The new release supports
Python scripting, a popular open-source programming language that helps
accelerate facility-specific custom script development and plug-in prototyping.
Python scripting offers a powerful alternative to Maya software's native
scripting language, MEL, while featuring the same level of integration with the
Maya command engine.
Maya Nucleus is also a new
feature in the upgraded release. Nucleus is a unified simulation framework that
allows artists to create elements that interact, in a 3D animation, with other
dynamic objects such as fluids, cloth and rigid bodies. Maya 8.5 includes Maya
nCloth, the first module of Maya Nucleus. The module lets artists can quickly
direct and control a range of simulations, including cloth, plastic, metal and
other materials.
Version 8.5 is being offered
as a Universal application for both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs. It is also
being released on the Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms.