Alias Systems Corp. announced Monday that it’s shipping Maya 7, the latest version of its 3D animation, modeling, rendering and visual effects software for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux operating systems. Available in “Complete” and “Unlimited” versions, Maya 7 costs US$1,999 and $6,999 respectively. Upgrades from Maya 6.5 cost $899 and $1,249 for the Complete and Unlimited releases.
Maya 7 touts enhancements that extend its integration with MotionBuilder, 3D animation technology that Alias acquired as part of its takeover of Kaydara. The new release features MotionBuilder’s full-body inverse kinematics (IK) technology to help improve character animation. New polygonal modeling and UV tools have been added, along with a “Toon Shader,” more advanced render layering technology, and better interoperability with other production software.