Autodesk has introduced new versions of its professional 3D modeling and animation software – Maya 2026 and Maya Creative 2026 (a streamlined version for smaller studios). Unlike previous annual updates, this release doesn’t bring entirely new tools but significantly enhances core functionality, including modeling, retopology, shading, animation, and simulation.
Key updates in the release include:
Modeling:
- New Volume mode for Boolean operations: Objects are first converted to volumetric forms, simplifying the creation of organic models (e.g., characters).
- The ability to set scale units when importing/exporting models in STL format (for 3D printing).
Retopology:
- Built-in Flow Retopology 1.3 plugin (cloud operation limits increased from 30 to 50 per month).
Texturing:
- OpenPBR is now the default shader (replacing Autodesk Standard Surface and Adobe Standard Material).
- Updated LookdevX 1.7 (improved support for USD and MaterialX, relative file path support).
- Experimental API for generative textures (integration of third-party AI services via C++/Python).
- Updated Substance plugin (version 3.04, details not disclosed).
In Maya 2026, the performance and workflow of the new ML Deformer have also been improved. Introduced in Maya 2025.2, it uses machine learning to create fast approximations of complex deformations, allowing users to work with symbols that have complex, slow-to-process setups, and train the deformer to display the deformations they generate in the symbolic grid.
In Maya 2026, the ability to visualize the difference between the original and target meshes as a heatmap has been added, making it easier to spot errors during output. This is done using the new "Apply Mesh Comparison" display option. The update also makes the training process more customizable, reduces noise in the output data, and improves performance: loading time is now “40 times faster,” and disk space usage has been “reduced by 80%.”
The Bifrost plugin for multi-physics simulation has received a significant update, and it is now possible to model liquids directly in the graphical interface, whereas previously this required creating a mesh via the MPM solver. The FLIP solver from Bifrost for Maya is described as “largely similar” to the older Bifrost Fluids plugin for liquid simulation, but it uses the same base structure as other types of simulations such as smoke, fire, and granular materials. The node graph provides greater flexibility than the menu-driven interface in Bifrost Fluids.
It is reported that the FLIP solver is now “best suited for large-scale operations with incompressible fluids,” but it lacks some of the functionalities provided by BOSS, the ocean surface toolkit in Bifrost Fluids. Other changes in Bifrost for Maya 2.13 include an updated procedural character setup system, changes in texture handling, and 20 new types of nodes.
Maya 2026 also comes with an updated version of the integration plugin for Autodesk Arnold renderer. MtoA 5.5.0 adds support for Arnold core 7.4.0.0. Key changes since the release of Maya 2025.3 include a new transmission_shadow_density parameter in OpenPBR Surface and standard Surface shaders for controlling the appearance of shadows cast by transparent objects.
The Global Lighting Sampling (GLS) in Maya 2026 now takes material glossiness into account, which "significantly improves" rendering quality, particularly in scenes with a large amount of low-intensity lighting. Support for Arnold's Cryptomatte system, which generates identification data, has also been enhanced with a new internal implementation that adds GPU support and boosts CPU performance.
Other changes include improvements in MaterialX and USD support, the OpenPBR implementation, as well as updates to the MtoA plugin and Arnold RenderView in Maya. However, Arnold 7.4 is primarily a compatibility update, meaning that shaders, procedures, and other plugins compiled for older versions of Arnold will need to be recompiled.
The USD for Maya plugin, which provides universal scene description capabilities, has also been updated. Workflow improvements have been made in the area of lighting, with the addition of light binding support and the ability to manage lights by viewing the selected light source. Other updates include support for USD cameras in the render sequence, the ability to search for USD prims in the Outliner, and the ability to add or remove USD schemas in the Attribute Editor.
Maya 2026 is available for Windows 10 and later, RHEL and Rocky Linux 8.10/9.3/9.5, and macOS 13.0 and later. The software is available only via subscription, with a cost of $245 per month or $1,945 per year. In many countries, artists earning less than $100,000 annually and working on projects worth less than $100,000 a year are eligible for the Maya Indie subscription, which costs $320 per year. Maya Creative is available with a pay-as-you-go pricing model, starting at $3 per day, with a minimum annual cost of $300.