Last Updated: June 10th 2002

Qualification of Maya 4.0 on supported Windows Operating Systems.

Products Version Software Date
Maya Builder
4.0
200105302318
Maya Complete 4.0 200105302318
Maya Unlimited  4.0 200105302318
File Compatibility:
Maya Maya 4.0 can read Maya 3.x, Maya 2.x, and Maya 1.x format files.
Others Maya 4.0 can read Adobe Illustrator EPS files, OBJ, DXF and IGES files. VRML2 files can be read via a standalone translator.
Maya 4.0 exports OBJ, DXF, IGES, VRML2, RIB, RTG and GE2 files.

Computer Models

Maya 4.0 is qualified on Intel Pentium II, Pentium III and Pentium 4 and AMD Athlon processors in the following systems with any of the graphics adaptors listed in the graphics card table using the specified driver on Windows XP Professional (follow this link for information specific to Operating System issues, Windows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 1 or 2, or Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 4 (or greater). Note, we are unable to qualify all graphics cards on all operating systems.
Maya is not qualified to run on Windows NT Terminal Server.

mental ray for Maya is qualified for the same platforms as Maya.
Company Model Web
sgi Visual Workstation 320, 540 www.sgi.com
sgi Visual Workstation 230, 330, 550 www.sgi.com
sgi Visual Workstation Zx10 www.sgi.com
Boxx 3DBOXX R1 www.boxxtech.com
Compaq Professional Workstation 6300 www.compaq.com
Compaq Professional Workstation AP 400, 500, 550 www.compaq.com
Compaq Professional Workstation SP700 www.compaq.com
Compaq Professional Workstation 6000 www.compaq.com
Compaq Professional Workstation EVO 6000, 8000 www.compaq.com
Dell 1 Precision Workstation 210, 410, 610 www.dell.com
Dell 1 Precision Workstation 220, 420, 620 www.dell.com
Dell 1 Precision Workstation 330, 530 www.dell.com
Dell 1 Precision Workstation 340 www.dell.com
Dell 1 Precision Workstation M40
(with nVidia Quadro2 Go)		 www.dell.com
HP HP Workstation X1000, X1100, X2000, X2100, X4000 www.hp.com
IBM Intellistation E Pro 6836, 6846 www.ibm.com
IBM Intellistation M Pro 6868, 6849, 6850, 6229 www.ibm.com
IBM Intellistation Z Pro 6866 www.ibm.com
IBM Thinkpad A31p
(with ATI FireGL 7800 mobile)		 www.ibm.com
Intergraph TDZ 2000 Graphics Workstation www.intergraph.com
[1] Please see below for workaround required for some new Dell systems.

Graphics Cards & Drivers

Maya is qualified with the following graphics adapters (with the specified driver for the specified operating system) with any of the systems listed in the systems table.
Important: Graphics drivers are usually different for different Windows operating sytems. Alias has tested only drivers listed under each OS. While it may be possible to use Maya successfully on earlier or later drivers, Alias cannot guarantee their performance or behaviour. If you encounter problems with a driver, we strongly suggest that you contact the graphic card vendor to report your problem.
Company Graphics Controller Driver version on Windows XP Pro Driver version on Windows 2000 Pro
(SP2)		 Driver version on Windows NT 4.0
(SP6a)
see below for important details about each of these graphics cards.
3Dlabs Oxygen GVX1 2.16-0676
3Dlabs Oxygen GVX1-Pro 2.16-0691
3Dlabs Oxygen GVX210 Not qualified. 2.16.0388
3Dlabs Oxygen GVX420 2.16-0691
3Dlabs Wildcat 4110 05.03.01.15 04.02.03.02
3Dlabs Wildcat 5000 06.04.01.10 06.04.01.10
3Dlabs Wildcat II 5110 05.03.01.15 04.02.03.02
3Dlabs Wildcat III 6110 06.05.01.16 05.05.02.09
3Dlabs Wildcat III 6210 06.05.01.16 05.05.02.09
HP FX5 1.08 1.08
HP FX10 1.08 1.08
nVidia Quadro2 Pro 5.13.01.1570 5.00.2195.1241 or 5.13.01.1420
nVidia Quadro2 MXR 5.00.2195.1241 or 5.13.01.1420
nVidia Quadro2 EX 5.00.2195.1241 or 5.13.01.1420
nVidia Quadro DCC 5.13.01.1570 5.00.2195.1241 or 5.13.01.1420
nVidia Quadro2 Go
(in Dell Precision M40)		 5.13.01.1427
nVidia GeForce2 NOT QUALIFIED
See Note.
nVidia GeForce3 NOT QUALIFIED
See Note.
nVidia Quadro4 700/750/900 XGL 29.80 29.80
ATI Fire GL1 5.00.2195.1118
ATI Fire GL2 5.12.2195.2082 5.12.2195.2082
(or the Dell 2077 driver)
ATI Fire GL4 5.12.2195.2074
ATI Fire GL4-DUAL 5.12.2195.2074
ATI Fire GL7800 mobile
(In IBM Thinkpad A31P)		 5.13.1.6080
ATI Fire GL8800 6.12.10.3035 5.12.2195.3035
sgi cobalt 5.1.0 / 5.2.1 5.1.0 / 5.2.1
sgi/nVidia VPro 32/64 5.00.2195.1241 4.00.1381.1241
see below for important details about each of these graphics cards.

