The latest version of the 3D modeling and animation software presents significant improvements in its core tools, optimizing workflows for industry professionals.
Modeling Creation Improvements
- Volume Mode for Boolean Operations - Allows working with organic geometry through temporary conversion to volumes
- Enhanced STL Export - New scaling options for 3D printing
Advances in Retopology
The Flow Retopology system doubles its cloud processing capacity, allowing up to 50 jobs per month.
New Features in Materials and Rendering
OpenPBR is established as the default shader, while Arnold 7.4 introduces:
- Advanced shadow control on transparent objects
- Improved handling of scenes with multiple lights
- GPU support for Cryptomatte
Simulations and Animation
Bifrost 2.13 incorporates:
- FLIP solver for liquids integrated into the node graph
- 20 new node types
The ML Deformer shows notable performance improvements:
- Difference visualization using heat maps
- 80% reduction in disk usage
Pipeline Integration
USD for Maya 0.31 adds:
- Light linking
- Lighting control from the light's perspective
The Animate in Context feature connects Maya with Flow Production Tracking, allowing review of adjacent shots directly in the interface.
This update requires recompilation of existing plugins to maintain compatibility with Arnold 7.4.