In nuce: Icosa Gallery has released the latest version of the open-source VR sketching app Open Brush, making Open Brush 2.0 available. With the release of Open Brush 2.0, the app is also celebrating its two-year anniversary. The software is based on Tilt Brush, which was previously developed by Google. Digital Production last reported on Tilt Brush on 9 November 2017. Open Brush has been open source since 2021 and will no longer be pursued as a commercial project.

Open Brush v2.0

In toto: Below are some of the key features of Open Brush 2.0 – in addition to the fact that the app has been upgraded to the latest version of the Unity game engine.

• Support for a Layers System: Up to eight layers can be selected. This should improve clarity when working with large sketches.
• Pressure sensitivity for brushes: Some brushes now have pressure sensitivity – depending on how hard the user grips their input device, strokes appear more or less forceful.
• Up to 10 times the bit rate: Sketching is said to have become noticeably more performant – with a leap in performance from 5 frames per second to 50.
• Support for OpenXR extensions: Virtual reality and mixed reality applications are hereby supported – and Open Brush usable for a wider range of hardware offerings. This includes an extension that allows users of Meta Quest headsets to draw within a mixed reality environment.
• Two new tools: The Snip and Join tools have been added to the toolbox. With these tools, existing brushstrokes can either be halved using the control point or two existing brushstrokes can be joined together.

Clicked further: To the announcement of the release of Open Brush 2.0 or to the corresponding GitHub. Users can find out where Open Brush is available from via docs.openbrush.app . Digital Production reported on the previous version Open Brush 1.0 on 2 March 2022 – and on the new functions Lazy Input and other feature delights.

Source: cgchannel.com ( report by Jim Thacker)

The post Drawing with VR glasses – and in 3D space? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: The cloud computing provider Amazon Web Services has made its AWS Thinkbox plug-ins available under an Apache 2.0 open source licence; the plug-ins include Krakatoa (toolkit for volumetric particle rendering), XMesh (for caching geometries), Frost (for generating a single mesh from paricles) and Stoke (a tool for volumetric and particle simulation). The plug-ins are suitable for use with Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya.

In toto: According to the corresponding release note published on aws.amazon.com, the idea behind the open source move is to give users the ability to design tools according to their own needs – and to make long-term decisions. In the same release note by Bharathi Muthukrishnan (Senior Product Manager), Conrad Wiebe (Software Development Manager) and Even Spearman (Software Development Engineer), it is mentioned that VFX service provider Scanline in particular has used the now open-source plug-ins for its productions (including: Stranger Things Season 4, The Gray Man, The Adam Project or Aquaman).

Click to continue: The official announcement, including all relevant links, can be accessed via aws.amazon.com . In a similar announcement published on 3 August 2022, Digital Production referred to VFX tools that were also made freely available by Amazon Web Services.

Sources: cgpress.org (announcement by CGPress Staff), aws.amazon.com ( announcement by Bharathi’Muthukrishnan, Conrad Wiebe and Even Spearman)

The post Open source plug-ins from Amazon Web Services! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Blender Studio has released Flamenco 3 – the latest version of the open source and free render farm management software. Flamenco was developed internally by Blender Studio and has so far mainly been used in Blender Studio’s own productions (see, for example, the comedic horror short film Sprite Fright. Digital Production reported on 28.12.2021). The farm management software is available for Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems.

In toto: The software is aimed at both individuals and smaller studios and is designed for render farms with up to 100 computers that can be accessed by teams of up to 10 artists. Flamenco was designed for frame rendering and video encoding, supports all Blender versions and also works offline. The software was created with the idea of offering easy-to-use software for managing render farms. In the video below, which was published alongside the release of Flamenco 3, Dr Sybren Stüvel, software developer at the Blender Institute, explains how to set up a Blender-based render farm within five minutes (see also the accompanying Quickstart).

Click further: Click here to download Flamenco.

Sources: cgchannel.com, studio.blender.org, flamenco.blender.org, developer.blender.org(source code)

Installing Flamenco in 5 minutes

The post Render Farm Management Software from Blender Studio released! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: The Academy Software Foundation is launching its Open Review Initiative. The idea behind this is standardisation. The aim is to create an open-source toolset for playback, reviewing and approval loops within professional film production. The Open Review initiative is currently in the sandbox phase. Just the day before yesterday, on 9 August 2022, Digital Production reported on Autodesk’s reviewing and playback tool RV, which was made open source – also as part of the Open Review initiative.

Background information: The Open Review initiative is driven by well-known companies, including Autodesk, DNEG and Sony Pictures Imageworks, which make RV, xStudio and parts of the itView ecosystem available as open source. The Technical Steering Committee (TSC) plays a central role in this. It brings together decision-makers from the participating companies, who work together to bring together the various components provided by the companies – with the aim of creating a modern playback-slash-reviewing-slash-release framework.

Speech: Erik Strauss, TSC Chairman of the Open Source Initiative, emphasised that the current reviewing and release landscape comprises a large number of interconnected systems (e.g. production tracking, asset management, transcoding). According to Erik, the merger of the companies involved is intended to help meet the changing needs of the creative industries.

Clicked on: Companies wishing to join the Open Review initiative can find all further information at tac.aswf.io . On 5 August 2022 , Digital Production also reported on the Academy Software Foundation. At that time, it was the open source standard developed by The Foundry called OpenAssetIO that received support from the foundation. The video below promotes the Academy Software Foundation.

2022 Academy Software Foundation Reel

The post Open-source playback & reviewing tools for creative professionals? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Autodesk has made its reviewing and playback software RV freely available – making the software open source for users. This is according to its latest press release. In addition to RV from Autodesk, the so-called Initiative Open Review is also accompanied by xStudio from DNEG and itview from Sony Pictures Imageworks. Initiative Open Review is a sandbox project of the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF), which is dedicated to the development of a standardised, open-source toolset for playback, reviewing and project approval. Autodesk itself is a founding member of the ASWF, which was founded in 2018 under the umbrella of the Linux Foundation.

Further information: In her article Autodesk envisions cloud-based production ecosystem for Media & Entertainment, Diana Colella, SVP, Media & Entertainment at Autodesk, says: “Alongside MatrialX, OpenTimelineIO and USD, RV is our next step in advancing cloud workflows and open standards.” Darin Grant, CTO at Animal Logic and ASWF board member, compares RV’s move to open source with the integration of the ALUSDMaya toolset at Autodesk and Pixar. In 2015, Autodesk acquired the RV playback tool from Tweak Software. At that time, the entire Tweak team was incorporated into the ShotGrid team (then still Shotgun). Digital Production reported on this on 18 February 2015.

Click further: All further information on: Academy Software Foundation and its open source project, ShotGrid by Autodesk and Autodesk’s commitment to open source. Digital Production last reported on the ASWF on 5 August 2022 – when OpenAssetIO entered the sandbox phase (OpenAssetIO enables artists to find and share closely interlinked assets – regardless of where the assets are stored).

The post Autodesk’s reviewing and playback tool RV becomes open source! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.