF! And some of theese programs had a highly broken dxf import. (one i looked in source and verified its broken)

Problem here is the way DXF itself is done, and how its SAID to work. Because autcad keeps dumping icons to dxf thet arent in the standard. But assumed by many wrongly. (DXF is indeed a very bad format because of this, ive indeed come across apps that suposedly support dxf but dont really follow the standard, can it then be called dxf).

Bottom line is DXF has met its exipry date. At the end of the day its shouldnt be used. But is super persistent jsut like the old 3ds fileformat

Now the dxf file itself is easily fixed for those apps. However i just never tought teh disssasembled each face exploded dxf is worth it.


stealth_kid writes:
    (02/26/08) Post id 2831


hmm... now that autodesk lost quite a lot of money, buying all they could get their hands on (including the rocky mountains and a few of saturn's rings), lowering the price on maya unlimited seems to be among the final desperate measures. look, i'll translate:
someone really unimportant from autodesk said: "The reduced price of Autodesk Maya Unlimited makes its extensive toolset more accessible to new users..."
it actually means: "oh please, buy something from us, something.... anything..... pleahehehease... we're cool, we swears..."
that's why i said the end is nigh. the next thing autodesk will probably do is pawn the furniture.


sentry65 writes:
    (02/26/08) Post id 2832


price drop is good for consumers. This is probably the only market in the world where people will complain about something costing them less money. I guess it makes them feel less elite? I don't know, but not too far from now, digital art with 3d software will be no more elite than a painter using paint and canvas. They already cost close to the same

there's no reason 3d software should cost as much as it does these days with how commonplace 3d apps are. Why should a 3d app cost more than say photoshop??? 3D apps are no longer the cutting edge and rarity they once were

the new big cutting edge things are probably going to be things like physics engines and AI related sorts of things, not polygons

anyway, this isn't a hugely impressive update, but I don't have to buy it either

I'd be nice if autodesk would come out with a new infinite resolution voxel/metaball/particle volume sort of geometry type where you can literally chisel away at a shape using an artisan-like tool or geometry shape. This sort of thing would be a massive big deal in the medical field...it'd be even more potent if it was compatible with some of the medical 3D reconstruction formats to give you a starting point in which to refine the rough resolution by hand


stealth_kid writes:
    (02/26/08) Post id 2833


eh, i was wondering when you'll show up, sentry65. because of what you just said, any doubt that i might have had about you working with/for autodesk is now gone. what i'm wondering is whether you are one person or a group of lawyers sweating in a closed room desperate to come up with some sort of answer that makes autodesk look good, involving lots and lots of text and close to zero usefull information. whichever the case may be, live long and prosper.
so:
1. "price drop is good for consumers." to some degree, true. it is definitely not good for autodesk, however (see my first and second post), and this is the important thing. lowering the price might not turn out to be such a good thing as initially thought because it might (actually i'm convinced that it will) lead to lowering the quality of the product. i know, it's hard to believe that autodesk can mess maya up more that they already have, but don't underestimate them, they'll find a way.
2. "I guess it makes them feel less elite?" personally, i don't give a damn about the elite crap. but i would gladly pay a little more for a good, reliable product than less for many buggy, outdated programs that struggle to keep up by constantly releasing payed fixes and patches which don't even solve the main problems, but change the mouse cursors and add new buttons for things that already exist.
3. "digital art with 3d software will be no more elite than a painter using paint and canvas." in autodesk's world, yes. in the real world, not everybody who has brushes and canvas is monet or van gogh and not everyone who uses 3d software is able to tell the difference between a isosceles triangle and two big banannas. the "making 3d more accesible to everyone" nonsense autodesk makes such a fuss about is the biggest load of b.s. ever. i'm convinced they know perfectly well that they have absolutely nothing to impress and attract experienced artists, so the appeal to the uneducated masses: "oh, look, it shines!".
4. the stuff about 3d apps cost and the reference to photoshop means absolutely nothing. a lot of words and no usefull information. and, by the way, 3d apps are the cutting edge. as far as i remember, in the past rarities were the computers able to run 3d software, not the programs that could do 3d.
5. "the new big cutting edge things are probably going to be things like physics engines and AI". i think you're confusing 3d apps with game consoles. aside from applications like silo or wings3d, which concentrate only on modeling, name one 3d package which does not already have a physics engine and tools for behavioural AI. speaking of maya, it has the good old ode engine for dynamic simulations since the earth was young and for AI, mel and the api. if you don't like ode, there's a free pluging for physX. for cloth, liquids, hair etc it has particle systems and paint effects and you can do amazing things with those, but only if you have the knowledge. and so we come back to the accesibility issue. underneath the hood, maya changes very little from one version to the next (speaking of capabilities), the only major difference between maya... let's say 6.5 and 2008 is that 2008 has waaay more buttons. i don't care about nCloth, i can do the exact same stuff with soft bodies. not as easily, but i definitely can.
6. "i'd be nice if autodesk would come out with a new...". autodesk will never come out with something new. ever. it's not their style. long gone are the days of autodesk animator. all they know how to do now is buy other people's work and take the credit for it. the stuff about sculpting high-res meshes.... ever heard of zbrush or silo?

