Archive republication: This article was originally published on 30 October 2020. It has been translated into English and lightly updated for clarity while preserving the original reporting and context.
Katana 4.0
Foundry’s Katana 4.0 focuses on rendering, lighting and Universal Scene Description workflows.
Foresight Rendering
The new Foresight workflow supports multiple simultaneous renders and networked interactive rendering. Artists can work in parallel with renderers across several shots, frames or assets within the same Katana project file.
Artist-Focused Lighting
The Artist-Focused Lighting Mode allows digital lights to be created and edited directly in Katana’s viewer while looking at the rendered result. Jordan Thistlewood, Foundry’s Director of Product, described it as a break from a two-decade-old UX convention for creating, placing and editing lights in CG workflows, making lighting more tactile.
Universal Scene Description
Version 4.0 updates Katana’s Hydra bridge, improves performance in the Hydra viewer and adds support for USD Preview Surface and USD material export.
Further Information
Details are available on the Katana features page. Digital Production’s earlier Katana 3.0 overview provides historical context.
Katana 4.0 — Foresight Rendering
Katana 4.0 — Lighting Mode
