Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 26, 2017. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Fabric Engine is a development framework with which you can create custom tools and applications for VFX, gaming, virtual reality, and visualizations. It comes both as a standalone and as an extension for existing applications such as Maya, Modo, or Softimage. The last 2.3 update could be seen at SIGGRAPH.
New Fabric Engine functions
The new update brought the implementation of Kraken, as well as support for curves and a revision of the user interface. Here is a brief overview of the updates.
Kraken implemented
The open-source character-rigging tool “Kraken” is now included with the current version of the software. With this tool, you can create complex and custom rigs. These can then be used in different applications without, for example, solver problems arising.
Interface and curves
Curves in linear, cubic, or Bézier variants have also been supported since the 2.4 update. In addition, the interface has generally been cleaned up graphically and can now also be customized. The following functions have also been added to the graph view:
- Shortcut for the zoom function via “Z”
- Shortcut for automatically connecting nodes: “C”
- Rename node ports by double-clicking
- Function for displaying in Explorer and full display of paths
You can find all the developer’s update notes here.
Getting to know Fabric Engine
Anyone who has not heard of the software receives a “Getting started with Fabric Engine” introduction from the developer itself as part of the documentation.
Download & price
Anyone considering trying Fabric Engine can use the free learning variants. It becomes more expensive if you want to rent or buy the full versions: a single license is available for €1,119 per year or at a fixed price of €1,865. For teams of 20 people, the tool costs €10,000 per year. You can find more about this here.
