Autodesk releases MotionBuilder 2026.1
Animation is now retained when loading a USD stage in MotionBuilder 2026.
Posted on 27 March 2025. Scroll down for details of the MotionBuilder 2026.1 update.
Autodesk has begun its 2026 updates to MotionBuilder, its character animation software, commonly used for viewing and editing motion-capture data.
MotionBuilder 2026 extends support for USD workflows.
MotionBuilder 2026.1 makes a number of further workflow and quality-of-life improvements.
Updates to USD workflows
MotionBuilder 2026 extends USD-based workflows, USD support having been introduced last year in MotionBuilder 2025.
When loading a USD stage file, the animation contained in the file is now retained, and will be rendered.
A new animatable frame offset property in the Python API makes it possible to retime or time warp the motion.
There is also a new button in the UI to reload USD stage proxies, and a corresponding property in the API.
Other quality-of-life improvements
Workflow improvements include a new shortcut key to force-select previously unselectable objects, and support for extended function keys – [F13] and beyond – as keyboard modifiers.
There is also a new SDK property to control whether HUDs are exported in FBX files, and some API properties have been renamed for clarity.
Updated 12 September 2025: Autodesk has released MotionBuilder 2026.1.
Again, it’s primarily a workflow update, particularly when working with Relations constraints, the interface for which now supports grid snapping and four new styles for the connections between nodes (shown above), helping to keep graphs organized.
Other changes include a new search bar within the Property View, the option to customize the default scene frame rate when launching MotionBuilder, and the option to save unnamed scripts automatically when exiting the Python Editor.
In addition, the update introduces new hi-res icons to help MotionBuilder’s interface scale better on high-DPI displays.
However, it’s only the second time since 2020 that Autodesk has put out more than one new version of the software in a year, the other occasion being last year’s MotionBuilder 2025.1.
Pricing and system requirements
MotionBuilder 2026.1 is available for Windows 10+ and RHEL and Rocky Linux 8.10/9.3/9.5. The software is available rental-only, with subscriptions costing $2,225/year.
Read a full list of new features in MotionBuilder in the online documentation
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