Autodesk Maya Indie

Access professional tools at an affordable price


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Unleash your imagination with Maya Indie

Now, recent graduates, freelancers, hobbyists and 3D artists just starting out have a more affordable way to access Maya®. If you're just out of school, an indie artist, or you just love to make awesome stuff in 3D, you could be eligible to subscribe to Maya Indie®. Create like a pro at a price you can afford.

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Are you eligible?

  • Your annual gross revenue from creative work must be less than USD $50,000.
  • You may not use the license on any project valued over USD $100,000.
  • Only one license subscription can be used per user or organization. 
  • Offer is available in these countries.

Note: This offer is subject to certain restrictions.

Please see our frequently asked questions (FAQs) for more details.

By clicking on the "Buy Maya Indie" button below, I acknowledge that I meet the eligibility requirements needed to access Maya Indie.

If you are found to be ineligible, Autodesk may suspend or terminate your Maya Indie subscription.​

What you can do with Maya Indie

Get started with Maya Indie

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Who is eligible to subscribe to Maya Indie?

You are eligible to subscribe to Maya Indie if you meet the following requirements. 

  • Users’/Organizations’ annual gross revenue from creative work must be less than max threshold for your country
  • You may not use the license on any project valued over $100,000 USD 
  • Only one (1) license can be used per user or organization 
  • Autodesk Maya Indie is only eligible in the following countries 
  • See below for additional eligibility requirements details

Where can I access Maya Indie?

Maya Indie is available for purchase as a subscription online.

As a subscriber of Maya Indie, do I have access to subscription benefits?

Yes, subscribers will have access to the benefits of an Autodesk subscription.

Is Maya Indie a trimmed-down version of the software?

Maya Indie has the same features and functionality as the full software version of Maya.

Is there a free trial version available for Maya Indie?

There is no free-trial period available for Maya Indie. However, a free trial version is available for Maya.

Is Maya Indie available globally?

Maya Indie is only available on all standard Autodesk e-store sites. Find a list here: Maya Indie.

Can I subscribe to Maya Indie on a monthly basis?

Maya Indie is only available as an annual subscription.

How is Maya Indie different from the student version of Maya?

Only qualified educational institutions and current students are eligible for a student license. The student license can only be used for learning, training, or research. Maya Indie can be used for commercial, professional, or other for-profit purposes.

What happens at the end of my yearly subscription of Maya Indie?

Similar to other Autodesk subscriptions, Maya Indie will auto-renew at the end of the contract term except for the India and China estores where the subscription will need to be renewed manually as auto-renewal is not available. Learn more about managing auto-renewal settings here.

Can I use my Maya Indie license for commercial purposes?

Unlike a Student license, the Maya Indie is available for commercial purposes, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements (see question 1).

Does Maya Indie include the Arnold renderer?

Maya Indie has all of the same features and capabilities as the full version, including the integrated Arnold renderer.

I am a freelancer and I’ve been contracted by a studio that makes over USD $100,000 in gross revenue. Can I use Maya Indie?

If the contracting company has contracted you to deliver a specific digital product (such as a model or rendered frame) that is valued less than USD* $100,000, you may use Maya Indie.

 

However, if that company has hired you for your time to work on a project, a full commercial license would have to be purchased for the duration that you are working on the project.  

 

*Note that this limit varies depending on the country of use.

I am working on an indie game that has not made any revenue yet. However, I’ve received funding of over USD $100,000. Am I still eligible for Maya Indie?

If your game has received funding over the threshold of USD* $100,000, you are not eligible for Maya Indie and must use the full commercial versions of Maya.

 

*Note that this limit varies depending on the country of use.

I am part of a small group of artists who are working on a side-project in addition to our main occupations. The income from our main occupations is over USD $100,000 each. We have not formed a legal entity in the context of our side project.  If the income from our side project is less than USD $100,000, are we eligible for Maya Indie?

If you have not formed a legal entity and the gross revenue from the side project is under USD* $100,000, you are each eligible for Maya Indie.

 

*Note that this limit varies depending on the country of use.

I am a freelancer and working on a project that will eventually make over USD $100,000, but it hasn’t reached that revenue yet. Can I still use Maya Indie?

Yes, you can use Maya Indie until your revenues reach USD* $100,000  at which point you would switch to the full commercial version of Maya.

 

*Note that this limit varies depending on the country of use.

See more FAQ

Additional eligibility requirements

Is there more details on the eligibility requirements for Maya Indie?

Autodesk Maya Indie is intended to provide independent artists with a more affordable way to license Maya on their commercial projects. However, it is not intended to be used by people or organizations that generate more than USD* $100,000 per year in revenues or on projects with budgets of over USD $100,000.  

 

Note that if you are working-for-hire for an organization that generates more than USD $100,000 per year you cannot obtain a license to use Maya Indie – whether you are a freelancer, a contractor a part-time or a full-time employee. In this case you must use a full subscription license. The company must either purchase a license for you or you may purchase one yourself (whether you charge it to the company you are working for or not). This is intended to prevent companies from avoiding paying Autodesk for the software license they use on their projects.

 

This restriction applies when working-for-hire for an organization that makes over USD $100,000 per year. The restriction does not apply to the sale of digital goods to such organizations – as long as your total annual revenue from such sales does not exceed the USD $100,000 threshold.

Here are some example scenarios to help you better understand when and where you are eligible to use Maya Indie:

  • You create and sell digital products and have been approached by a games company with annual revenues greater than USD $100,000 to provide them with an asset (whether off-the-shelf or custom built). You are paid a fixed price for the ‘product’ delivered. In this case if your revenues are less than USD $100,000, so you can use Maya Indie. Examples of assets can be 3D models, textures or even rendered images.
  • You are approached by an architectural company with revenues of over USD $100,000 to work as a freelancer creating a visualization for them. You are paid an hourly/daily/weekly rate till the project is done and the assets belong to the company – in this case you cannot use Maya Indie.

The key distinction is whether what you are doing can be reasonably considered to be your own work or whether you are working for hire. If you are producing and selling your own intellectual property (IP) and make less than USD $100,000/yr doing so, you qualify to use Maya Indie. If you are working for hire for an organization that makes over USD $100,000 a year, even if you are making less, then you do not qualify to use Maya Indie. We expect companies making more than $100,000/yr to pay for the full commercial licenses of the software they need (as well as the artists). 

 

*Note that this limit varies depending on the country of use.