Autodesk has rolled out new versions of its Maya and 3ds Max, both now in 2026 release. Among the updates is the addition of the Golaem plug-in for Maya to the company’s M&E Collection to  simplify crowd creation; the addition of Flow Animating in Context, so animators and artists can scrub between their work and surrounding shots for creative choices that are contextually in sync; and the introduction of the Bifrost new liquid simulation feature, available directly in the Bifrost graph.

NAB is right around the corner, and Autodesk is ready with a bunch of new tools and capabilities for users of its Design & Make software (which Autodesk has taken to calling its broad industry offerings) targeted at the Media & Entertainment industry.

Autodesk’s flagship M&E applications, including 3ds Max and Maya, have received updates in the 2026 versions, which were just released. Among the many updates are some that are especially noteworthy, including the expansion of the Media & Entertainment Collection to include the Golaem plug-in for Maya to simplify crowd creation. Not surprising, Autodesk is also using its Autodesk AI to give its various tools an extra boost. Meanwhile, the company is enhancing Flow-connected workflows. 

Autodesk says these updates are designed to help users enter the creative zone faster.

Golaem

For some time, VFX artists and animators have used Golaem Crowd, an Autodesk crowd simulation software plug-in, to generate smart, directable digital crowds ranging in size from just a few characters to thousands. Last year, Autodesk acquired the company’s key IP and team, and the expectation was that the IP would be directly integrated within Autodesk’s products. So, it comes as no surprise that Autodesk has added the Golaem plug-in for Maya to the Media & Entertainment Collection, making more widely accessible to artists and easier to create large-scale crowd scenes with a plethora of animated characters.

With Golaem’s Layout tool, animators can easily adjust, manipulate, and customize characters and animations directly in the Maya viewport without altering simulations. Its built-in procedural animation engine helps control multiple characters at once. After the simulation is set up in Maya, it can then be transferred to 3ds Max, SideFX’s Houdini, Epic’s Unreal, or Foundry’s Katana using Golaem’s dedicated plug-ins.

Golaem for Maya supports major industry formats, including OpenUSD, streamlining the work across different tools. The Autodesk Media & Entertainment Collection— which comprises Maya, 3ds Max, Arnold, MotionBuilder, Mudbox, and 15 Bifrost simulation nodes in a single package—allows Arnold to run on up to five machines, and as a result, makes crowd rendering faster and more cost-efficient.

AI boost

Autodesk is continuing to strengthen its tools with Autodesk AI, including the Machine Learning Deformer in Maya, which works to reduce sluggish interactivity when animators are working with complex characters.

This Maya software update offers big improvements to the ML Deformer for animators and layout artists in terms of speed, quality, and ease of use. According to Autodesk, it results in 40 times faster load times and 80% disk space reduction usage.

Go with the Flow

Oftentimes animators are assigned a shot with little or no scene context, not knowing what comes before or after their shot. To help solve this issue, Flow Animating in Context integrates surrounding shots from Flow Production Tracking, formerly known as ShotGrid, directly into Maya’s timeline, so animators and layout artists can scrub between their work and the surrounding shots. Users can switch between pipeline steps, whether layout or VFX, and make informed creative choices for faster production and better storytelling.

Other updates

In addition to these improvements, Autodesk has included a wide range of updates to Maya and 3ds Max, many of which Autodesk says keeps creators in the creative flow.

These include:

• Modeling improvements—The Volume Booleans tool is now available in Maya and 3ds Max, creating a more unified Boolean engine between the two tools. This update makes it easier to explore freeform shapes and build complex organic forms from simple primitives.
• Liquids—Bifrost for Maya’s new liquid simulation feature is now available directly within the Bifrost graph. The new FLIP solver offers adaptive resolution for efficient computation, particle-based foam, and improved velocity estimation. Users can also emit and blend colored liquids. The tool can handle large-scale, non-viscous fluids.
• OpenUSD enhancements—Improvements continue across both Maya and 3ds Max OpenUSD, with added support for axis and scale adjustments in Maya and, recently, an Attribute Editor in 3ds Max. A long-requested feature according to Autodesk, Light Linking is also now available in both tools, providing greater control over rendering.
• OpenPBR integration—OpenPBR is now the default shading option in both Maya and 3ds Max, bringing enhanced artistic controls, more accurate material representation across tools, and improved interchange with other software.

New features have also been added to the Arnold renderer.

_{LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? INTRODUCE US TO YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES.}