Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 15, 2018. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Some time has now passed since the last 3.5 release of the software, which Isotropix announced at FMX. In December, there were still several changes to the pricing structures – including more flexible subscription licenses and discounted educational versions. You can read more about that here. Isotropix has now brought another series of new features to the 3.6 release. You can find a free workshop from the currnet DP further below.
Clarisse 3.6 Feature Overview
With a new Shadow Catcher, Outline Shader, new shading variables, a new import method, and watermark-free renderings in the free PLE (Personal Learning Edition), Isotropix extends Clarisse’s workflows and possibilities – here is an overview of the innovations.
Shadow Catcher
With the new Shadow Catcher, you can simplify the integration of CG objects onto background plates. The attributes Emission Color, Opacity Mode, Catch Illumination, Ignore Normal and Underlying Material can be used to adjust ray behavior in order to imitate corresponding shadows. You can also read further information about that here.
Outline Shader
With the contour shader (Outline Shader), you can render contours and silhouettes from your 3D scenes. This allows you to create non-PBR renderings such as blueprints or cel shading directly in Clarisse. Alongside line width, there are attributes for color, alpha, and threshold values for depth and normals, among other things.
Shading Variables
The completely new shading variables allow users to create and share material templates for multiple objects in projects. Instead of duplicating material networks, you can define the values for the shading vaiables at the Shading Group, geometry or Shading Layer level. You can find precise instructions here and in the attached video.
New Alembic Bundles
Alembic Bundles offer a new method for importing geometry into Clarisse. This allows you to load an entire Alembic file as a single element in Clarisse 3.6. Unlike “import scene” and the reference method, the Alembic Bundle does not create objects in Clarisse itself, allowing Alembic Bundles to load faster and require less memory. For files with many animated and deformed objects, however, the conventional methods are faster.
PLE without Watermarks
As long as you use Clarisse for non-commercial purposes, with 3.6 you can render renderings of your work directly from the PLE without watermarks. The maximum output resolution is limited to 2560 x 1440 pixels, however, and the number of save operations is restricted to three every 24 hours.
You can read further information about the release in the release notes here.
Clarisse in the Current DP
In our current DP Issue 18 : 01, we show you how to build a convincing desert landscape with the Isotropix software. Rainer Duda explains all necessary steps in detail – from project setup and scene construction through to PBR rendering and compositing with Clarisse. To the free workshop
