Autodesk have just released 2022 updates of their flagship products, 3ds Max, Maya and MotionBuilder. Of the three products, Maya got by far the most love in this release window. Apparently Autodesk have decided that skipping 2021 is a good idea, something I’m not sure I disagree with at this point.
Highlight features of 3DS Max 2022 include improvements to smart extrude, slice modifier, symmetry modifier, relax modifier, extrude modifier. Bake to texture has several preconfigured maps to streamline usage, users now have more control over the viewports and more.
One major feature of Maya 2022 is support for Pixar’s USD or Universal Scene Description format. There is a new sweep mesh modelling tool, Python 3 is now the default scripting language and more. Another interesting feature of Maya 2022 is Create VR for Maya, that enables you to work in virtual reality. In addition to the release notes linked above, you can learn more about the Maya 2022 features in this video.
MotionBuilder also received a 2022 update with release notes available here. You can learn more about the 3ds Max, Maya and Motionbuilder 2022 releases in the video below. The new Maya USD support is implemented as an open source plugin available here on GitHub.