If you’re here for the best Maya plugins, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re an animator working on a project or just getting started on the platform, Maya is a software for creating stunning worlds and effects. With its selection of plugins, you’ll easily create your next character, object, or story. In this article, we’ll look at some of the best Maya plugins for 2024 to start your project off strong.
What Is Maya?
Maya is a 3D computer graphics software that is widely used in the film, television, and video game industries. It offers a powerful and flexible set of tools for modeling, texturing, lighting, rigging, animating, and rendering 3D objects and scenes.
Maya also includes specialized features for character animation, dynamics, and effects, making it a popular choice for creating complex visual effects and simulations. It supports various file formats, including FBX, OBJ, and Alembic, and is compatible with a wide range of operating systems. Maya is developed and maintained by Autodesk and is available for purchase on a subscription basis.
Short on time? Here’s the list of best Maya plugins.
1. Cargo
2. Redshift Renderer
3. Substance Painter Live Link
4. BonusTools
5. Maya Muscle
6. MASH
7. Zoo Tools
8. Yeti
9. RealFlow
Best Maya Plugins in 2024.
1. Cargo
If you’re building a character or effect, eventually, you’ll need them to interact with a wider world. With Cargo, you can create a cityscape, fantastical realm, new planet, or simple scene with a click.
Cargo is an asset browser plugin that gives you access to over 15,000 premium 3D models and materials from KitBash3D (that’s us). With 1-click import to Maya, powerful search and filtering, and a vast library of 3D assets from a wide variety of genres, Cargo houses one of the largest asset libraries for Maya. For this reason, we're putting it at the top of the list of best Maya plugins in 2024.
Free Version: Yes, there’s a free version of Cargo that includes a selection of assets that can be used under a non-commercial license
Cost: Cargo is a subscription tool with three levels of access, Personal ($19), Professional ($49), and Teams ($99)
How It Helps: Cargo gives you access to 15,000 3D models and materials for any creative project
2. Redshift Renderer
If you want to run a high-end render project on Maya, Redshift Render is the plugin that will match the quality of your design.
Redshift Renderer is a GPU-based renderer that allows you to render high-quality images faster than traditional CPU-based renderers. Redshift is popular among Maya users because it is easy to use, produces high-quality results, and supports a wide range of materials and lighting features. Redshift also supports Maya's native shader system, which means you can use Maya's shaders with Redshift without any conversion.
Free Version: Yes, there’s a 14-day free trial of Maxon One, which features a suite of apps, including Redshift Renderer
Cost: $22 per month. Maxom offers several packages, including C4D + Redshift ($81.91 per month) and Maxom One ($99.91 per month)
How It Helps: Redshift Renderer is a GPU-accelerated renderer for best-in-class designs
3. Substance Painter Live Link (Adobe Substance 3D)
Substance Painter, as part of Adobe Substance 3D, allows you to create textures and colors on your 3D assets.
If you are using Substance Painter for texturing, then the Substance Painter Live Link plugin is a must-have for Maya. It allows you to work seamlessly between the two programs and see real-time updates in Maya as you paint. This plugin also allows you to use Substance Painter's procedural texturing capabilities in Maya, making it a must-have for any texturing workflow.
Free Version: No, but there’s a “name your price” option
Cost: Version ($25), Studio ($50)
How It Helps: Links Substance Painter to Maya in real-time
4. BonusTools
Who doesn’t love a bonus? With BonusTools, you can maximize your toolset to create your next Maya project.
BonusTools is a collection of useful scripts and tools that extend Maya's functionality. BonusTools includes tools for modeling, animation, rigging, and scripting. Some of the popular tools in BonusTools include UV editor enhancements, camera rigging tools, and scene optimization tools. BonusTools is popular among Maya users because it saves time and improves productivity.
Free Version: Yes, BonusTools is a free plugin
Cost: No cost. However, the 2025 version of Maya will integrate BonusTools into the software
How It Helps: BonusTools offers free scripts and tools to help you navigate Maya
5. Maya Muscle
Stick figures only go so far. If you need to put some muscle on your characters, Maya Muscle is the Maya plugin to put on the lbs.
Maya Muscle is a plugin that allows you to create realistic muscle and skin simulations. This plugin is popular among Maya users because it allows you to create realistic characters with natural-looking movements. Maya Muscle also supports collision detection, which means you can create realistic interactions between muscles and other objects.
Free Version: Yes, Maya Muscle is a free Maya plugin
Cost: No cost
How It Helps: Maya Muscle helps generate realistic muscle and skin
6. MASH
Maya is one of the most trusted software for professional animators, and with MASH you can animate your objects or characters just like the pros.
MASH is a motion graphics toolkit that allows you to create complex animations with ease. This plugin is popular among Maya users because it simplifies the process of creating complex animations and allows you to create animations quickly. MASH includes tools for creating particle effects, procedural animations, and motion graphics.
Free Version: Yes, MASH is a free Maya plugin
Cost: No cost. If MASH isn’t already loaded on your software, go to Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager and load the plugin
How It Helps: MASH is Maya’s procedural animation and motion graphics plugin
7. Zoo Tools
If you have a story idea churning in your head, the last thing you need is to painstakingly create characters and scenes from scratch.
With the Zoo Tools plugin for Maya, you can start telling your story immediately with its drag-and-drop installer, character scenes, model assets, and more. Zoo Tools features additional tools like auto-rigging, joint controls, cameras, and animation, so you don’t have to waste any clicks getting your animation up and running (we mean, like actually running).
Free Version: No
Cost: $40 for the first month (includes training), then $10 per month afterward
How It Helps: Zoo Tools offers creatures, scenes, and animation tools with drag-and-drop features
8. Yeti
If you’re planning on creating an animated creature from nature or your imagination, Yeti is the Maya plugin that will help you bring the design to life.
Yeti is a plugin that allows you to create hair, fur, and feathers on your 3D models. This plugin is popular among Maya users because it allows you to create realistic hair and fur with ease. Yeti supports a wide range of grooming tools, which means you can create complex hair and fur styles with ease.
Free Version: Yes, Yeti offers a 15-day free trial
Cost: Indie ($329) or Studio ($399)
How It Helps: Yeti creates detailed hair, fur, and feathers
9. RealFlow
For our final recommendation on the best Maya plugins, make your animation scene complete with RealFlow’s tools to create water, lava, and smoke.
RealFlow is a plugin that allows you to create realistic fluid simulations. This plugin is popular among Maya users because it allows you to create realistic fluid simulations with ease. RealFlow supports a wide range of fluid types, including water, lava, and smoke. RealFlow also supports GPU acceleration, which means you can simulate fluid effects faster than traditional CPU-based simulations.
Free Version: Yes, RealFlow offers a demo version
Cost: $547.50 with upgraded versions at additional cost
How It Helps: RealFlow helps produce realistic fluid simulations for water, lava, and smoke
You’ve got your best Maya plugins. It’s time to animate!
Maya is a 3D modeling software with a lot of customization options. With the help of these tools and plugins, you can create complex models quickly and easily. Whether you're a professional or an enthusiast, these plugins can help you take your 3D modeling to the next level.
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