Video Cards without Hardware Overlay Planes

Using video cards without Hardware Overlay planes (or Hardware Overlay planes turned off) can result in poor performance for certain operations within Maya including (but not restricted to) use of tools based on Artisan or Paint Textures technology. There will also be visual differences compared with Hardware overlays that may result in difficulty seeing or manipulating aspects of the scene or Maya interface.
Examples of Graphics cards without Hardware overlays include (but are not restricted to):
  • NVIDIA based TNT/TNT2/GeForce/GeForce2 video cards
  • ATI Rage128/ Rage128Pro
  • Matrox G400
  • etc.
    • Examples of Graphics Cards where Hardware Overlays can be turned on/off include (but are not restricted to):
  • 3DLabs  GVX210/GVX1/VX1/GMX2000
  • etc.
    • Although Maya may be used successfully on systems containing these Graphics Cards, only those specifically  listed here have been tested. Please review the notes below carefully as some of these cards have limitations which may make them unsuitable for your purposes.

    General Configuration.
    Please Read
    • A three button mouse is required.
    • At least 128 MB of RAM is required and 256 MB or more is strongly recommended.
    • It may be possible to successfully use Maya with a non-qualified or partially qualified configuration, but support and maintenance programs will be subject to the Alias Support services guidelines.
    • The configurations shown are subject to change, and additional qualified configurations may be added after qualification testing has been carried out.
    • Where Graphics Controllers are configurable, you must have at least 32MB of texture memory (TRAM). Due to the differences in the manner in which hardware vendors approach display memory, we suggest that you consult your hardware vendor to ensure that your configuration will support your required resolution.
    • The graphics drivers specified in this table are the drivers that were used for the qualification process. While it may be possible to use Maya successfully on earlier or later drivers, Alias cannot guarantee their performance or behaviour.
    • We do not recommend saving data directly from Maya to NFS or Novell Netware or other remote mounted file systems. We have received several reports of data corruption when saving in this method although we have been unable to reproduce this. We strongly recommend that you save the files locally and then copy the data to the mounted storage system.
    • When texture images are stored on systems remote from the rendering process; depending on network speed, specifications and load it is possible that the renderer may be unable to access a texture file on demand and may 'drop' individual textures on a frame by frame basis. To reduce this occurrence store textures on a system local to the rendering process.
    • NT Compiler Requirement: To build Maya plug-ins, your NT system must have the Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler version 6.0 installed.
    • Dual Monitor use is only supported on the specified systems. Be aware that with all dual monitors you may experience problems with windows always popping on or returning to the main screen instead of the alternate screen.


    Information Specific to Operating Systems:

    Windows XP
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Under some circumstances, when playblasting an animation, partway through, the playblasting ceases to be updated. Attempting to ESC from the playblast may cause a hang.
    Solution None.
    Limitation Tear-off pull-down menus don't display properly on XP with UI schemes
    Solution Set UI preference to Windows Classic Style.
    Limitation Maya on Windows XP has slightly different window focus interaction than on other OSes. For example, if you render in the Render View window and switch focus to another Maya window or another application and back to the Render View, the Render View may not update, or may turn completely white giving the appearance that it has hung. The window will update when the render completes. (On other OSes it updates when each tile is finished rendering.) You may see similar interactions in other windows.
    Solution None.


