Autodesk® Maya® 2009 Hardware Qualification
Readme First Last updated: 29 September 2008.
About this Document
The information contained in this document applies to all hardware qualification executed on the Autodesk Maya 2009 software product release and should be acknowledged by all users prior consulting the qualification charts.
General Disclaimers
In order to determine whether your system is qualified to run Maya and mental ray for Maya, you must have a qualified processor, operating system, graphics card, and graphics driver. See the following sections. You must also make sure you system meets the minimum systems requirement for Maya. The configurations shown are subject to change, and additional qualified configurations may be added after qualification testing has been carried out. It may be possible to successfully use Maya with a non-qualified or partially qualified configuration, but support and maintenance programs will be subject to the Autodesk Support services guidelines. Autodesk qualification team doesn't have the bandwidth to qualify all combinations of workstations/laptops and graphics cards on all operating systems. The graphics drivers specified in this document are the drivers that were used for the qualification process. While it may be possible to use Maya successfully on earlier or later drivers, Autodesk cannot guarantee their performance or behavior. Due to the many operating system and architecture differences between the supported platforms, the results of some operations will differ on different platforms. This is most noticeable with operations which iterate to reach their results -- leading to cumulatively large difference -- e.g., dynamics, some rendering. You may not be able to "mix and match" renderings on different platforms. Standard pen pressure sensitivity with Wacom tablets is supported. However, Wacom mice which are used with tablets have significant limitations and cannot be fully integrated with standard navigation in Maya. We recommend using a standard mouse with Maya, and limiting pen usage to Maya's Paint Effects and Sculpting tools. Autodesk is working with Wacom to achieve full support for Wacom products. When texture images are stored on systems remote from the rendering process; depending on network speed, specifications and load it is possible that the renderer may be unable to access a texture file on demand and may 'drop' individual textures on a frame by frame basis. To reduce this occurrence, store textures on a system local to the rendering process.
Important Notes
(1) There are many cards based on GeForce GPU chipsets. NVIDIA and Autodesk do not recommend these cards for use with Maya as you may experience various refresh, display and stability problems and inadequate performance. We suggest you choose from NVIDIA's workstation cards instead, such as the Quadro families which are much better suited to high-end 3D packages such as Maya. Nvidia GeForce VS Quadro White Paper [PDF]
(2) For the same reasons as the ones listed in note (1), ATI and Autodesk do not recommend the use of ATI Radeon GPU chipsets cards.
(3) Video Cards without Hardware Overlay Planes: Using video cards without Hardware Overlay planes (or Hardware Overlay planes turned off) can result in poorperformance for certain operations within Maya including (but not restricted to) use of tools based on Artisan or Paint Textures technology. There will also be visual differences compared with Hardware overlays that may result in difficulty seeing or manipulating aspects of the scene or Maya interface. Examples of Graphics cards without Hardware overlays include (but are not restricted to): ATI Radeon Family, NVIDIA GeForce Family.
(4) For a productive user experience with Maya, it is recommended to use a card which has a minimum of 256MB of video memory.
(5) Autodesk recommends the use of "Span Mode" for Dual Monitor configurations using NVIDIA cards.
Make sure you look at our latest additions to this document, which are: NVIDIA® and ATI™ graphics cards results and caveats.
Graphics Cards & Drivers
The following table lists the graphics cards and driver versions for the Maya 2009 software product release.
Table Legend
Qualified
.
Qualified with caveats. Refer to Caveats & Limitations
Qualification planned. Results coming shortly
Qualification failed due to serious problems
.
Un-tested. No qualification planned – not applicable / not available
Graphics Card & Driver Qualifications for Autodesk Maya 2009 for Windows Windows XP SP2 Windows Vista Business SP1
Graphics Card
Driver
32-bit OS
64-bit OS
32-bit OS
64-bit OS NVIDIA
Quadro® FX 4700x2
v.175.51 Quadro FX 1700
v.169.96 Quadro FX 3700
v.169.96 Quadro FX 4600
v.169.96 Quadro FX 5600
v.169. 96 Quadro FX 1500
v.169. 96 Quadro FX 3500
v.169. 96 Quadro FX 4500
v.169. 96 Quadro FX 4500x2
v.175.51 Quadro FX 5500
v.169.96 GeForce® GPUs
—
. See Note 1 in Readme First ATI
FirePro™ 3D v3700
— FireGL™ v7700
v.8.502
.
.
