The Framework 4.8 library in Maya 2026 fails to load unless .NET Core 8.0 is installed

[Itsautodesklicense3]

Hi Autodesk Team,

I'm trying to load my C# .NET Framework plugin into Maya 2026, but the application seems to require .NET Core 8.0 instead. We're unsure why it's expecting .NET Core 8.0 for a plugin built with the .NET Framework.

Steps I attempted:

• Created a Class Library project targeting .NET Framework 4.8
• Added a reference to OpenMayaCS.dll to access the IExtensionPlugin interface
• Implemented the methods in the plugin:(file attached for reference)
• Built the project to generate the plugin assembly
• The following files were placed in the C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2026\bin\plug-ins directory:
  • mayasampleplugin.dll
  • OpenMayaCS.dll
  • OpenMayaCS.runtimeconfig.json
• Launched the Maya 2026 application. Navigated to
• Windows → Settings/Preferences → Plug-in Manager.
• The mayasampleplugin appears in the list, but it fails to load.
• After installing .NET Core 8.0, the plugin successfully loads in Maya 2026.
• The DLLs mentioned above have been attached.

[Itsautodesklicense3]

The DLLs mentioned above have been attached.

[nelsoncruz]

If I am understanding everything correctly, sounds like this would be expected as Maya 2026 moved to .NET 8.
Help | Maya is moving to .NET 8 | Autodesk

[Itsautodesklicense3]

Before we dropped our .NET Framework plugin, it was working with Maya 2026. However, when attempting to load our plugin now, Maya expects .NET Core 8.0. Which part of the plugin loading process is triggering this requirement for .NET Core 8.0?