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Maya 2018 Speed Notice:
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Maya 2018 has a performance bug causing meshes, that normally take a few milliseconds to process in Maya 2016, to take multiple seconds in Maya 2018. This is independent of Ziva's plugin and can easily be triggered entirely with built-in deformers.

If you're using more than 1 simulation substep per frame (zSolver.substeps > 1), then this Maya problem may be triggered and can significantly slow down everything.

The workaround is to set Maya to playback at the same rate as the solver substeps. For example, if zSolver.substeps = 4, then set "Playback by" in the Time Slider preferences to be 0.25 = 1/4 to match.
Having speed issues in Maya 2018?
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Damping update tip:

When zSolver.maxNewtonIterations is greater than 1, the dynamics were often under-damped. The dynamics are correctly damped now, which will result in some simulations appearing more damped than before. To recover similar results to previous versions, decrease zSolver.stiffnessDamping and zSolver.massDamping – possibly to the new default values: 0.001 and 0.0 respectively. This
Damping tip for Ziva VFX v1.4H1 users
Having speed issues in Maya 2018?
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1. Go to your basket on the Ziva Store
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3. Fill in your quote location info
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SELECT your LICENSE TYPE

Download a free Ziva VFX evaluation license to experience the realism of Ziva in your commercial or hobbyist pipeline.
Not available for commercial asset production.
Non-Commercial License
COMMERCIAL EVALUATION 
Available for new and existing evaluation license holders

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Workstation

Licenses running on a single laptop, PC, or individual workstation.

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Licenses running on a company server or virtual machine.

Better, Faster Virtual Characters

  • Maya 2018 compatibility
  • zMeshCheck command for mesh quality assurance
  • Up to 2x faster cloth scene speed and performance
  • Overall speed and performance improvements
Anatomy Transfer
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Currently Serving:

Autodesk ® Maya
version 2016 – 2019

Available for OS: 

Linux

Windows

Current Version:

ZIVA VFX 1.619

See version release notes
Are you an independent creator?

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Dynamics creatures with real physics


Ziva VFX is changing the way 3D characters are brought to life for films, games, and interactive experiences. With Ziva's intuitive toolset, artists can replicate the effects of physics and simulate any soft-tissue material, including muscles, fat, and skin to create blockbuster-quality assets with ease.
Check out these outstanding results by Ziva customers:
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Greater control

Ziva VFX lets you simulate the materiality of any soft-tissue, using intuitive parameters and real-world units. Everything was purpose-built for creature work.


Scalable Results

Ziva Anatomy Transfer tools let you replicate, warp, and retarget creatures rapidly – so you can adapt and multiply your existing creatures for infinite hero-quality characters.


Faster changes

Character alterations can be applied retroactively at nearly anytime. Simply adapting the underlying anatomy of your characters will allow you to react faster to changes and last minute decisions.

The Toolset to replicate Anything


Ziva VFX includes an array of out-of-the-box artist/rigging tools, purpose built for creature work. All inputs are based in real-world units and accurately simulate the relationship between physics and biology. Discover everything you need to replicate living things, right out of the box. Ziva VFX tools include:
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Embedded FEM
All objects are computed with consideration to the embedded surface, simplifying the creation of physics-abiding tetrahedral models.
Material properties
Assign infinite real-world material layers to a single object to make solid objects behave just like their real-world counterparts.
Muscle Excitation
Make your characters' muscles flex and fire automatically when muscle contraction occurs during your animation sequence
Collisions
Collide objects using automatic collision detection and response with organic volume conservation.
Unlock your complete
Ziva VFX license for only

$1,800 USD

Floating licenses available.
Subscribe NowGet a Quote
*Includes all upgrades. Auto-renewal every 365 days. Perpetual licenses still available upon request.

Share Ziva
Painting
Easy painting: attachment areas, muscle fibers, muscle strength, tet mesh resolution, material properties, etc.
Attachments
Add sliding or fixed attachments between objects and intuitively paint where they are attached.
muscle growth
Instantly multiple the effects of muscle excitation with the Muscle Growth parameter setting for greater definition or shot-specific alterations.
External Forces
Combine the effects of any standard Maya Field with the organic physics and volume conservation of Ziva.
ELASTIC SOLIDS
Goal elastic solids to externally animated triangle meshes for instant secondary motion.
caching
Cache simulations to RAM or disk for fast playback and/or restarting.
scripting
Script and pipeline using Maya MEL or open-source Python tools.
Much more....
...

License Pricing

Use the world's leading soft tissue simulation software for all of your character needs.

Evaluation
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free

Available for new commercial entities and hobbyists.

  • 30-60 Day Access
  • Access to all upgrades
  • Available for server-run studios
  • Full access to Ziva Community
  • Not available for commercial asset production
request Trial

Indie
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$50/month

Pay as you go: Unlock the entire ZIVA VFX toolset every month for your independent creations.

