Installation / Maya

Prerequisites

Maya

Verge3D works on top of Autodesk Maya 2022-2025 which should be installed first. We recommend using the latest stable version of Maya (2024 at the time of writing) for best results.

Operating system

We recommend using Verge3D on Windows 10/11, latest macOS, or latest RedHat/CentOS/Fedora Linux. Make sure you have latest video drivers installed. No admin privileges are required for installation.

Web browser

Verge3D can work in any browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or Edge. We, however, recommend to use the Chrome browser for development as it is fast and provides good development tools. You might want to make it your default browser for more convenient previews.

Install Verge3D on Windows

Download the Verge3D bundle and double click on the .exe file to run the installer.

Follow the link to read the recent version of Verge3D license agreement.

Choose components you want to install.

Choose an installation folder that have enough permissions for reading and writing (or better leave it by default).

Choosing installation folder in Verge3D installer

Wait until the installer finishes copying files to the target directory.

Once installation complete you'll see the following screen.

Now you may open Maya. If you had it running, be sure to close and open it again. Now go to Plug-in Manager settings...

Running Plug-in Manager in Autodesk Maya

...and activate verge3d.py plug-in by enabling both Loaded and Auto load checkers.

Additionally you can activate gltfExport.py plug-in if you want to export Verge3D scenes via the File → Export All... menu option. Enabling gltfExport.py adds the Verge3D GLTF file type option for the Export All dialog window.

Now you should see Verge3D menu in the main menu bar.

You should now also be able to launch Verge3D's App Manager independently of Maya, by clicking on the desktop icon or using the Start menu.

Install Verge3D on macOS

Download Verge3D XZ bundle and unpack it to a directory of your choice. Make sure you have enough permissions to read/write in this folder. Installing in a system directory is not recommended.

Now open Maya and go to Plug-in Manager settings...

Click on the Browse button

Browsing plugins in Maya Plug-in Manager

then go to the Path_To_Verge3D_Installation/maya_plugin/setup directory and open the install.py script.

In newer Maya versions, the following dialog window might appear — click Allow.

Confirming installation of untrusted plugins in Maya

Restart Maya, open the Plug-in Manager settings again and activate the verge3d.py plug-in by enabling both Loaded and Auto load checkers.

Now you should see Verge3D menu in the main menu bar.

Install Verge3D on Linux

Download Verge3D XZ bundle and unpack it to a directory of your choice. Make sure you have enough permissions to read/write in this folder. Installing in a system directory is not recommended.

Now open Maya and go to Plug-in Manager settings...

Click on the Browse button

then go to the Path_To_Verge3D_Installation/maya_plugin/setup directory and open the install.py script.

Restart Maya, open the Plug-in Manager settings again and activate the verge3d.py plug-in by enabling both Loaded and Auto load checkers.

Now you should see Verge3D menu in the main menu bar.

Configuring Plugin Path Manually

Sometimes Verge3D menu won't show up. This may happen due to various reasons:

You disabled the Auto-Configure option in the installer.
You installed and running an unsupported version of Maya.
You switched Windows user.

In such the case, you may use the following procedure to configure the plugin path manually.

Find the file named Maya.env which is typically located in on the following folders:

Windows - \Users\user\Documents\maya\VERSION
macOS - $HOME/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/VERSION
Linux - $HOME/maya/VERSION

Edit this file to specify the MAYA_PLUGIN_PATH environment variable as follows:


      MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH=\Users\user\verge3d_maya\maya_plugin

Save the file and open Maya. If you had it running, be sure to close and open it again. Locate the Verge3D plugin in the Plug-In Manager settings dialog. Activate it by clicking the both Loaded and Auto load checkers. Now you should see Verge3D menu in the main menu bar.

What's Next

Familiarize yourself with the basics!

Got Questions?

Feel free to ask on the forums!