New Tool Will Connect with Maya, 3ds Max Workflow for Immersive Gaming and Entertainment

Autodesk said Stingray, its new videogame engine built on the company's 2014 acquisition of Bitsquid, will be available to game developers beginning August 19. Sometime later in the summer, the company said, Maya LT desktop subscribers will get Stingray at no additional charge as part of their subscription.

The Stingray engine will allow users to test and review 3D assets interactively with a live link between Stingray and Autodesk animation software. For example, the company said users can import Autodesk Revit data as part of a 3D scene in 3ds Max, then use the Stingray engine to explore the 3D space interactively.

The announcement was made at the Game Developers Conference Europe 2015, which takes place today and tomorrow in Cologne, Germany, but the company suggested Stingray will be useful beyond the core game-development market, especially with the rise of immersive media platforms that could expand the definition of a game. 

"Between augmented reality, virtual reality and the proliferation of mobile platforms, the games industry is undergoing a major transition, which poses new complexities for both AAA and indie game developers," said Autodesk Senior Vice President of Media and Entertainment Chris Bradshaw in a prepared statement. "Stingray makes it easy and intuitive for artists with varying skill sets and programming expertise to create the next generation of 3D blockbuster games, entertainment and even architecture."

Wes Adams, Autodesk's marketing manager for the game industry, said free content will be available for users with the product launch, including "sample game kits" and a "design visualizaiton walkthrough" to help get users started. A marketplace allows the sale of 3D scenes and models created for use with Stingray. 

Stingraty's workflow connects to Autodesk Maya, Maya LT, and 3ds Max. Supported platforms for deployment and testing with Stingray include Apple iOS, Google Android, Microsoft Windows, Oculus Rift DevKit 2, Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One.

Autodesk Stingray requires Windows and will be available via Autodesk Subscription for $30/month.