Alias Announces Shipment Of Maya 6.5

Alias has announced that worldwide shipping of its 3D modeling, animation effects and rendering package Maya 6.5 is now underway. Maya 6.5 software has been now equipped to handle larger datasets by a dual approach; speed improvements in critical parts of the workflow and new tools for managing very large datasets. In many cases, Maya performs more efficiently in relation to larger scene sizes. For example, UV manipulations have been benchmarked as being more than 100 times faster in Maya 6.5 compared to Maya 6. Depending on specific file characteristics and customer workflow, Maya now delivers improved interactivity, faster calculations of deformations and simulations, speedier I/O and faster redrawing. In addition, large datasets are more manageable in Maya 6.5 software due to a variety of improvements in scene segmentation including reference file editing, nesting and locking. A new STEP translator makes the importing of CAD data files several orders of magnitude faster. Additionally, the new mental ray for Maya Satellite rendering allows network rendering across multiple CPUs for interactive and batch rendering, including use of mental ray for pre-lighting. New and upgrading customers can obtain Maya 6.5 from an authorized reseller, or online at Alias' site.