Maya 2023 provides MtoA 5.1.0 which includes new features, bug fixes, performance optimizations and improvements.
MtoA 5.1.0 introduces Arnold 7.1.0.0 which implements the new and more production oriented denoising, much requested additions to the triplanar shader, new features and bug fixes in the USD procedural and Hydra Render Delegate as well as interactivity improvements on CPU and GPU.
Image courtesy of Lee Griggs
- Per axis texture in triplanar
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- In MtoA 5.1.0 the Arnold Triplanar shader is now more powerful, as it is now possible to use a specific texture for each projection direction without the need for a UV map. A new parameter called flip_on_opposite_direction can also be used to control the behavior of the shader on faces facing the corresponding negative axis. This parameter enables consistency with viewport preview of the Maya Triplanar shader.
- USD improvements
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- MtoA has improved workflow integration with Maya USD. A USD scene export from Maya now has the option to include all Arnold data in the resulting USD file. The resulting file can even be used with kick directly. Arnold USD now supports the latest USD 21.11 and is available both as part of the Arnold plugins and as an open source project. https://github.com/Autodesk/arnold-usd
- Improved AOV denoising
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MtoA 5.1.0 uses the new and improved NVIDIA Optix 7 denoiser on GPU to enable consistent AOV denoising, an essential production feature for compositing workflow. Denoising will be consistent across AOVs to enable the user to assemble them back without artifacts.
- Interactivity improvements on CPU and GPU
- Multiple optimizations have been directed towards improving the user experience when interactively rendering a scene. Interactive GPU rendering is improved when rendering heavier scenes by enforcing a fixed minimum frame rate.
See the Arnold for Maya release notes for the full list of recently added features and bug fixes.