Saturday, October 12th, 2024 Posted by Jim Thacker

Autodesk releases Bifrost for Maya 2.11


Autodesk has released Bifrost for Maya 2.11, the latest version of the multiphyics plugin for Maya.

The update introduces an experimental modular rigging framework, making it possible to use Bifrost to create procedural character rigs, and the option to ‘wedge’ simulations in the cloud.

(Full disclosure: the update actually came out last month, but we’ve only just spotted while researching another story.)

A node-based simulation environment with a range of physics solvers
First released in 2019 alongside Maya 2019.2, Bifrost for Maya provides a node-based visual programming enviroment in which to author multiphysics simulations.

The plugin, an expanded version of Maya’s original Bifrost Fluids toolset, includes solvers for combustion, granular materials and cloth as well as liquids, and included free with Maya.

New in Bifrost for Maya 2.11: create procedural character rigs as well as simulations
One interesting new feature in the latest release is the modular rigging framework, making it possible to use Bifrost to create procedural character rigs as well as simulations.

You can get a feel for its current capabilities in the video at the top of the story, which shows it in use to create both biped and creature skeletons, including a centipede-type rig.

Autodesk laid the foundations for the toolset – which is still an experimental feature – in the previous release, which added new nodes for constructing and processing skeletal geometry.

To that, the update adds the option to convert strands and points to skeletons, or vice versa, and to convert Bifrost skeletons to USD skeletons for export.

Probably equally importantly, the release comes with example modules showing how the toolset can be used to create rigs, including one for the shoulder rig shown in the video.



Experimental new Flow Wedging plugin runs variant simulations in the cloud
Another interesting new feature in the update is not part of Bifrost itself, but a separate plugin installed with it.

The Flow Wedging plugin makes it possible to automatically generate variants of a simulation using a range of parameter values, helping to refine the look of an effect more quickly.

Wedges are processed in parallel in the cloud, avoiding tying up the user’s machine.

The plugins is still a technology preview, with users restricted to 250 hours of cloud processing per month until the end of the preview period.

Flow Wedging is the second Maya feature to run on Flow, Autodesk’s new media and entertainment cloud, following on from Flow Retopology, added in Maya 2025.1.

Other new features
The core Bifrost for Maya plugin gets a new node for sampling textures, which returns the RGBA values at a given UV co-ordinate on a model. It supports UDIM and UV tiles.

There is also a new node for converting a volume to a mesh using the Surface Nets algorithm, as an alternative to the existing contour_dual_marching_cubes node.

For tracking parameter values flowing along connections in a node graph, new ‘data browsers’ provide more detailed information than the existing watchpoints.

Workflow improvements include the option to favorite nodes in the node library and tab menu.

Pricing and availability
Bifrost for Maya 2.11 is compatible with Maya 2023+ running on Windows, Linux and macOS. You can find current pricing information and system requirements for Maya itself in this story.

Read a full list of new features in Bifrost for Maya 2.11 in the online release notes


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