note: for the users who are new or didn't read other posts by sentry65, i'll say that the general ideea of those comments was that autodesk is doing a good job in general and yes, they don't come up with anything new or usefull but their products are pretty awesome, nonetheless, and no one is forcing you to buy the latest version but it's not frowned upon and if you do, it would be a good thing and your life will improve considerably and you will get a lot of girls (or boys). and autodesk is great and you should buy the latest version, even if it's not mandatory.


sentry65 writes:
    (02/26/08) Post id 2834


whatever
I do medical animation for a hospital/institute.
I don't work for autodesk

I just said this was a pretty lame release. How does that make me look like I work for autodesk? I'm not going to buy the latest version. I'm happy with 8.5 sp2 64.

I could be doing all the work I do right now with maya version 1.0 if it ran on modern computers/OS's
All the new fancy tools are nice, but the bread and butter tools are what I mostly care about because that's what I honestly mostly use.
Those bread and butter tools no longer are worth the premium they once were.

Maya used to be a revolutionary 3d app. Now it isn't and most of the other major ones out there aren't really either because they all pretty much do the same things. Houdini or XSI might be the big up and coming 3d app right now, but someday they'll go stale too and another new 3d app will start carrying the torch

3D isn't anything new. Sorry man, it just isn't. Everyone and their mom can model these days after a few quick lessons. Everyone's computer is extremely 3D capable compared to 10 years ago. Just about every video card has a 3d accelerator. Modern processors and memory sizes are extremely capable of manipulating models around and 3D apps are cheaper than ever, not just maya. A $300 laptop and a $500 copy of XSI is more capable than the best workstation and softimage 3.9 from 10 years ago.

Things are just different today where skill is more important than the apps and hardware. 20 years ago, if you barely knew how to use power animator and sucked as an artist, you could still get some high paying jobs

The big deal things coming around right now are not the fact that there's 3D stuff, it's that there's new AI/physics tools coming out for 3D programs to help make those things quicker to create and possibly more realistic. Maya fluids, ncloth, muscles all come from realtime "game console" technology. The line between realtime and highend 3D tools is starting to blur. Look at all the 3rd party apps that toy around with AI. MASSIVE comes to mind off the top of my head. Look at houdini's effects engines. The big cutting edge things happening these days is real-time stuff with rendering and physics/AI engines.