.Notes on Operating Systems
1. Maya 2009 has not been qualified on Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3.
2. Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (SP2). After installation of Service Pack 2, Maya or its component programs may not launch successfully. If this occurs, you may either unblock the program via the Windows Firewall Security Alert dialogue, or add it as an Exception in the Exceptions Tab in the Windows Firewall dialogue box. For more information, please see the Microsoft Update at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842242&product=windowsxpsp2.
3. Autodesk is aware of a problem whereby the system can pause or temporary hang when some of Maya’s toolbar menus are being triggered. Should you encounter this problem, please send a message to me.3d.qualification@autodesk.com.
4. We do not recommend saving data directly from Maya to NFS or Novell Netware or other remote mounted file systems. We have received several reports of data corruption when saving in this method although we have been unable to reproduce this. We strongly recommend that you save the files locally and then copy the data to the mounted storage system.
5. If the Maya tear-off pull-down menus don't display properly on Windows XP with UI schemes, set UI preference to Windows Classic Style. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display > Windows Classic.
6. It is strongly suggested to select the global presets: “Autodesk Maya” in the global settings under Manage 3D settings in the NVIDIA Control Panel.
7. When installing the ATI FireGL drivers, an Audio driver for HDMI audio output is installed by default, this may cause your current sound configuration to no longer function properly. To avoid this problem, you can either avoid installing the HDMI driver or disable the sound driver in the Device Manager.
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3D computer graphics software
A comprehensive comparison of significant 3D packages can be found at CG Society Wiki and TDT3D 3D applications 2007 comparisons table..
- 3ds Max (Autodesk), originally called 3D Studio MAX. 3ds Max is used in many industries that utilize 3D graphics. It is used in the video game industry for developing models and creating cinema cut-scenes. It is used in architectural visualizations because it is highly compatible with AutoCAD--also developed by Autodesk. Additionally 3ds Max is used in film production, one contemporary film being Kaena: The Prophecy[1]. With its price of around $3500 USD, it is one of the more expensive products in the market for this type of work. 3ds Max is available for Windows. 3DS Max is currently at version "2009" (v11).
- AC3D (Inivis) is another 3D modeling application that began in the 90's on the Amiga platform. While it is used in a number of industries, MathWorks actively recommends it in many of their aerospace related articles[2] due to price and compatibility. Additionally it is the first commercial 3D modeler to integrate full support for exporting models to the metaverse platform Second Life. AC3D is priced in the range of $79 USD and is available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux. While AC3D does not feature its own renderer, it can generate output files for both RenderMan and POV-Ray among others.
- Blender (Blender Foundation) is a free, open-source, 3D studio for animation, modeling, rendering, and texturing offering a feature set comparable to high end and mid range 3D animation suites such as Maya, 3ds Max, or Cinema 4D. It includes features such as multi-resolution sculpting; retopology painting. Additionally it supports 3D view texture painting; stack based modifier system; flexible particle system with particle based hair; cloth/soft body dynamics, rigid body dynamics and fluid simulation; node based texturing and node based compositing; an integrated non linear video editor; and integrated game engine. Blender is developed under the GPL and is available on all major platforms including Windows, OS X, Linux, BSD, Sun and Irix.. It is currently the only 3D animation suite that is supported both on super computers as well as handheld computers such as the Pocket PC (Pocket Blender).
- Cinema 4D (MAXON) is a slightly lighter package than the others in its basic configuration. The software is claimed to be artist-friendly, and is designed with the less-technical user in mind. It has a lower initial entry cost due to a modular a-la-carte design for purchasing additional functions as users need them. For example, a module called BodyPaint allows artists to draw textures directly onto the surface of models. Originally developed for the Commodore Amiga, it is also available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux. Cinema 4D is currently at version 10.5
- Electric Image Animation System (EI Technology Group) is a 3D animation and rendering package available on both Mac OS X and Windows. Mostly known for its rendering quality and rendering speed it does not include a built-in modeler. EIAS features the ability to handle very large polygon counts. Recently, the blockbuster film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"[3] and the Television hit "Lost"[4] utilized the software.
- form-Z (autodessys, Inc.) is a general purpose solid/surface 3D modeler. Its primary usage is modeling, and it also features rendering and animation support. form-Z claims users involved in architecture, interior design, illustration, product design, and set design. Its default renderer uses the LightWorks rendering engine for raytracing and radiosity. form-Z also supports Plugins and Scripts and has rendering support via Next Limit's Maxwell Renderer. It has Import/Export capabilities and was first released in 1991. It is currently available for both Mac OS X and Windows. The price for this software ranges from $1495-$2390USD based on output quality.
