Autodesk Maya: Create expansive worlds, complex characters, and dazzling effects

3D animation and visual effects software

Still from The Addams Family (2019), courtesy of Cinesite Studios

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What is Maya?

Maya is professional 3D software for creating realistic characters and blockbuster-worthy effects.

Bring believable characters to life with engaging animation tools.

Shape 3D objects and scenes with intuitive modeling tools.

Create realistic effects—from explosions to cloth simulation.

See system requirements (US Site)

See what’s new in Maya

Maya overview (video: 7:18 min.)

Still from “ANDY,” a short film created with Maya

VFX breakdown from the creation of the Halo TV series (video: 8 sec.) Courtesy of Pixomondo

Environment created in Maya by Henry Yamin

Smoke and fire simulation created using Bifrost by Filippo Nicea Bovolini

Animal character art created by Rufat Melikov

Why use Maya?

Accelerated workflows

Maya’s powerful tools help you iterate faster so you can focus on creativity and meet deadlines.

Deliver stunning visuals

Add fine details to characters and scenes, and deliver quality work that keeps clients coming back.

Scale for complexity

Top artists in the industry rely on Maya to create the most complex shots, characters, and worlds.

What you can do with Maya

Still from the film Avengers: Endgame

Breathe life into 3D models with powerful animation tools

Whether you’re animating lifelike digi doubles or lovable cartoon characters, Maya has the animation toolset to bring your 3D assets to life.

See all Maya features

Solutions for creating 3D animated content (US Site)

Grass scatter using Bifrost Graph by Vipin A

Create detailed simulations with Bifrost for Maya

From blazing explosions to complex snowstorms, Bifrost makes it possible to create physically accurate simulations in a single visual programming environment.

See all Maya features

Video courtesy of Adrian Bobb

“[Maya] was very cohesive. I understood precisely how to build everything and where everything was.”

—Adrian Bobb, Film Director

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Video courtesy of Phil Radford

“Bifrost’s flexible functionality allows for experimentation, which is invaluable as an artist.”

—Phil Radford, VFX Generalist, Freelancer, and Founder of Strangebox

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“[Maya] offers ample flexibility and versatility so that artists and studios can […] achieve incredible results.”

—Amy Ash, Head of Characters, Axis Studios

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Image courtesy of Crafty Apes

“[With Bifrost for Maya], we were able to get results that were photorealistic and that worked for our show.”

—Sean Willis, Senior Technical Artist and Pipeline TD at Crafty Apes

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Workflows and use cases

Experimenting with USD in Game Pipelines

Eidos Montreal and NetEase Games discuss the challenges USD can solve and share their journey of adopting it.

Watch video (33:40 min.)

CG Spectrum Summons Sandworms in New Commercial

Check out a Dune-inspired commercial from CG Spectrum created entirely in-house using Maya.

Read the article

An Inside Look at the Hogwarts Legacy Game

Discover how the team at Warner Bros. Games Avalanche created and refined characters, animations, and cinematics for the highly anticipated fantasy game using Maya.

Watch video (58:28 min)

Maya Resources

COURSES

Free Maya courses

Improve your skillset with courses presented by industry professionals for Maya.

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TUTORIALS

Maya Learning Channel

Find modeling, rigging, animation, FX, and rendering tutorials to get you producing digital content.

Watch now

ARTICLES AND BLOGS

AREA by Autodesk

Get inspired with articles featuring artist interviews, career advice, industry news, and more.

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When to choose Maya or 3ds Max

Maya and 3ds Max are used by creative studios around the world for animation, modeling, visual effects, and rendering.

Explore each product's strengths

USD in Production at Animal Logic

Animal Logic shares their journey of how they integrated Universal Scene Description (USD) in Maya into their production pipeline.

Learn more

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is Maya used for?

Maya is a professional 3D animation, modeling, simulation, and rendering toolset, designed for creating realistic characters and blockbuster-worthy effects.

From fantastic creatures to sweeping landscapes and explosive battle sequences, top artists, modelers, and animators rely on Maya’s award-winning toolset to bring today’s most-loved animated and live-action films, TV shows, and video games to life.

Who uses Maya?

Maya is used by 3D modelers, animators, lighting artists, and FX artists across the film, TV, and games industries.

Maya vs 3ds Max

Maya and 3ds Max are used by creative studios around the world for animation, modeling, visual effects, and rendering. Learn when to choose Maya (US Site) and when to choose 3ds Max (US Site).

Which operating system does Maya run on?

Maya can run on Microsoft® Windows®, Apple® macOS®, and Linux®. See Maya system requirements (US Site) for details.

How do I download Maya?

Autodesk provides download and install instructions for individuals and administrators. Your available downloads appear in Autodesk Account. Find your product, select a version, platform, language, and download method. For more information, visit Autodesk support.

Can I install Maya on multiple computers?

With a subscription to Maya software, you can install it on up to 3 computers or other devices. However, only the named user can sign in and use that software on a single computer at any given time. Please refer to the Software License Agreement (US Site) for more information.

How do I convert my Maya free trial to a paid subscription?

Launch your trial software and click Subscribe Now on the trial screen or buy Maya here. When buying your subscription, enter the same email address and password combination you used to sign in to your trial. Learn more about converting a trial to a paid subscription.

How much does a Maya subscription cost?

The price of an annual Maya subscription is and the of a 3-year Maya subscription is .

Do you offer subscriptions for students, educators, and educational institutions?

Students (US Site) and teachers (US Site) at qualified academic institutions worldwide are eligible for free access to Autodesk software for one-year through the Autodesk Education Community (US Site).

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