Chris Zurbrigg’s upcoming advanced playblast tool offers FFmpeg and h264 formats, along with genuinely streamlined playblast features in Maya.

Like any application around for a while, Maya needs some updates in some of its components. One of those areas mostly untouched for a time now is the whole PlayBast workflow. Fcheck used to be a thing but has since deprecated into oblivion; what other choices are there? Chris Zurbrigg shows off a preview of a new tool that aims to modernize, enhance and, more importantly, streamline the PlayBast process within Autodesk Maya.

Zurbrigg Advanced Playblast.

Zurbrigg’s Advanced PlayBlast tool uses the industry-standard FFmpeg and h264 video codec when making a playblast. That’s not all. The Maya tool offers some features that will streamline the whole process. There is an integrated shot mask overlay that allows you to add burn-ins to any playblast quickly. 

You can fix shot information or update it dynamically using built-in macros to display standard details, including the current frame, scene name, a custom logo, and more.

Advanced PlayBlast will offer a one-click workflow, a built-in shot mask, a wide variety of presets, and customizable user settings. While it’s not available quite yet, the preview video looks promising! Check out this page for more information.