Archive translation. Specifications, services and availability reflect the original publication date in 2021. Verify current compatibility before production use.
In brief: Foundry released Mari 5.0 with updates to USD workflows and pipeline-oriented features.
Brush engine: The revised brush engine added more control over brush colour, per-stroke HSV jitter, tip splat behaviour and pressure-controlled settings. Custom brush tips could use fully colour-managed images.
Baking: Bake Points gained filter support, enabling non-destructive blurring within graph networks. Foundry said changes to the flattening engine could reduce baking time by as much as 50 percent in some cases.
USD: Mari 5.0 introduced a workflow for creating USD previews of assets authored in Mari. Hydra-powered viewports supported preview and production looks, including workflows connected to Foundry Katana.
VFX Reference Platform: Foundry updated third-party libraries toward VFX Reference Platform CY2020 compatibility. OCIO support aligned with the CY2021 OCIO 2.0 specification, allowing artists to use version 2 configuration files.
Foundry published release details on the Mari what’s-new page. Digital Production previously covered Mari 4.7 and the Mari 5.0 beta.
Mari 5.0 Overview
Watch the overview
Node Graph Snapping
Watch the demonstration
Gradient Procedurals
Watch the demonstration
Brush Engine Updates
Watch the demonstration
Bake Point Filters
Watch the demonstration
USD Exporting
Watch the demonstration
Validate colour management, USD interchange and baking behaviour with representative assets before production deployment.