    Information Specific to Computer Model:

    New Dell Systems
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation On some Dell systems, Maya apparently is missing some or all controls in some or all option boxes or dialogs. Specific sliders are not drawn and option boxes may be sized incorrectly or appear empty.
    Solution Change the default system font size, restart your system and change it back (and restart again).
    On Windows 2000 this is in display properties: (right-mouse on desktop -> properties), Settings-> Advanced -> Display Font size. )


    Information Specific to Graphics Cards/Drivers:
    sgi Cobalt Graphics
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    Cobalt Graphics
    (SGI)    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    5.1.0 / 5.2.1
    Silicon Graphics Settings:
    Advanced Options -> Apply Swappable on Vertical Retrace Only x
    Advanced Options -> Enhance Mixed-Mode Rendering
    x
    Graphics Settings and Memory Reservation Profile -> Properties:
    Display Settings -> Color Palette = True Color x
    Display Settings -> Depth Buffer = 24 bit Depth, 8 bit Stencil x
    Graphics Options -> Use Back Buffer x
    Graphics Options -> Enable Overlay Planes x
    The above settings can be set by selecting: Silicon Graphics Settings -> Graphics Settings and Reservation Profile -> Graphics and Animation Design.
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Some problems with Specular display of prelighting textured objects with some geometry.
    Solution There is no solution at this time.
    Limitation Hardware texture display can sometimes fail to work properly after extended use.
    Solution Restart Maya.

    Oxygen GVX1
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    Oxygen GVX1
    (3Dlabs)    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    2.16-0676    		 Advanced > OpenGL Support > Driver is optimized for application
    Maya (tm) (without alpha support) x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Colour per vertex display on polygonal object is incorrect.
    Solution Turn off the separate specular colour. modelEdit -e -th off modelPanel1
    Limitation Particle display problems - blobby surface, cloud, and tube particles appear white.
    Solution None
    Limitation Camera move operations (such as dollying, zooming or tracking) will be very slow when there are image planes. Image planes may be drawn incorrectly.
    Solution This can be improved by setting the environment variable         MAYA_SLOW_DRAWPIXELS1 which causes Maya to use a different technique to bypass the graphic card's limitation. (With the environment variable set, Alpha channels on image planes may not be drawn correctly).
    1 The environment variable should be set to equal any non-zero value, e.g. 1

    Oxygen GVX1-Pro
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    Oxygen GVX1 Pro
    (3Dlabs)    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    2.16-0691    		 Advanced > OpenGL Support > Driver is optimized for application
    Maya (tm) (Overlays set to Dynamic) x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Colour per vertex display on polygonal object is incorrect.
    Solution None
    Limitation Particle display problems - blobby surface, cloud, and tube particles appear white.
    Solution It is possible to turn off specular colour in a specific panel by entering a mel command in the script editor E.g.:
    modelEditor -e -th off modelPanel1;
    change "modelPanel1" accordingly.
    Limitation Image plane borders are not drawn correctly.
    Solution None

    Oxygen GVX210
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    Oxygen GVX210
    (3Dlabs)    		 NT4.0:
    2.16-0388    		 Advanced > OpenGL Support > Optimized for...
    Maya (without alpha support) x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Colour per vertex display on polygonal object is incorrect.
    Solution None
    Limitation Particle display problems - blobby surface, cloud, and tube particles appear white.
    Solution None
    Limitation Camera move operations (such as dollying, zooming or tracking) will be very slow when there are image planes. Image planes may be drawn incorrectly.
    Solution This can be improved by setting the environment variable         MAYA_SLOW_DRAWPIXELS1 which causes Maya to use a different technique to bypass the graphic card's limitation. (With the environment variable set, Alpha channels on image planes may not be drawn correctly).
    1 The environment variable should be set to equal any non-zero value, e.g. 1

    Oxygen GVX420
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    Oxygen GVX420
    (3Dlabs)    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    2.16.0691    		 Advanced > OpenGL Support > Optimized for...
    Maya (without alpha support) x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Colour per vertex display on polygonal object is incorrect.
    Solution None
    Limitation Particle display problems - blobby surface, cloud, and tube particles appear white.
    Solution None
    Limitation Image plane borders are not drawn correctly.
    Solution None

    3Dlabs Wildcat 4110
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    3Dlabs Wildcat 4110 (3Dlabs) NT4.0:
    04.02.03.02
    Windows 2000 Pro:
    05.03.01.15    		 Settings > Performance 
    Driver Setting: Maya x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Alpha Transparency may not display properly in model view.
    Solution Select a modelview panel and run the following in the script editor in every Maya session.
    string $currentPanel = `getPanel -withFocus`;
    modelEditor -e -th off $currentPanel;
    Limitation Under some circumstances, e.g. when using layered texture and multiUVs, the textured shaded view may be incorrect.
    Solution There are no workaround with the 04.02.03.02 or 05.03.01.15 drivers. Note: 3DLabs claims this is fixed in 04.04.02.10 (and later) for NT, and 05.04.02.13 (and later) for Windows 2000, however Alias has not qualified these drivers.

