Can Maya 2016 FINALLY open .MLT files?

[sbnewsom]

My project has been using Maya LT for some time. Perfect for general game development and great on the budget. Now we're needing a lot of the major features of Maya and would like to finally convert the software. The License for Maya LT is up and I'm ready to make the jump....but like the last time this happened, ALL THE SOURCE MATERIALS wouldn't transfer. This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Its a major backstab for studios that want to upgrade mid project without having to pay for TWO SEPARATE SOFTWARE LICENSES.

So its mid 2016 and I ask, can we NOW import MLT files? Don't give me "You can export the files to FBX and import into Maya". That would require me to spend another month's subscription just to use Maya LT on top of paying for the already EXPENSIVE Maya 2016 license.

Its a Yes or No question and no one is getting an answer the past two years.

[cornelh · Accepted solution]

@sbnewsom

I do realize that you started using Maya LT as your initial setup, yet we created Maya LT to be in-itself a separate (cost efficient) solution for people not needed all the bells and whistles of the full Maya.  With that said, we did not want Maya LT to become a replacement (especially at it's price point) for Maya, as many production houses would get Maya LT and then push their art work to the full Maya (even though the studios plan might had been to run with features for the full Maya;  for example use Maya LT for the modeling, rigging, basic animating Depts. and then push their assets to the full Maya on diferent parts of the pipeline). At the moment Maya will not have any import options for the Maya MLT file format.  Please read the compatible files for the full Maya here:  Maya supported file types

Also please check what is possible to transfer out from Maya LT here: Maya LT import and export types

Here is a comparability chart so you can see what each program does and make your productions decisions based on those.  I'm aware that you might have had a change in your productions, yet we cannot change this.  You might have to rebuild parts of your production which are unable to export via FBX or OBJ.  compare Maya vs Maya LT

In short the answers is: NO

I hope your answer was answered this time, and I apologize that at any time you thought otherwise.  As it is very clear from the linked articles and documents I have provided that Maya and Maya LT are completely separate programs for a different audience and thus also carry hugely different price points.  

Thank you.

[sbnewsom]

Thanks for the reply. No, I didn't think otherwise. I only thought logically that a company would take care of their customers and provide a unified software environment that doesn't punish their customers.

Thanks for the condescending reply. I'll take my business elsewhere for the next project.

[jrkruse]

Yeah I am with you, I got Maya LT to start learning Maya before I jumped to the almost $200 monthly but now I know I can't open any of my old files. Well I guess I will just have to go find another software to use.

[mattsmall]

I second the emotions in these other responses.  We evaluated LT to see if it would work for us as a license option for entry-level contractors and temporary employees, but the inability to open MLT files in regular Maya was the one feature that basically made the whole system unworkable.

At least the rep from Autodesk was honest in their answer -- they are deliberately making their customers' lives harder in order to force them to pay more money for expensive licenses they don't need.  Never mind that Adobe and other professional software companies offer tiered software packages with compatible file formats.   But you have to actually trust the value proposition of your software tiers to open up the licensing options like that.  I guess if you don't feel confident that your top-tier product is actually worth 6x more than than your entry level product, then doing it this way makes sense.

[mspeer]

Hi!

Maybe it's the other way around, maybe Maya LT is cheaper than it should have been based on the available features, so there was a need to additionally limit the usage in an other way.

Autodesk is not the only company doing it this way to separate products targeting a different market (like Indie vs Pro).

[ferizsolnai]

Autdesk knows very well that game development is teamwork. If I have a team of 5 artists for a small indie game, it makes a huge difference to pay for 5 full Maya licenses or 4 LT's and 1 full, when I know that only 1 artist will do particles, press renders and such, and the rest 4 will be using Maya for modelling, UV mapping and rigging.

It's just the general greed of the company that pretends to give you a more affordable solution with less features when in fact it condemns you to pay a lot more than you need just because it can. It makes me want to vomit (together with the rep's truly condescending answer, which is quite rich when we all know the general difference of what it takes to be a 3D artist and what it takes to be a run-of-the-mill customer service rep).