Autodesk Maya 2012 Subscription Advantage Pack Announced

On Siggraph'2011 conference, that took place in Vancouver between 7-11 August, Autodesk announced the upcoming update for Maya 2012, called Advantage Subscription Pack. Looks like releasing such updates with new fresh features becoming a tradition for Autodesk from 2011 software versions, that also had bonus updates like this, first available only for Subscription Program members.

Autodesk Maya 2012 Subscription Advantage Pack will include following new features:

Alembic Point Caching

Point caching system allows to manage complex arrays of data that contains results of simulations, animations or deformations, along with reading and writing it into Alembic open-source cache file format. 

This framework developed by Sony Pictures Imageworks in cooperation with some other companies, like Industrial Light & Magic, and have main purpose on storing only resulting data from animations and simulations that affects vertex positions. In other words, you can export needed data from any supported software to any other supported sofware and get there finished results of simulations, while you can't get reconstructed the way they were obtained ( because many of them much likely will be very application-specific ).

Bullet Physics

This open-source physics engine developed by AMD will be integrated into Maya 2012 SAP ( previously was available as Dysney's Dynamica Plug-in ). Bullet allows to perform simulations with soft and rigid bodies within a single system, using different kinds of constraints. There is quick example of what's can be done with Bullet and Voronoi Shatter script:

New Node Editor

Allows to more effectively manage complex networks of nodes, color-coding feature, drag'n'drop connections creation and three levels of detail.

Maya 2012 Subscription Advantage Pack expected to be released at September, 27th and will be available only for Autodesk Subscription Program members.