Nvidia bought mental images because the "high end" rendering features are quickly becoming realtime gaming technology so then yeah I must be confusing all our "cutting edge" 3d technology with "console gaming" tech

creating a model with polygons is old news now. It's just as "cutting edge" as creating an image with pixels in the 2D world. Remember when NURBS came out and it was a BIG deal? Remember when SubD's were cutting edge and Maya was getting them in Maya Unlimited and yet were practically useless unless you used Renderman? Those are all standard old-hat tools now. Besides, photoshop has a lot of innovative tools and abilities now that are just as worthy and useful as any new 3d feature. No one NEEDS them, but they sometimes sure help speed up workflow


yeah, all the muscle and ncloth things can be done with softbodies and influence objects....they're not big deal items for me. But I suspect a day will come when those types of things are so easy to do, doing them the old way with softbodies etc will just be stupid


Joojaa writes:
    (02/27/08) Post id 2840


Well i can definitively see the dawn of cpu only rendrers. Or only if damn pixar wouldn't make so good a platform to compute on.

And yes cheaper apps, easier to sue apps measn you need to be much much better. Off course im not worried, half of the popele who know photshop know jack s*. Besides im nt a artist.

bottom line is 2008 IS the worst maya ive sen in long time. No amount of small addons is going to help untill the PROBLEMS are fixed.

And please leave the gui alone its fine as it is


aesnakes writes:
    (02/27/08) Post id 2842


Thank you Joojaa, I've read lots of comments by you and have agreed and disagreed with your opinions. Some of which are very to the point and you have strong views. But I agree with you on this subject whole heartedly. I'm almost completely done with autodesk, there are better tools out there. i mean i am coming from a 3Ds max 2.5 background switching to Maya on version 3 but now Im considering a new workflow........I mean Ncloth and fluid effects are great but not enough to stay and watch autodesk destroy everything else in the app. (its heartbreaking really lol) Modo for modeling and sculpting, houdini 9.1 as the glue and effects, realflow and other apps as you need them, renderman for amazing renders and your choice of compositor (nuke, fusion, after effects or other over priced high end solution.)

in conclusion I agree that maya is bloated and full of problems, autodesk is not going to fix these anytime soon. Look at what they have done recently.....Max is split into 2 apps, Maya is a mess, they buy everything around them that seems like it could fill a gap and they release Combustion 2008 featuring the color warper??????? this is a craptastic long awaited update please don't insult my intelligence this is nowhere near the power of nuke or fusion.

For anyone who hasn't checked out Luxology's modo and Houdini you are seriously missing out.


kadu3d writes:
    (02/28/08) Post id 2846


I'm studying Houdini 9.1, every day I feel more in love with this software...


cmogk writes:
    (02/29/08) Post id 2851


If you guys want to log bugs on any of the issues you're referring to in this thread you can do that from within Maya with Help>Report a Problem...

We do look at each and every report that comes in. The more specific you can be the better. Comments like "maya is a mess" don't give us a lot of direction on where the problems are.

If anyone wants to discuss the problems you're experiencing with Maya, or what you would like to see from Maya in the future, drop me a line.


sentry65 writes:
    (02/29/08) Post id 2852


I don't get why people say maya is a mess. It has a lot of options and a lot of tools. With all the new modules coming out lately, it's no wonder the program had to be reorganized. I'm just glad it's still completely customizable so I can organize it how I like it

What exactly are the #1 things people want maya to do right now that it doesn't do?

I haven't used 2008 or higher, but I've heard from some people that it isn't as stable. I didn't think 8.0 was stable either. This is sorta why I don't buy maintenance. I just can't trust each release to be as good as the previous despite it having more tools etc. I'd just rather upgrade every 2-3 years instead

As far as new features go,
I would like to be able to set up particles and just grab a bunch of individual ones and key frame them moving in a gestural sort of way where you select a clump of them, key them moving, and then have a slider to control the dropoff between a smooth interpretation or 100% - just like joint or cluster weighting. It'd basically be the same as clusters but for particles.

I'd also like to see more 3d procedural textures or variations on options for the ones that exist now.

I'd also like a sort of ramp utility that detects where border edges are in polygons and like a ramp fades from one color(s) from the center or inner outline shape of that polygon object, to another color(s) out to the border edges. For instance think of a 2D plane blob shape where the center is blue, and perfectly fades to red at the edges. It'd save time from having to paint a map all the time of in the shape of the object



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