- Houdini (Side Effects Software) is used for visual effects, and character animation as well as used in Disney's The Wild[5]. Houdini uses a nonstandard interface that it refers to as a "NODE system". Commercial licenses of Houdini include unlimited copies of Side Effects Software's hybrid micropolygon-raytracer renderer, Mantra, but Houdini also has built-in support for commercial renderers like Pixar's RenderMan and mental ray. There are two versions of Houdini, Houdini Escape ($1,995 USD) and Houdini Master ($7,995 USD). For non-commercial users, Side Effects Software offers the free Houdini Apprentice personal learning edition, which places a small watermark on images, and Houdini Apprentice HD, a $99 USD package that does not watermark renders. Houdini is currently at version 9.
- LightWave 3D (NewTek), first developed for the Amiga, was originally bundled as part of the Video Toaster package and entered the market as a low cost way for TV production companies to create quality CG for their programming. It first gained public attention with its use in the TV series "Babylon 5"[6]. Contemporary use in TV and movie production can be seen with the 2004 recreated Battlestar Galactica series[7], CSI: Crime Scene Investigation[8] and the film 300 (film)[9]. It is priced at $795 USD and is available for both Windows and Mac OS X. Lightwave's current version is Version 9.3.1
- LightWorks (LightWorkDesign) develops the LightWorks and LightWorks SE high quality 3D rendering toolkit predominantly used in Mechanical, Configuration and Architectural CAD applications. LightWorks has traditionally used ray tracing and radiosity algorithms, but more recently has incorporated Final gather and Global illumination algorithms. LightWorks is currently available for both Mac OS X and Windows on 32 and 64bit.
- Massive is a 3D animation system for generating crowd-related visual effects, targeted for use in film and television. Originally developed for controlling the large-scale CGI battles in the Lord of the Rings[10], Massive Software has become an industry standard for digital crowd control in high end animation. Recently, the software has been utilized for blockbuster feature films including Happy Feet, King Kong, and I, Robot. It is available for various Unix and Linux platforms as well as Windows.
- Maya (Autodesk) is currently used in the film and television industry. Maya has a high learning curve but has developed over the years into an application platform in and of itself through extendability via its MEL programming language. A common alternative to using the default built in rendering system named mental ray is Pixar's Renderman. In 2005, Autodesk (makers of AutoCAD), acquired Alias--the original creator of Maya[11]. Maya comes in two versions: Maya Complete ($1999 USD) and Maya Unlimited ($6999 USD). There is also Maya Personal Learning Edition, which is for non-commercial use and puts watermarks on any rendered images. The current version of Maya is "2008" (v9)
- Modo (Luxology) is a subdivision modeling, texturing and rendering tool. Recently, version 301 added animation capabilities for camera motion and morphs / blendshapes. It is priced in the area of 895$ USD and is available for both Windows and Mac OS X. Modo's current version is 302.
- Silo (Nevercenter) is a subdivision-surface modeler available for Mac OS X and Windows, with a Linux version in development. Silo does not include a renderer and is priced in the area of $109 USD. Silo is the bundled in modeler for the Electric Image Animation System suite.
- SketchUp Pro (Google) is a 3D modeling package that features a sketch-based modeling approach. It has a pro version which supports 2-D and 3-D model export functions among other features, which is currently priced at $495 USD. It also has a free version that is integrated with Google Earth and limits export to Google's "3D Warehouse", where users can share their content.
- Softimage|XSI (Avid) is feature-similar to Maya and is sold as a completive alternative. Prior to its acquisition by Avid, Softimage originally promoted the program (under the name Softimage 3D) for use in the video game industry and secured its promotion as part of the Nintendo N64 SDK[12]. The newer Softimage XSI has additional features and integrates with mental ray rendering. XSI's current version is version 6.5.
- solidThinking (solidThinking Ltd) is a 3D solid/surface modeling and rendering software which features a Construction Tree method of development. This is explained as the history of the model construction process allowes real-time updates when modifications are made to points, curves, parameters or entire objects. solidThinking is available in four versions: MODELER, MODELER XL, DESIGN, and VANTAGE.
- SolidWorks (SolidWorks Corporation) is a series of packages used mainly for virtual testing of a product. It includes modeling, assembly, drawing, sheetmetal, weldments, and freeform surfacing. It also has support for custom programming/scripting in Visual Basic and C. The licenses/packages are SolidWorks, SolidWorks Office, SolidWorks Office Professional, SolidWorks Office Premium, SolidWorks Student Design Kit, SolidWorks Education Edition, and SolidWorks Student Edition.
