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Maya Migration

A

s my Maya LT license is due to expire in the next few months, I'm faced with the daunting task of migrating all my files from Maya LT to Maya Indie. Maya LT, being a limited "lite" version of the software, does not fully support cross-compatibility of its scene file type (.mlt) with other versions of Maya. Which absolutely sucks. This means that all the files I have ever created in Maya LT over the past FIVE years must be exported and organized before moving over to use Maya Indie. As well as this, I think it is good to just back up everything as FBX files (a widely used file format that efficiently stores 3D model data).

This migration process is truly a mammoth undertaking, demanding all my attention and energy. I've had to put all ongoing project progress on hold just to prevent possibly losing years of work, as Maya LT's native scene files won't be fully supported in the full release Maya and will become inaccessible as of September 2025. Ugggh.

To prepare for this transition between software, I have been diligently organizing and exporting my files. The workflow basically involves me methodically going through every single model, prop and scene that has not been completed already, and exporting it as an FBX file. Additionally, there is an export file size limit of 250,000 polygons which I have to take into consideration, slowing down the task even more.

This is a particularly tedious and time-consuming process (the biggest file exodus I have ever had to undertake), requiring careful attention to detail to ensure that the hundreds of converted files retain all their original transformations, orientations and positions without data issues.

Despite this almighty test, I am determined to complete this necessary relocation. This transfer will not only ensure continuity of my work, while backing up everything, but also open up new possibilities as I explore the expanded, and more importantly, up-to-date potential of Maya Indie.

Fun and slightly perturbing fact, since 2018 I believe I have now spent close to 7,000 hours working on D_ROGUE. Well...it certainly feels like it!!


Thanks for reading :)

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