Archive notice: This article was originally published on December 5, 2011. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Katana 1.0 was originally developed by Sony Pictures Imageworks and has now been released by The Foundry in close collaboration with ILM. The software is intended to have been designed for the needs of modern productions with a highly scalable asset workflow.
In the workflow process, assets are intended to be continuously updateable even while filming is underway. According to The Foundry, lighting setups can be shared between shots and sequences and various render options can be used. In addition, shot-specific modifications are intended to be available for the assets. Another advantage is intended to be the possibility of integrating further tools such as Nuke and Mari into the software.
A variety of APIs, shader libraries and comprehensive tools are intended to replace the conventional CG pipeline with a flexible asset workflow. ILM worked closely with The Foundry so that the required features and functions of such development and lighting software meet the demands of a complex workflow.
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