Alias on Friday announced the release of “Personal Learning Editions” of Maya 7 and MotionBuilder 7. The Personal Learning Editions are free releases of both software for Mac OS X and Windows aimed at helping new users learn the ins and outs of their 3D software.
Both new products include most of the new features found in their respective commercial versions. MotionBuilder 7 PLE includes real-time animation tools, story timeline, auto rigging, motion editing and motion layering, and storytelling tools. You can also use FBX files in your projects.
Likewise, Maya 7 PLE includes full-body inverse kinematics, new polygonal modeling and UV tools, specialized visual effects tools, advanced render layers technology, connectivity with tools like Photoshop and Illustrator, and four different renderers, including mental ray for Maya.