Autodesk Maya 2008 Extension 2 /
Autodesk Maya 2008 Service Pack 1

Graphics Hardware Qualification - Macintosh Platform

Last updated: Last updated: March 3rd 2008


Contents of this document


Mac Version Tested

Workstations and graphics cards have been tested on MAC OS X 10.5.2 with Leopard Graphics Update 1.0.

To tell which version of Mac OS X is installed, select "About this Mac" in the Apple menu. The general OS version number will be just below the logo; e.g., Version 10.5.2 To find the precise build number, click the version text. It will change to the build number; e.g., Build 9C31. (Occasionally Apple will release slightly different Versions with the same version number but which may behave differently. It may only be possible to identify the OS version by the build number.)


Workstation and Laptops

G3 and G4 based workstations and laptops are no longer tested, though it's possible to continue to use Maya with these machines. See General Disclaimer note in the Readme First.

Legend

Qualified   Un-tested.

PowerPC based

PowerMac G5

Dual Proc G5 @ 2.5 GHz

Dual Proc G5 @ 2.0 Ghz

MacIntel based

MacPro

Dual Core Intel XEON @ 2.66Ghz

Dual Quad-Core Intel XEON @ 3.0Ghz

Quad Core Intel XEON @ 3.2Ghz

Imac

Intel Core Duo @ 2Ghz

Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.16Ghz

Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4Ghz

Intel Core 2 Extreme @ 2.8Ghz

MacBook Pro

Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.33Ghz

Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4Ghz

Note: All Macs with built in Flat Panels (iMacs and PowerBooks) are limited to built-in screen resolutions. These resolutions may limit the use of Maya; for example, menu bars may not be fully drawn and windows may need screen resolution that is not available. Using an external monitor and setting the resolution to 1280 x 1024 allows full use of Maya menus and windows.


Graphics Cards & Drivers

All qualifications are performed using only the official Apple default drivers that are included with a particular version of an OS (e.g. 10.5) or OS update (e.g. 10.5.2). Drivers acquired by any other means; e.g., directly from a graphics vendor, are considered unsupported and therefore not qualified. We cannot guarantee the stability of Maya using unsupported drivers. We have received numerous reports of problems with drivers other than those released by Apple as part of the OS.

To verify which version of a video driver is installed on your Mac OS X system, In a Finder window, navigate to /System/Library/Extensions/(vendor extension file). With this file selected, choose File -> Info to view the version information. For example, to determine the version of the video driver installed for the Nvidia GeForce FX 6800 Ultra, select the /System/Library/Extensions/NVDANV40Hals.kext file and then choose File -> Info.

Tested Graphics Cards

Legend

Qualified
Qualified with caveats (refer to caveat list)
Qualification planned. Results coming shortly
Qualification failed due to serious problems.

Models

Status

NVIDIA

Quadro FX 4500

Quadro FX 5600

GeForce 7300 GT

GeForce 7600 GT

GeForce 8600M GT

GeForce 6800 GT

          (1,2)

GeForce 7800 GT

      (1)

ATI

Radeon X2600 HD

          (3,4)

Radeon X1600

Radeon 9600 Pro


Legacy Graphics card

Cards not listed in the chart above are no longer tested. However, these cards may still be acceptable for use with Maya. Please refer to earlier Maya for OS X qualification charts to evaluate a particular card's previous use in Maya. While you may continue to use one of these cards, please note that we may not be able to provide support for any issues you encounter.

Dual monitor support

Apple systems can be run in Dual Monitor configuration by using a single graphics card which supports dual output (e.g. Nvidia GeForce 6800 or ATI Radeon x850xt).


Caveats & Limitations

NVIDIA

Card Model

Limitation / Caveat

Status

GeForce 6800GT
GeForce 7800GT

(1) #295830 CGfx shaders with environment textures may not display properly.

 

 

Issue reported to vendor. Radar tracking #5777721

GeForce 6800GT

(2) #296084 NURBS CV's do not display properly.

 

Issue reported to vendor. Radar tracking #5777804


ATI

Card Model

Limitation / Caveat

Status

x2600HD

(3) #285168 Shadows are not displayed properly in the Hardware Renderer or the High Quality Viewport

 

Issue reported to vendor. Radar Tracking #5707401

x2600HD

(4) #295472 Tumbling the viewport when the High Quality viewport is Enabled may update with a slower than expected frame rate.

 

Issue reported to vendor. Radar Tracking #5751761


General notes about graphics cards on Mac workstations
Compiler Requirements

If you are building plug-ins for Maya, note that the Maya API requires a specific compiler and linker, on each of the platforms Autodesk supports in order to build compatible plug-ins. Autodesk Maya 2008 is built on: Mac OS X 10.4 with the XCode version 2.4.1 using the gcc 4.0.1 (Apple Computer, inc. build 5367 ) compiler. Using this compiler will guarantee binary compatibility when building plug-ins.