Codec support

The Camera Sequencer and Playblast Options use video codecs to playblast your camera shots into movie clips. Maya does not include specific codecs for playblasting, but rather relies on the codecs already installed on your system. Note that not all codecs will be compatible with Maya.

The following table lists the movie types supported, as well as known issues, on each platform.

Platform:	Windows 32-bit	Windows 64-bit	Mac OS X	Linux
Movie technology (type) support:	QuickTime, AVI	QuickTime, AVI	QuickTime	QuickTime
Qualified Codec	MPEG4 (Quicktime)	MPEG4 (Quicktime)	MPEG4 (Quicktime)	MPEG4 (Quicktime)
Known issues:	For AVI: Motion JPEG and RGB 565 16-bit color are not supported. Codec plug-ins developed for DirectPlay or MediaFoundation are not supported.	Motion JPEG and RGB 565 16-bit color are not supported. Codec plug-ins developed for DirectPlay or MediaFoundation are not supported.	Performance is not real-time on 64-bit systems.

Platform:

Windows 32-bit

Windows 64-bit

Mac OS X

Linux

Movie technology (type) support:

QuickTime, AVI

QuickTime

Qualified Codec

MPEG4 (Quicktime)

Known issues:

For AVI: Motion JPEG and RGB 565 16-bit color are not supported.

Codec plug-ins developed for DirectPlay or MediaFoundation are not supported.

Motion JPEG and RGB 565 16-bit color are not supported.

Codec plug-ins developed for DirectPlay or MediaFoundation are not supported.

Performance is not real-time on 64-bit systems.

If you experience difficulty when playblasting, you may need to download and install additional codecs. Because of the number and variety of codecs available, Autodesk does not provide a list of qualified codecs.

As a general rule, ensure that the machine where you want to view a playblasted movie includes the same codecs as the machine used to create the movie. For example, if you playblast a movie on a Linux system and want to view the movie on a Windows or Mac OS X system, ensure that the same codecs are supported and installed on your Windows or Mac OS X system.

To view the list of codecs available on your system, open any of the playblast options (available under the Playblast menu in the Camera Sequencer or in the Playblast Options window). Select the movie Format you want to output, then view the list of codecs available in the Encoding drop-down list. When you install additional codecs, they are added to this list and available the next time you run Maya.

Note

The codecs you install do appear in the Encoding list even if they are not compatible with Maya.

Refer to the following sections for additional notes and exceptions about codec support for each platform.

Mac OS X codec notes

The list of codecs available on 64-bit Mac systems does not change even if you install additional codecs. If you have installed additional codecs for playblasting, you must run Maya in 32-bit mode to access those codecs.

Linux codec notes

Maya currently uses libquicktime (version 1.1.4) and includes the following codecs: png, jpeg, mjpa, raw, v308, v408, v410, yuv2, yuv4, yv12, 2vuy, v210. If you want to try other codecs, install them in the /maya/bin directory.

If you plan to output movies on a Linux system and view the movies on a Windows or Mac OS X system, use png, raw, jpeg, mjpa, v408, yuv2 or 2vuy for best results.