Unleash visual magic with Bifrost for Maya

Available only in Autodesk Maya

Image courtesy of Pipe Studio

What is Bifrost? 

Bifrost is a visual programming environment inside of Autodesk Maya for creating stunning procedural effects for film, TV, and games.

  • Create realistic simulations and effects—from explosions to cloth.

  • Scatter objects procedurally to build detailed environments. 

  • Create and edit Universal Scene Description (USD) scenes with an open-source USD integration. 

Why use Bifrost? 

Deliver highest quality  

Produce stunning simulations and effects like combustion, snow, and particles with professional tools. 

Reduce pipeline complexity and costs 

Seamlessly create and render effects without having to leave Maya.

Boost productivity  

Output more, faster with procedural generation and visual programming. 

What can you do with Bifrost? 

Mystical blue whale made by Amid Rajabi

Enchant audiences with astounding visuals 

From colorful explosions to densely forested worlds, Bifrost empowers aspiring and skilled technical artists to create physically accurate content in the Bifrost Graph, a node-based visual programming environment.

Bifrost graph and simulation in Maya that produces a colorful powder explosion rendered with Arnold

Build graphs for studio-wide use 

Create custom graphs in the Bifrost Graph Editor and package them up for artists at your studio to use easily across different shows, scenes, and shots.

Boiling pot made by Pipe Studio with Bifrost (video: 9 sec.)

Embrace open standards 

Available as an open-source project, the integration of USD in Bifrost for Maya fosters better collaboration on complex effects and empowers you to customize your pipeline.

Features 

Bifrost features

Simulations and effects 

Deliver natural-looking effects like combustion, snow, particles, or waves with Aero, MPM, Particles, and BOSS systems. (video: 5 sec.)

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Scattering and instancing

Create large-scale complexity for world building or set dressing with expressive scattering and instancing tools.

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Ready-to-use templates

Access a variety of pre-built compounds and graphs to use as a starting point for creating your own effects.

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Geometry nodes

Work at the lowest level of mesh creation, organize with component tags, and create geometry inside the Bifrost Graph.

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Procedural USD

Assemble, organize, and edit USD assets non-destructively with the flexibility of the Bifrost Graph.

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Workflows and use cases 

The Wasp and Dr. Hank Pym walking through the forest in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.

Bifrost helps Pixomondo streamline VFX creation

Discover how Bifrost was used to create the Fantastic Forest sequence in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.

 

Learn more
Character being disintegrated into particles

Bifrost procedures for film and TV at Crafty Apes

Explore practical production applications for harnessing Bifrost’s procedural capabilities on shows like Star Trek: Discovery.

 

Watch video (59:41 min.)
Man walking on sidewalk covered in moving sand

How Bifrost’s particle system creates realistic sand

Learn how Bifrost was used to enhance a Sapporo Beer spot with rippling zen garden sand patterns.

 

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Resources

House covered in red crystals

TUTORIALS

Bifrost YouTube videos 

Improve your Bifrost knowledge and skillset with videos by industry professionals. 

 

Watch
Blue blob characters

COMMUNITY

Bifrost users Discord 

Ask questions, browse popular topics, and share knowledge with a growing community of users.

 

Join
Golden honey hive

DOCUMENTATION

Bifrost release notes

Read about new features and workflows, fixes, and more.

 

Read

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Where can I download Bifrost?

Bifrost is included in the Maya installer. To download the most recent Bifrost installers, as well as older versions, see Download and Installation.

What is Bifrost used for?

Bifrost is a visual programming environment in Maya used for procedurally building effects, like explosions, combustion, sand, snow, and more. With powerful scattering and instancing tools, Bifrost is also used to craft detailed environments and objects.

Who uses Bifrost?

Bifrost is used by 3D artists and technical directors at animation, visual effects, and game development studios.

Is Bifrost available for free with a Maya subscription?

Yes, you can run Bifrost at no additional cost with an active Maya subscription.

Which operating system does Maya run on?

Maya can run on Microsoft® Windows®, Apple® macOS®, and Linux®. See Maya system requirements for details.

Which versions of Maya can I use if I subscribe to the current version? 

Your Maya subscription gives you access to install and use the three previous versions. Available downloads are listed in your Autodesk Account after subscribing. See also previous releases available for subscribers.

Can I install Maya on multiple computers?

With a subscription to Maya software, you can install it on up to three computers or other devices. However, only the named user can sign in and use that software on a single computer at any given time. Please refer to the Software License Agreement for more information.

How do I convert my Maya free trial to a paid subscription?

Launch your trial software and click Subscribe Now on the trial screen or buy Maya here. When buying your subscription, enter the same email address and password combination you used to sign in to your trial. Learn more about converting a trial to a paid subscription.

How much does a Maya subscription cost?

The price of the Maya subscription is  monthly, annually, or for three years. If some of your users only occasionally use Maya, consider buying tokens to access it for 24 hours at a time. Visit  www.autodesk.com/buying/flex  to learn more.

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