Maya Bridge
Tachyon Studio
What does the Maya bridge do?
It round-trips your work between Blender and Maya in one click. Send your selection to Maya, keep working, and Get it back — everything, just the mesh, or just the UVs. It reuses a running Maya (or launches the exact version you pick) and can sync hands-free while you work.
Do I need to install anything in Maya?
For two-way sync and on-import processing, yes — install the small companion script once (a button in the add-on preferences, or drag `DRAG_INTO_MAYA.py` into Maya), then restart Maya. A "Blender Bridge" panel then appears in Maya. Sending Blender → Maya works even without it — the bridge just launches Maya and it picks up the file on boot.
What are the Get modes?
On Get you choose Everything (mesh + UVs + materials), Mesh only (keep your Blender UVs), or UVs only (keep your Blender mesh). The UVs-only path is a non-destructive round-trip like the RizomUV bridge — returned objects are matched to your originals by name and topology, so it's multi-object safe.
Which Maya versions does it work with?
It auto-detects your Maya installs under `Program Files\Autodesk` (and via the registry) and lets you pick which one to use, so with several versions installed it still launches exactly the one you chose. You can also set the `maya.exe` path by hand.
What is Auto Sync, and what is Live Push?
Turn Auto Sync on and every save on the Maya side imports into Blender automatically — no clicking Get. Live Push (a beta feature) goes the other way: it streams your Blender edits back to Maya a beat after you finish, with a delay and an edited / selected / all-meshes scope you control.
Will a re-send wipe my rig or materials in Maya?
No, not with Update In Place on. When a re-sent mesh has unchanged topology, Maya updates the existing node's vertices instead of replacing it, so skin clusters, construction history and shader assignments survive the round-trip.
What can it clean up automatically?
On the Maya side: delete history, freeze transforms, center pivots, soften edges, assign a Lambert / Blinn / Arnold shader, drop into a namespace, or run your own Python/MEL script — with Game / Clean / Raw presets. Back in Blender on Get: clear custom normals, clear sharp edges, or rebuild sharp + seams from the UV islands.
Does it carry over materials, instances and scene structure?
Yes. Principled materials rebuild as real standardSurface shaders (instead of FBX's mangled ones), linked duplicates become Maya instances, Blender collections become Maya display layers, and an unbaked Subdivision arrives as Maya's smooth-mesh preview rather than dense baked geometry.
Can it send cameras, lights and animation too?
Yes — send the active scene camera or your lights over the same live bridge for matching layout and lookdev, and optionally bake object/armature animation into the send over the scene frame range.
Does it change my Blender scene?
No — it's non-destructive, with an optional Backup Before Send that duplicates your objects into a "Maya Backup" collection first. A Preflight check can also flag unapplied scale, missing UVs, n-gons and non-manifold edges before you send
Which Blender versions are supported?
Blender 3.3 through 5.2. On 4.2+ it installs as a modern Extension; on 3.3–4.1 as a classic add-on. Windows.
Can I use it for commercial work?
Yes. Like all Blender add-ons it's licensed under the GPL, so you can use it in any commercial project. Maya is Autodesk Maya is required and sold separately. You need your own licensed copy from Autodesk. No Autodesk Maya licence is included with this product - it is the Blender-side bridge only, and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a reseller of Autodesk.
Does it work on macOS or Linux?
Currently Windows only.
Do I need Autodesk Maya, and is a licence included?
You need your own Autodesk Maya - it is sold separately by Autodesk and is not included with this product. This add-on is the Blender side of the bridge only, and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a reseller of the vendor. It is also Windows only: macOS and Linux are not supported.
Can I change the icons, or turn them off?
Yes. Preferences ▸ Button Icons offers Brand Colours (the default, each bridge in its own colour), Mono with a colour swatch you pick, and Blender Built-ins if you would rather have no custom icons at all. Colour-code Status decides whether link and modifier icons keep their green / amber / red. The icons are drawn from masks and tinted as they load, so any colour stays crisp.
-
$7.99
For 1 person (1 seat). Commercial use included.
-
$31.96
For a team of up to 6 people (6 seats). Commercial use included.
-
$79.90
For a studio of up to 20 people (20 seats). Commercial use included. Need more than 20 seats? Contact us directly.
Included
Includes 12 months of
- Support from Tachyon Studio
- Product updates
Extend this product’s Support Period +12 months: 25% of product price
Have questions before purchasing?
Login to message