Codec support

The Sequencer editor and Playblast Options use video codecs to playblast shots into movie clips. Maya does not include specific codecs for playblasting. Instead, it relies on the codecs installed on your system. Not all codecs are compatible with Maya.

The following table lists the supported movie types and known issues for each platform.

Supported movie types and codecs

This table summarizes the supported movie technologies, qualified video codecs, and audio codecs available for playblasting shots on each platform.

Platform Windows 64-bit macOS Linux
Movie technology (type) support WebM WebM WebM
Qualified codec VP8 WebM WebM
Audio codec VORBIX VORBIX VORBIX

QuickTime support table

This table lists the supported QuickTime movie technology and qualified MPEG-4 codec, along with known limitations, for platforms that support QuickTime-based playblasting.

Platform Windows 64-bit macOS
Movie technology (type) support QuickTime QuickTime
Qualified codec MPEG-4 (QuickTime) MPEG-4 (QuickTime)
Known issues
  • Motion JPEG and RGB 565 (16-bit color) are not supported.

  • Codec plug-ins developed for DirectPlay or MediaFoundation are not supported.

  • Performance is not real time on 64-bit systems.

General codec guidelines

If you experience issues when playblasting, you may need to install additional codecs. Due to the number and variety of available codecs, Autodesk does not provide a list of qualified codecs.

As a general guideline, ensure that the system used to view a playblasted movie has the same codecs installed as the system used to create it. For example, if you playblast a movie on Linux and want to view it on Windows or macOS, make sure the same codecs are supported and installed on both systems.

Viewing available codecs

To view the list of codecs available on your system:

  1. Open Playblast Options (available from the Playblast menu in the Sequencer editor or from the Playblast Options window).
  2. Select a movie Format.
  3. View the available codecs in the Encoding drop-down list.

macOS codec notes

On 64-bit macOS systems, the list of available codecs does not change when you install additional codecs. To access newly installed codecs for playblasting, you must run Maya in 32-bit mode.

Linux codec notes

On Linux, Maya uses libquicktime version 1.1.4 and includes the following codecs:

png, jpeg, mjpa, raw, v308, v408, v410, yuv2, yuv4, yv12, 2vuy, v210

To use other codecs, install them in the /maya/bin directory.

If you plan to output movies on Linux and view them on Windows or macOS, use the following codecs for best results:

png, raw, jpeg, mjpa, v408, yuv2, 2vuy