Animation Students - Get Your Free Maya License

For newcomers to the animation industry, and especially for our students starting with us in our next scheduled class, it's important to remember that Autodesk, who make the software Maya, offer an education copy of Maya for free, which can be downloaded from the official Autodesk site.

Autodesk Maya has been the dominant software package in 3D animation for over 20 years. I first used Maya 1.0 on "The Iron Giant", back in 1998.  And today it remains the most powerful package for the creation of 3D animation, still by far the most widely used in industry. 

Animator's Survival Kit 

Maya Student License
Our students at Animation Apprentice can download a free student license for Maya, which is restricted to non-commercial use.  The license lasts for 3 years; you won't need it longer than that because each year Autodesk releases a new version of the software.

Autodesk Maya "Indie License" - for Commercial Use
Autodesk has also launched a "Maya Indie License", allowing students who have learned to animate using the free student version of the software to enter the marketplace at a much-reduced price.

Find Animation Apprentice at Autodesk
To find Animation Apprentice at the Official Autodesk Education Site, look under University/Post-Secondary in the United States; we are listed there as an Online Animation School.

USA Listing - Not UK

For the sake of clarity, note that we are not listed atthe Official Autodesk Education Site under the UK, we are listed under University/Post-Secondary in the USA.

Proof of Enrolment
You may need to send Autodesk a "Proof of Enrolment in order to access the software. If so, ask us for a Certificate of Enrolment which we will send you right away.

Maya Resources

For more resources on studying with Autodesk Maya at Animation Apprentice, follow the links below:

• Animation Apprentice Authorised School at Autodesk
• Free Education Licenses from Autodesk Maya 
• How Long Does it Take To Learn Maya?
• Animation Apprentice Autodesk Authorised Academic Partner
• Alexander Williams Certified Autodesk Instructor

Software & Hardware
To see more about software & hardware in the animation industry, see the following blog posts:

• Blender-v-Maya - which is best?
• Laptop - what kind should students buy?
• How to get started in animation
• What books should animators buy?
• Adobe Premiere Pro - Basics for Animators
• Best free editing software
• DJV View - free playback software for animators
• Storyboarder - free storyboard software

To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.