    3Dlabs Wildcat 5000
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    3Dlabs Wildcat 5000 (3Dlabs) Windows 2000 Pro:
    06.04.01.10
    Windows XP Pro:
    06.04.01.10    		 Settings > Performance 
    Driver Setting: Maya x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation
    Solution

    3Dlabs Wildcat II 5110
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    3Dlabs Wildcat II 5110 (3Dlabs) Windows 2000 Pro:
    05.03.01.15
    NT4.0:
    04.02.03.02    		 Settings > Performance 
    Driver Setting: Maya x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Alpha Transparency may not display properly in model view.
    Solution Select a modelview panel and run the following in the script editor in every Maya session.
    string $currentPanel = `getPanel -withFocus`;
    modelEditor -e -th off $currentPanel;

    3Dlabs Wildcat III 6110
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    3Dlabs Wildcat III 6110 (3Dlabs) Windows 2000 Pro:
    05.05.02.09
    Windows XP Pro: 06.05.01.16    		 Settings > Performance 
    Driver Setting: Maya x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation
    Solution

    3Dlabs Wildcat III 6210
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    3Dlabs Wildcat III 6210 (3Dlabs) Windows 2000 Pro:
    05.05.02.09
    Windows XP Pro:
    06.05.01.16    		 Settings > Performance 
    Driver Setting: Maya x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation
    Solution

    HP FX5
    Model Version Driver Settings
    HP FX5 (HP) Windows 2000 Pro:
    1.08
    NT4.0:
    1.08    		 Select the 'Alias Maya' preset setting configuration in the Display Properties window.
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Performance of tumbling in textured shaded mode is very sensitive to large numbers of objects.
    Solution Reducing or combining objects will lessen this problem. Note: HP has released driver version 1.18 which solves this issue, however at this time Alias has not qualified 1.18

    HP FX10
    Model Version Driver Settings
    HP FX10 (HP) Windows 2000 Pro:
    1.08
    NT4.0:
    1.08    		 Select the 'Alias Maya' preset setting configuration in the Display Properties window.
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Performance of tumbling in textured shaded mode is very sensitive to large numbers of objects.
    Solution Reducing or combining objects will lessen this problem. Note: HP has released driver version 1.18 which solves this issue, however at this time Alias has not qualified 1.18

    nVidia Quadro4 (700XGL, 750XGL, 900XGL)
    Windows
    2000    		 Model Version Driver Settings
    nVidia Quadro4
    700XGL, 750XGL, 900XGL    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    29.80    		 OpenGL preset: Maya/StudioTools
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation
    Solution
    Windows
    XP    		 Model Version Driver Settings
    nVidia Quadro4
    700XGL, 750XGL, 900XGL    		 Windows XP Pro:
    29.80    		 OpenGL preset: Maya/StudioTools
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation
    Solution
    nVidia Quadro2 series (Pro, MXR, EX)
    Windows
    2000    		 Model Version Driver Settings
    nVidia Quadro2 series
    (Pro, MXR, EX)
    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    5.00.2195.1241 or 5.13.01.1420    		 Driver is optimized for application: Maya.
    Overlays: ON
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Maya will crash on start-up when the resolution is set to higher values, e.g. 1600x1200x32 with the driver's overlay option enabled.
    Solution Lower the display resolution or turn off the Overlay feature and reboot the system.
    Limitation When using Maya Live you cannot see playblast run-up images when you start track.
    Solution None
    Limitation Maya can sometimes crash when selecting Show All from hotbox.
    Solution None
    Windows
    XP    		 Model Version Driver Settings
    nVidia Quadro2
    (Pro)    		 Windows XP Pro:
    5.13.01.1570    		 Driver is optimized for application: Maya.
    Overlays: ON
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation When using some tools, particularly polygon editing operations, using the marquee selection may leave a trail behind.
    Solution none
    Limitation We have received intermittent reports of a system lock-up occurring when using Hypershade and using the create render node panel.
    Solution Turning off the Windows XP style UI under START->Settings->Control Panel->Display->Appearance->Windows and Buttons-> may stop the system hang from occurring.

    nVidia GeForce256, GeForce2, GeForce3 series
    There are many cards based on GeForce256, GeForce2 and GeForce3 chipsets. nVidia and Alias do not recommend these cards for use with Maya 4.0 as you may experience various refresh, display and stability problems and inadequate performance.
    We suggest you choose from nVidia's workstation cards instead, such as the Quadro DCC or the Quadro 2 family (Pro, MXR, EX) which are much better suited to highend 3D packages such as Maya.