- trueSpace (Caligari Corporation) is another 3D program available for Windows, although the company Caligari first found its start on the Amiga platform. trueSpace features modeling, animation, 3D-painting, and rendering capabilities. It is priced in the range of $199 USD for Version 5.2 through $595 USD for Version 7. The current version is 7.5
- ViewBuildUSA (VEC3D) is a 3D software package built on a gaming platform used primarily for modeling architecture.
- Vue 6 (E-on Software) Vue 6 is a tool for creating, animating and rendering natural 3D environments. It was most recently used to create the background jungle environments in the 2nd and 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean films[13]. The current version is v6.5
- ZBrush (Pixologic) is a digital sculpting tool that combines 3D/2.5D modeling, texturing and painting tool available for Mac OS X and Windows. It is priced at $489 USD.The current version of Zbrush is 3.1.
3D MODELLING
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical, wireframe representation of any three-dimensional object (either inanimate or living) via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model. It can be displayed as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D rendering or used in a computer simulation of physical phenomena. The model can also be physically created using 3D Printing devices.
Models may be created automatically or manually. The manual modeling process of preparing geometric data for 3D computer graphics is similar to plastic arts such as sculpting.
Models
3D models represent a 3D object using a collection of points in 3D space, connected by various geometric entities such as triangles, lines, curved surfaces, etc. Being a collection of data (points and other information), 3D models can be created by hand, algorithmically (procedural modeling), or scanned.
3D models are widely used anywhere 3D graphics are used. Actually, their use predates the widespread use of 3D graphics on personal computers. Many computer games used pre-rendered images of 3D models as sprites before computers could render them in real-time.
Today, 3D models are used in a wide variety of fields. The medical industry uses detailed models of organs. The movie industry uses them as characters and objects for animated and real-life motion pictures. The video game industry uses them as assets for computer and video games. The science sector uses them as highly detailed models of chemical compounds. The architecture industry uses them to demonstrate proposed buildings and landscapes. The engineering community uses them as designs of new devices, vehicles and structures as well as a host of other uses. In recent decades the earth science community has started to construct 3D geological models as a standard practice.
Representation
Almost all 3D models can be divided into two categories.
- Solid - These models define the volume of the object they represent (like a rock). These are more realistic, but more difficult to build. Solid models are mostly used for nonvisual simulations such as medical and engineering simulations, and for specialized visual applications such as ray tracing and constructive solid geometry
- Shell - these models represent the surface, not the volume (like an eggshell). These are easier to work with than solid models. Almost all visual models used in games and film are shell models.
Because the appearance of an object depends largely on the exterior of the object, boundary representations are common in computer graphics. Two dimensional surfaces are a good analogy for the objects used in graphics, though quite often these objects are non-manifold. Since surfaces are not finite, a discrete digital approximation is required: polygonal meshes (and to a lesser extent subdivision surfaces) are by far the most common representation, although point-based representations have been gaining some popularity in recent years. Level sets are a useful representation for deforming surfaces which undergo many topological changes such as fluids.
The process of transforming representations of objects, such as the middle point coordinate of a sphere and a point on its circumference into a polygon representation of a sphere, is called tessellation. This step is used in polygon-based rendering, where objects are broken down from abstract representations ("primitives") such as spheres, cones etc, to so-called meshes, which are nets of interconnected triangles. Meshes of triangles (instead of e.g. squares) are popular as they have proven to be easy to render using scanline rendering. Polygon representations are not used in all rendering techniques, and in these cases the tessellation step is not included in the transition from abstract representation to rendered scene.
Modeling processes
A 3D model of a Mangalore from th film The Fifth Element in the 3D modeler LightWave, shown in various manners and from different perspectives
There are three popular ways to represent a model:
- Polygonal modeling - Points in 3D space, called vertices, are connected in a linear fashion to form a polygonal mesh. Used for example by 3DS Max. The vast majority of 3D models today are built as textured polygonal models, because they are the most flexible and quickest for the computer to handle. However, polygons cannot be bent. Curved surfaces are approximated by using many small flat surfaces.
- NURBS modeling - NURBS Surfaces are defined by Spline curves, which are influenced by weighted control points. The curve follows (but does not necessarily interpolate) the points. Increasing the weight for a point will pull the curve closer to that point. NURBS are truly smooth surfaces, not approximations using small flat surfaces, and so are particularly suitable for organic modelling. Maya is the most well-known commercial software that uses NURBS natively.
