Archive notice: This article was originally published on August 13, 2012. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
According to the company The Foundry, the new features in Mari 1.5 are the addition of game shaders and improved overlapping UV support. As well as the ability for different users to share textures for 3D models in the same UV space. In addition, collaboration with Maya is said to have been substantially improved through the new Maya Texture Export feature for patch-based textures.
The new Shadow Support lets artists cast real-time shadows on objects originating from different light sources. This new function is intended to allow users to view the effect of lighting on their textures in real time. With DDS Cubemap Support, the final look of the various real-time assets is intended to be adjustable. Through Mirroring Support in the Mari Paint Buffer, artists are intended to be able to retain control over symmetrical objects at every stage of the creative process.
Mari 1.5 is said to have already been used for paint work on the game "Star Wars 1313," which is a collaboration between LucasArts and ILM. According to ILM VFX supervisor Kim Liberi, integrating Mari 1.5 into the workflow made it possible to work substantially more efficiently and use techniques similar to ILM’s VFX film work.
More information about Mari 1.5 can be found at The Foundry.
