Autodesk releases Maya 2026.2 and Maya Creative 2026.2
New generative animation system MotionMaker has been updated in Maya 2026.2.
Autodesk has released Maya 2026.2, the latest version of its 3D modeling and animation software for visual effects, games and motion graphics work.
It’s an iterative update, improving performance and workflow in MotionMaker, Maya’s new generative animation toolset, and extending support for MaterialX inside LookdevX.
Autodesk has also released Maya Creative 2026.2, the corresponding update to the cut-down edition of Maya for smaller studios.
MotionMaker: performance and workflow improvements to the generative animation tool
The bulk of the changes in Maya 2026.2 are to MotionMaker, the new generative animation system introduced in the previous release.
It enables users to direct the movement of a character by creating a guide path in the viewport, or by setting keys for the start and end positions and having MotionMaker automatically generate natural-looking motion connecting them. You can find more details in this story.
In Maya 2026.2, the underlying AI model has been updated, resulting in actions triggering more accurately when a character is moving at low speed.
The model was trained on three core motion-capture data sets – female and male actors, and a wolf – and the update primarily affects the wolf character’s sitting and lying-down animations.
In addition, the built-in biped and canine meshes are now lighter, improving viewport playback; and the character rig is now referenced rather than imported, reducing scene file sizes.
Workflow improvements include the option to customize MotionMaker Editor row colors and MotionMaker keyboard shortcuts.
Look dev: extended support for MaterialX
The update also extends support for the MaterialX standard for material and look dev data, particularly in LookdevX, Maya’s plugin for creating USD shading graphs.
LookdevX 0.19 makes it possible to load MaterialX documents, with the loaded documents retaining a link to the original MaterialX file on disk.
MaterialX nodes in LookdevX graphs also now have preview swatches, which update in real time as the graph is edited, making it possible to visualize changes without rendering the scene.
Outside LookdevX, Maya’s default OCIO configuration file has been updated to support MaterialX color spaces.
USD workflows: better support for animation curves
USD for Maya has also been updated, with USD for Maya 0.33 adding the option to import animation curves for cameras and lights, and to export animation curves for lights.
By switching to USD 25.05 – USD for Maya 0.33 includes both USD 24.11 and 25.05 installations – it is also possible to import and export transform animation curves.
Arnold for Maya: mainly bugfixes
Maya’s integration to Autodesk’s Arnold renderer gets a minor update: according to the release notes, Arnold for Maya 5.5.3 (MtoA 5.5.3) is primarily a bugfix update.
The online documentation for Maya 2026.2 itself lists all of the changes to MtoA since Maya 2026, although most of them aren’t actually new in the current release.
Bifrost for Maya: now installed by default
Bifrost for Maya, Maya’s node-based framework for building effects, hasn’t been updated this time around, although there is a new tutorial for its new modular character rigging framework.
Bifrost is now installed by default along with Maya: it is no longer an optional installation.
Maya Creative 2026.2 also released
Autodesk has also released Maya Creative 2026.2, the corresponding update to the cut-down edition of Maya aimed at smaller studios, and available on a pay-as-you-go basis.
It has the same new features as Maya 2026.2, with the exception of the tutorial for Bifrost for Maya, which is not included with Maya Creative.
Price and system requirements
Maya 2026.2 is available for Windows 10+, RHEL and Rocky Linux 8.10/9.3/9.5, and macOS 13.0+.
The software is rental-only. Subscriptions cost $255/month or $2,010/year.
In many countries, artists earning under $100,000/year and working on projects valued at under $100,000/year, qualify for Maya Indie subscriptions, now priced at $330/year.
Maya Creative is available pay-as-you-go, with prices starting at $3/day, and a minimum spend of $300/year.
Read a full list of new features in Maya 2026.2 in the online documentation
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