  • Billed Monthly or Annually
  • Access to all upgrades
  • Monthly auto-renewal available
  • Annual EFT payment available
  • Full access to Ziva Community
  • Available for productions under $500k in total annual revenue or funding.
Click Here to get a License Quote
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Buy NOWLearn more about subscriptions

Studio
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$1,800/year

Ideal for single studio locations. Simulate better, faster characters for productions of all sizes.

  • 365 Day Access
  • Access to all upgrades
  • Annual auto-renewal
  • Annual EFT payment available
  • Available for server-run studios
  • Full access to Ziva Community
  • 100% available for commercial asset production
  • Perpetual licenses still available upon request.
Click here to get a License Quote
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Buy NowVisit FAQ Page for more information

“Ziva’s FEM muscle and skin simulation was the last piece of the puzzle we'd been longing for to achieve realistic looking, physically plausible Creature FX.”

View Press Release
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"It is the best muscle plugin we've found. It brings extra realism to our creatures via physically plausible muscle FX. It is a great improvement to have Ziva integrated into our workflow."

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"Ziva was instrumental in helping Sony create the most realistic muscle and skin simulations for our CG characters to date. Ziva's outstanding results speak for themselves."

Read More Testimonials

“Ziva VFX software keeps us at the cutting edge of character work, shortens our teams’ iteration loops, and give us more creative flexibility to focus on doing better work.”

View Press Release
Read More Testimonials

More to do with Ziva vfx...
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Add Dynamics to Existing Rigs
Add a physical-correction on top of any existing character rig with Ziva's goaling attachment. This lightweight approach corrects unwanted stretch and adds contacts and plausible secondary motion to your non-Ziva assets.
Make FEATURE ANIMATIONs
Create adorable, jiggly creatures by simulating a single volume on top of a simple skeleton. This approach is ideal for feature animation - capturing the bulk, volume, and secondary dynamics of a character with unparalleled ease.
Correct Trouble Areas
Quickly fix trouble spots on your existing rigs. Ziva can be used to effortlessly correct common obstacles such as hand pronation/suspension, neck muscle movement and excitation, torso rigidity and twisting, and lifelike belly inertia/jiggle.

Learn the fundamentals of Ziva VFX quickly with the help of our detailed Ziva Resources section.

Tutorial video | 6:53

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Volume Preservation

Ziva’s advanced volume preservation capability is one of the key features that enables Ziva users to achieve more realistic deformation results than with any other character rigging software on the market.

Our plugin offers multiple ways to control, adjust, and perfect your tissue’s volume preservation levels using the built-in Material parameters.
Browse Tutorials

Ziva VFX Webinar | 43:04

Watch Now

Muscle Rigging Demo

The latest LIVE with ZIVA webinar recording features a detailed walkthrough of the deltoid and pectoral muscle rigging process, starting from scratch.

This forty-five minute demonstration is hosted by Ziva Techical Director Andy van Straten. To attend next month's LIVE with ZIVA webinar, you can click here to register at any time.
Browse Webinars

Tutorial video | 9:23

Watch Now

Automated Muscle Firing

Ziva's Automatic Muscle Firing function was purpose-built to fill the needs of character creators

This capability allows creators to achieve natural muscle excitation results without any additional assistance from an animator or any inorganic shot sculpting.
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Browse Tutorials

ZIVA VFX lets you do more:

Materials
Use multiple material types, producing robust motion: StVK, NeoHookean, co-rotational, anisotropic
Collisions
Collide objects using automatic collision detection and response with organic volume conservation.
Elastic Solids
Goal elastic solids to externally animated triangle meshes for instant secondary motion.
Painting
Easy painting: attachment areas, muscle fibers, muscle strength, tet-mesh resolution, material properties, etc.
Caching
Cache simulations to RAM or disk for fast playback and/or restarting.
Scripting
Script and pipeline using Maya MEL, or our open-source Python tools.
Meshes
Embed arbitrary triangle meshes into your simulated solids.
Muscle Firing
Excite/contract a muscle using scripted muscle activation forces.
Volume
Preserve volume with extreme precision, even under large deformations.
Damping
Use multiple types of physical damping.
Cloth Fitting
Simulate thin shells for skin and fascia that automatically shrink-wrap to internal objects.
Attachments
Add physical attachments between objects and paint where they are attached.
Learn More About Tools

System Requirements

Ziva VFX software runs on any Maya 2016-2019 compatible workstation.
Software requirements are as followed:
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  • Microsoft® Windows® 7 (SP1), Windows® 8.1 or Windows® 10 Pro OS
  • Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® 6.5 WS OS (and up)
  • CentOS 6.5 Linux operating system (and up)
  • RLM Server 12+ (for floating licenses)
Hardware requirements are as followed:
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  • 64-bit Intel® or AMD® multi-core processor
  • Minimum RAM: 8 GB of RAM (16 GB or more recommended)

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