What's New in Maya LT 2020.3 Update

Merge BaseAnimation layer on import

A new Merge Base Animation Layers option has been added to the Import options to let you merge the base animation layer of an imported file with the base layer animation already in the scene. Turning this option on is useful when working with scenes where many assets are imported.

The default setting is off and imported layers are moved under the current base layer.

The new behavior is activated by setting the file command flag mbl/mergeBaseAnimLayer to True.

Paint Skin Weights Tool improvements

The Paint Skin Weights tool is updated with the following improvements:
  • The Filter Influences field behaves the same as the Outliner Filters, making it easier to locate and select influences you want to work with, especially if you have a complex rig. Previously you had to add special characters to filter in the Paint Skin Weights Tool, unlike in the Outliner.
  • If you have faces or edges selected on a skinned mesh when opening the Paint Skin Weights Tool, your selection is now automatically switched to vertices, letting you begin painting weights immediately.
  • Refresh of the Influences list after you perform various operations like Remove Unused Influences or Add Influences is now improved.
  • A small issue with the Expand Influence List button shifting to accommodate a vertical scroll bar is now fixed.

HumanIK: Neck Motion Reduction setting

A new Neck Motion Reduction slider has been added to the Attribute Editor (HIKProperties > Retarget Specific area). Similar to the Neck Motion Reduction Properties in MotionBuilder, this attribute lets you dampen the amount of movement transferred from the character body to the neck. Neck Motion Reduction is useful when the motion created from inadequate capture data, and it works by averaging movement between the character's neck and chest.

New Graph Editor display option

A new Show Animated Shapes option in the Graph Editor List menu lets you set whether the Graph Editor displays all curves downstream from a node, or just the animation curve of the selected node. This is useful if you have custom rigs with specialized connections or when animators only want to view the transforms for a selected object.