    nVidia Quadro DCC
    Windows 2000 Model Version Driver Settings
    nVidia Quadro DCC Windows 2000 Pro:
    5.00.2195.1241 or 5.13.01.1420    		 Driver is optimized for application: Maya.
    Overlays: OFF
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Maya will crash on start-up when the resolution is set to higher values, e.g. 1600x1200x32 with the driver's overlay option enabled.
    Solution Lower the display resolution or turn off the Overlay feature and reboot the system.
    Windows
    XP    		 Model Version Driver Settings
    nVidia QuadroDCC
    		 Windows XP Pro:
    5.13.01.1570    		 Driver is optimized for application: Maya.
    Overlays: ON
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation When using some tools, particularly polygon editing operations, using the marquee selection may leave a trail behind.
    Solution none
    Limitation We have received intermittent reports of a system lock-up occurring when using Hypershade and using the create render node panel.
    Solution Turning off the Windows XP style UI under START->Settings->Control Panel->Display->Appearance->Windows and Buttons-> may stop the system hang from occurring.

    nVidia Quadro 2 Go
    Note: this card is currently only qualified for use with the Dell Precision M40 using the specified driver. Because of the close integration between components in notebook/laptop computers, usage with Maya in a non-qualified or partially qualified configuration may work, but support and maintenance programs will be subject to the Alias Support services guidelines.
    Model Version Driver Settings
    nVidia Quadro 2 Go
    (nVidia)    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    5.13.01.1427    		 Driver is optimized for application: Maya.
    Overlays: OFF
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Specular highlight may appear on screen to be too bright or spread too much under some circumstances.
    Solution None.

    Diamond Fire GL 1
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    Fire GL1
    (ATI)    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    5.00.2195.1118    		 Advanced > OpenGL Support > Driver is optimized for application
    MAYA NT x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation None

    Fire GL 2
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    Fire GL2
    (ATI)    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    5.12.2195.2082
    FireGL2 in Dell systems may also use the Dell driver version 2077
    Windows XP Pro:
    5.12.2195.2082
    MAYA x
    Limitations and Solutions

    Diamond Fire GL 4 and Fire GL 4 DUAL
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    Fire GL4
    (ATI)    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    5.12.2195.2074    		 Advanced > OpenGL Support > Driver is optimized for application
    MAYA NT x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation With dual monitors you may experience problems with windows always popping on or returning to the main screen instead of the alternate screen.
    Solution None.

    Fire GL 7800 Mobile
    Note: this card is currently only qualified for use with the IBM Thinkpad A31P using the specified driver. Because of the close integration between components in notebook/laptop computers, usage with Maya in a non-qualified or partially qualified configuration may work, but support and maintenance programs will be subject to the Alias Support services guidelines.
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    Fire GL7800
    (ATI)    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    5.13.1.6080
    MAYA x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation You may encounter poor performance using Artisan tools with "Show Brush Outlines ON".
    Solution Do not use Show Brush Outlines.
    Limitation You may encounter poor performance using Maya Paint Effects in Canvas mode.
    Solution none.

    Fire GL 8800
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    Fire GL8800
    (ATI)    		 Windows 2000 Pro:
    5.12.2195.3020
    MAYA x
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation
    Solution

    sgi VPRO 32/64 (nVidia Quadro)
    Model Version Driver Settings ON OFF
    sgi VPRO 32/64 Windows 2000 Pro: 5.00.2195.1241
    NT 4.0:
    4.00.1381.1241    		 Settings > Performance and Compatibility
    Enable Buffer region Extension x
    Allow the dual planes extension to use local video memory x
    Use fast linear-mipmap-linear filtering x
    Enable anisotropic filtering x
    Enable alternate depth buffering technique x
    Disable support for enhanced CPU instruction sets x
    Enable full scene antiAliasing x
    Use unified back/depth buffer x
    Default color depth for textures: Use desktop color Depth
    Buffer Flipping mode: Auto select
    Vertical Sync:  On by default
    Limitations and Solutions
    Limitation Some issues with flickering and speed especially using 'brush' based tools (Artisan, Paint Textures and Paint Effects) due to s/w overlay planes. Depending on your task, the speed may be unacceptable. 
    Solution There is no solution at this time.
    Limitation when tumbling a model in the perspective view such that part of the object passes out of frame at the top, a mild but noticeable misalignment of pixels occurs.
    Solution There is no solution at this time.
    Limitation Maya can sometimes crash when selecting Show All from hotbox.
    Solution None