How new Autodesk AI tools are boosting productivity while keeping artists in control

How can you animate a horse faster? How do you go from an idea to a 3D model confidently? How do you remove the headache from animation layout?

These are the everyday production challenges for artists and some of the most common areas where workflows can slow down. With the latest updates to Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, and Flow Studio, new AI-powered capabilities and workflow enhancements help shorten the path from idea to final frame, allowing artists to work faster without sacrificing creative control. Here's what's new, and why it matters for streamlining animation and VFX.

How to animate a horse faster in Maya

If you have ever searched "how to animate a horse," you already know how complex it can be. Walks, trots, canters, gallops, all require precision and believable, smooth transitions that are difficult to get right. In addition to its original human motion archetype, MotionMaker in Maya now includes a horse motion archetype that uses AI to generate a realistic base motion in seconds. Instead of starting from scratch, artists begin with natural movement and spend their time on what matters most: refining performance, timing, and character personality. The motion stays fully editable, and the same style can be applied to other horse-like animals such as deer or bison. This builds on MotionMaker's existing biped and canine motion styles, expanding what AI-assisted animation can support in production.

How to generate 3D characters or objects from text or images

Creating 3D assets starts with exploration and that process can take time. Wonder 3D, a generative AI model in Autodesk Flow Studio (formerly Wonder Studio), allows artists to generate 3D characters or objects from a simple text prompt or a reference image. This is ideal for previsualization, concept development, or quickly populating background scenes and environments. The generated assets remain editable, so artists can refine, remix, and reuse them before exporting to 3ds Max, Maya, Blender, Unreal, or other tools. A new Flow Studio Launcher in Maya makes accessing these workflows faster and more seamless.

How AI is showing up across more of your tools

AI is starting to enhance other parts of your pipeline too, like look development and even how you interact with your entire toolset. A new Generative Textures API in Maya lets studios plug in the generative AI services they already use directly into LookdevX. This makes it easier to quickly explore multiple texture variations directly in Maya. And the technology preview of Autodesk Assistant brings a more natural way to work inside 3ds Max and Maya. You can ask questions in plain language, quickly find what you need, and turn those answers into real steps in your workflow.

These tools will continue to evolve to support how you work, helping you do more in the tools you're already working in.

How to make shot management smoother, effects bigger, and modeling smarter

AI-powered tools work hand in hand with the ones you've relied on for years. We're evolving these tools for modern production and introducing new ones to make content creation easier.

• Modernize shot management: Manage multiple shots and tracks with a brand-new Sequencer, featuring a redesigned high-DPI timeline and interface built from the ground up for previs and layout artists.
• Scale destruction: Create everything from collapsing bridges to shattering walls and running debris simulations with ease using Maya software's new Rigid Body Dynamics workflow in Bifrost.
• Refine modeling: Create cleaner, more detailed bevels with Smart Bevel, purpose-built for post-Boolean intersections in both 3ds Max and Maya.
• Simplify OpenUSD workflows: Build production-ready USD assets that move seamlessly across tools and teams-with less technical overhead-using Component Creator and Variant Manager in Maya.

Together, these updates reflect a broader shift toward modernizing core workflows while embedded AI enhances creative control, rather than replaces. For a deeper dive into what's new, register now for live webinars on April 15 and 16 at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET with the team behind Autodesk Maya.

Learn more about how to model and animate faster and create realistic VFX

How do you animate a horse faster in Maya?
MotionMaker in Maya includes a horse motion archetype that uses AI to generate a realistic base motion in seconds, allowing artists to start with natural movement and spend more time refining performance, timing, and character personality. Can the horse animation stay editable?
Yes. The generated motion remains fully editable, and the same motion styles can be applied to other horse-like animals such as deer or bison, building on MotionMaker's existing biped and canine motion styles. What is Wonder 3D used for?
Wonder 3D generates 3D characters or objects from text prompts or reference images, making it ideal for previsualization, concept development, or quickly populating background scenes. How do you create destruction effects faster for film, TV, and games?
Maya software's updated Bifrost Rigid Body Dynamics workflow makes destruction faster and easy to adjust, allowing artists to create strong simulations without rebuilding setups. How is shot management now much smoother in Maya?
A new Sequencer (formerly Camera Sequencer) gives you a modern, high-DPI timeline and UI that lets you easily navigate across multiple shots and tracks. It adds clarity and control with features like color coding, custom labels, automatic thumbnails, and smarter grouping. And because everything is non-destructive, you can experiment freely. How do 3ds Max and Maya make geometry easier to fix late in production?
Smart Bevel in 3ds Max and Maya creates smooth, high-quality geometry transitions and remains fully non-destructive, allowing artists to continue refining geometry through construction history, even across complex curved edge sets.