- Splines&Patches modeling - Like NURBS, Splines and Patches depend on curved lines to define the visible surface. Patches fall somewhere between NURBS and polygons in terms of flexibility and ease of use.
The modeling stage consists of shaping individual objects that are later used in the scene. There are a number of modeling techniques, including:
Modeling can be performed by means of a dedicated program (e.g., Maya, 3DS Max, Blender, Lightwave, Modo) or an application component (Shaper, Lofter in 3DS Max) or some scene description language (as in POV-Ray). In some cases, there is no strict distinction between these phases; in such cases modelling is just part of the scene creation process (this is the case, for example, with Caligari trueSpace and Realsoft 3D).
Complex materials such as blowing sand, clouds, and liquid sprays are modeled with particle systems, and are a mass of 3D coordinates which have either points, polygons, texture splats, or sprites assign to them.
Scene setup
Scene setup involves arranging virtual objects, lights, cameras and other entities on a scene which will later be used to produce a still image or an animation.
Lighting is an important aspect of scene setup. As is the case in real-world scene arrangement, lighting is a significant contributing factor to the resulting aesthetic and visual quality of the finished work. As such, it can be a difficult art to master. Lighting effects can contribute greatly to the mood and emotional response effected by a scene, a fact which is well-known to photographers and theatrical lighting technicians.
It is usually desirable to add color to a model's surface in a user controlled way prior to rendering. Most 3D modeling software allows the user to color the model's vertices, and that color is then interpolated across the model's surface during rendering. This is often how models are colored by the modeling software while the model is being created. The most common method of adding color information to a 3D model is by applying a 2D texture image to the model's surface through a process called texture mapping. Texture images are no different than any other digital image, but during the texture mapping process, special pieces of information (called texture coordinates or UV coordinates) are added to the model that indicate which parts of the texture image map to which parts of the 3D model's surface. Textures allow 3D models to look significantly more detailed and realistic than they would otherwise.
Other effects, beyond texturing and lighting, can be done to 3D models to add to their realism. For example, the surface normals can be tweaked to affect how they are lit, certain surfaces can have bump mapping applied and any other number of 3D rendering tricks can be applied.
3D models are often animated for some uses. They can sometimes be animated from within the 3D modeler that created them or else exported to another program. If used for animation, this phase usually makes use of a technique called "keyframing", which facilitates creation of complicated movement in the scene. With the aid of keyframing, one needs only to choose where an object stops or changes its direction of movement, rotation, or scale, between which states in every frame are interpolated. These moments of change are known as keyframes. Often extra data is added to the model to make it easier to animate. For example, some 3D models of humans and animals have entire bone systems so they will look realistic when they move and can be manipulated via joints and bones, in a process known as skeletal animation.
3D model market
There is a large and thriving market for 3D models (as well as 3D-related content, such as textures, scripts, etc.), either as individual models or large collections. Online marketplaces for 3D content allow individual artists to sell content that they have created. Often, the artists' goal is to get additional value out of assets they have previously created for projects. By doing so, artists can earn more money out of their old content, and companies can save money by buying pre-made models instead of paying an employee to create one from scratch. These marketplaces typically split the sale between themselves and the artist that created the asset, often in a roughly 50-50 split. In most cases, the artist retains ownership of the 3d model; the customer only buys the right to use and present the model.
Collections of hundreds to thousands of 3D models on CD, often royalty free, are for sale. These models include different types of people, animals, objects, plants, rocks, tools, furniture, buildings, landscapes, historical objects, cartoon characters, monsters, science fiction objects, medieval fantasy objects, etc. A person who buys such a CD can import these posable ready-made models into their computer animation program.
Computer facial animation
Computer facial animation is primarily an area of computer graphics that encapsulates models and techniques for generating and animating images of the human head and face. Due to its subject and output type, it is also related to many other scientific and artistic fields from psychology to traditional animation. The importance of human faces in verbal and non-verbal communication and advances in computer graphics hardware and software have caused considerable scientific, technological, and artistic interests in computer facial animation.
Although development of computer graphics methods for facial animation started in the early 1970s, major achievements in this field are more recent and happened since the late 1980s.
Computer facial animation includes a variety of techniques from morphing to three-dimensional modeling and rendering. It has become well-known and popular through animated feature films and computer games but its applications include many more areas such as communication, education, scientific simulation, and agent-based systems (for example online customer service representatives).
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