Autodesk has published the online documentation for Maya 2025.3, the latest version of its 3D modeling and animation software.
This update brings a major overhaul to Maya’s Boolean algorithm, making Boolean modeling operations much more reliable, even on complex models and problematic geometries. You can now work with OpenPBR materials in Maya, thanks to the new support for this open material standard in both the LookdevX toolset and the Arnold renderer. The Bifrost for Maya simulation toolset also gets a cool new feature: the ability to ‘wedge’ simulations in the cloud.
| Enhanced Boolean Algorithm for 3D Modeling
The update significantly improves Maya’s Boolean algorithm, enhancing the reliability of Boolean modeling operations on complex models and those with problematic geometry. The new algorithm aligns with the one used in 3ds Max, reducing failure rates from 6% to 0% in internal tests, particularly benefiting meshes with coincident vertices, coplanar faces, and complex Booleans with multiple source meshes.
| Animation Workflow Improvements
Animators will benefit from updates to the Graph Editor, including a new Auto-resize keys on zoom option, which resizes keys when zooming out, and new settings to control the appearance of tangent handles in the Graph view.
| Support for OpenPBR in LookdevX
LookdevX, introduced in Maya 2024, now supports OpenPBR, the new open material standard developed by Autodesk and Adobe. This standard aims to enhance interoperability of materials across CG applications. Other updates include the ability to save compounds – groups of nodes within the shading graph – for future use or sharing with collaborators, and the addition of three new gradient types: Radial, Circular, and Box in the Ramp node.
| Arnold for Maya 5.4.5 Enhancements
The Arnold renderer integration in Maya now supports OpenPBR, featuring a new OpenPBR Surface shader and tools to convert Arnold’s aiStandardSurface shaders to OpenPBR Surface. Additional updates include new 3D ramp modes for Arnold’s Ramp shaders, a heatmap mode for the Tonemap imager, improved volume rendering workflow, and support for the OIDN (OpenImageDenoise) denoiser on AMD and NVIDIA GPUs on Windows, and Apple Silicon processors on macOS. GPU rendering performance has also been optimized, particularly for scenes with numerous lights or instances.
| Bifrost for Maya: Cloud Simulation Wedging
Bifrost for Maya 2.11 introduces an experimental modular rigging framework and the ability to ‘wedge’ simulations in the cloud, generating variant simulations with a range of parameter values.
| USD for Maya
Maya’s USD integration has been updated to allow users to control USD cameras with Maya’s native camera controls. Users can also reload references, payloads, and nested references for prims in the Outliner, and set custom text colors for prims.
| Maya Creative 2025.3 Release
Autodesk has also released Maya Creative 2025.3, the latest version of the simplified edition of Maya designed for smaller studios, available on a pay-as-you-go basis. It includes the same key new features as Maya 2025.3, although it does not support authoring new Bifrost graphs, only running existing ones.
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