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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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How to Get a Quote

1. Go to your basket on the Ziva Store
2. Click the "Get Quote" button
3. Fill in your quote location info
4. Press "Download (PDF)"
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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

Select Your Free license:

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Workstation

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

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Virtual MAchine

Licenses running on a company server or virtual machine.

Ziva VFX 1.6 Now Available


Simulate infinite, hero-quality characters with Ziva VFX 1.6 Anatomy Transfer tools. The biggest Ziva release to date. Accelerate your entire pipeline with the most scalable creature solution. Click here for more information about Ziva VFX 1.6.
  • Maya 2018 compatibility
  • zMeshCheck command for mesh quality assurance
  • Up to 2x faster cloth scene speed and performance
  • Overall speed and performance improvements
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Get Free Trial

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Currently Serving:

Autodesk ® Maya
version 2014 – 2018

Available for OS: 

Linux

Windows

Current Version:

ZIVA VFX 1.6

See version release notes
Are you an independent creator?

Get Month-to-Month access

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The Toolset to replicate physics

Ziva VFX can be used on any soft-tissue asset including complex, lifelike characters/creatures, 3D feature animation, and inanimate soft objects. Ziva's advanced character tools let artists replicate the effects of physics and recreate any material, including muscles, fat, and skin.
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Embedded FEM
All objects are computed with consideration to the embedded surface, simplifying the creation of physics-abiding tetrahedral models.
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Adaptive Tetrahedral Meshing
Adaptive tetrahedral meshing makes it easy for artists to paint localized resolutions wherever needed.
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Material properties
Assign infinite real-world material layers to a single object to make solid objects behave just like their real-world counterparts.
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Muscle Excitation
Make your characters' muscles flex and fire automatically when muscle contraction occurs during your animation sequence
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Unlock your complete
Ziva VFX license for only

$1,800 USD

Floating licenses available.
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*Includes all upgrades. Auto-renewal every 365 days. Perpetual licenses still available upon request.
Collisions
Collide objects using automatic collision detection and response with organic volume conservation.
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Painting
Easy painting: attachment areas, muscle fibers, muscle strength, tet mesh resolution, material properties, etc.
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Attachments
Add sliding or fixed attachments between objects and intuitively paint where they are attached.
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muscle growth
Instantly multiple the effects of muscle excitation with the Muscle Growth parameter setting for greater definition or shot-specific alterations.
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External Forces
Combine the effects of any standard Maya Field with the organic physics and volume conservation of Ziva.
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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 our open-source Python tools.
Much more....
...

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.

Greater Control

Muscles preserve volume under force and collision, and the tissue will bend, stretch, crease and jiggle with the realism audiences and experts expect. 

RAPID CONTINUATION

ZIVA VFX lets you improve fidelity, modify appearances, and shift art direction while still preserving the character essentials. Never start from scratch again.
Add Dynamics to Existing Rigs
Add a physical-correction on top of any existing character rig with our goaling attachment. This lightweight approach corrects unwanted stretch and adds contacts and plausible secondary motion.
make FEATURE ANIMATION with physics
Create rudimentary characters easily with a single volume on top of a skeleton. This approach is ideal for feature animation - capturing the bulk, volume, and secondary dynamics of a character.
Correct Trouble Areas
  1. – Correct hand pronation-supination
  2. – Correct neck shape with precise neck muscle movement
  3. – Correct upper-body rigidity under twisting
  4. – Correct thigh skin shape due to quadriceps muscle excitation
  5. – Add life-like belly fat secondary motion (inertia and gravity)
  6. – Correct elbow self-collisions
“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.”

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ZIVA VFX – Film Production

ZIVA VFX – Visual Effect Results

Quick Intro to ZIVA VFX

Learn the fundamentals of Ziva VFX quickly with the help of our details 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

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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

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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

License Pricing

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

Evaluation

free

Available for new commercial entities and hobbyists.

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

Indie

$50/month

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

Buy NOW
  • Billed Monthly or Annually
  • Access to all upgrades
  • Monthly auto-renewal available
  • Annual EFT payment available
  • Full access to Ziva Community
  • Available for individuals working on productions under $500k in total annual revenue or funding.
Click Here to get a License Quote
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Visit FAQ Page for more information

Studio

$1,800/year

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

Buy Now
  • 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. Contact us for more details.
Click here to get a License Quote
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Visit FAQ Page for more information

share Ziva with your team

Get your own copy of the Ziva VFX Overview Deck sent straight to your inbox. You can share it with your team for a quick introduction to our tech.
Click here to open PDF
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System Requirements

Ziva VFX software runs on any Maya 2015-2018 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)
Hardware requirements are as followed:
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  • 64-bit Intel® or AMD® multi-core processor
  • Minimum RAM: 4 GB of RAM (16 GB or more recommended)

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