MotionMaker in Maya named to Fast Company's 2026 Next Big Things in Tech list

Autodesk's MotionMaker in Maya has been named a winner in the Media, Entertainment, and Social category of Fast Company's 2026 Next Big Things in Tech list, which recognizes new technology breakthroughs poised to shape the future of the industries they serve. MotionMaker uses AI to help artists and animators generate high-quality character motion directly inside Maya, cutting down the time and technical overhead that typically comes with keyframe animation and motion-capture cleanup. For studios working against tight production schedules, it offers a faster path from concept to finished performance without sacrificing creative control. Fast Company's Next Big Things in Tech evaluates submissions from companies of every size, judging entries on relevancy, ingenuity, and current and potential impact on business, culture, and society. Autodesk's submission highlighted how MotionMaker fits into the broader shift toward AI-assisted creative tools in media and entertainment, where studios are under pressure to produce more content, faster, without adding headcount. "Studios are being asked to deliver more content on tighter schedules, and artists shouldn't have to trade creative control for speed," said Eric Bourque, vice president, media & entertainment product development at Autodesk. "We built MotionMaker to give artists back their time, so they can spend less of it on repetitive technical work and more on the performance and the story they're trying to tell." The recognition comes as Autodesk continues to advance in AI capabilities across its 3D animation and visual effects tools, with MotionMaker representing one of several efforts to give artists more time for storytelling and less time on repetitive technical work. This marks Autodesk's second consecutive Fast Company Next Big Things in Tech win, following last year's recognition of Flow Studio-a testament to the continued ingenuity of Autodesk teams and their commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in visual storytelling. Read Fast Company's Next Big Things in Tech full list.