Atodesk has unveiled Arnold 7.3.7.0, the latest iteration of its renowned production renderer. This release brings a suite of enhancements designed to make your rendering experience smoother than a freshly ironed chroma key.

Shadows Now Respect Glass Objects

Ever noticed your transparent objects behaving like vampires, casting no shadows? With Arnold 7.3.7.0, transparent materials, such as clear glass, now cast realistic shadows. This is controlled by the new transmission_shadow_density parameter in both the openpbr_surface and standard_surface shaders. Adjusting this parameter lets you dictate the opacity of shadows cast by transparent objects, ensuring your scenes no longer defy the laws of physics.

Global Light Sampling Gets Glossy

Global Light Sampling (GLS) has received a brain boost. It now accounts for material glossiness during sampling, significantly enhancing render quality, especially in scenes peppered with numerous small light sources. While fixed AA renders might experience a slight slowdown, adaptive renders can enjoy speed improvements. For example, tests have shown a 1.7x speed increase in certain adaptive rendering scenarios. This feature can be toggled using the GLS_glossy_enable setting, giving you control over when to let GLS flaunt its new skills.

Alembic Motion Keys Control

For those working with Alembic, this update allows for more precise control over motion keys. This enhancement provides greater flexibility when dealing with complex animations, ensuring your motion data behaves exactly as you intend.

OpenVDB Points Support

Volume rendering aficionados will appreciate the ability to load and render OpenVDB points. This addition broadens the horizons for creating and visualizing complex volumetric effects, making your smoke simulations and ethereal wisps more captivating than ever.

Improved USD and Solaris Compatibility

Staying current is crucial, and Arnold 7.3.7.0 enhances compatibility with recent versions of Universal Scene Description (USD) and Solaris. This ensures a more seamless integration into modern pipelines, allowing you to take advantage of the latest features without the headaches of compatibility issues.

For a comprehensive list of changes and to download the latest version, visit the official Arnold documentation. As with any new release, it’s advisable to test these features in your specific environment before deploying them in critical projects.

The post Arnold 7.3.7.0: Casting Light on Glass and Gloss first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.