FMX 2026 adds animation, lens talks and of course AI
New sessions span performance animation, AI workflow debates, and lens science, with cloud and software partners joining the mix. Just three weeks until FMX! Wuhu!
Browsing Tag
Pipeline
50 posts
dy Install Libs adds Library Manager to Houdini
dy Install Libs ships Library Manager for Houdini, turning library installs into clicks instead of JSON wrangling.
VINZI Atlux λ arrives on Fab
Atlux λ is now on Fab, bringing a virtual photo studio and one click renders to Unreal Engine, plus Mac support.
Forest Pack 9.3.5 broadens collisions
Forest Pack 9.3.5 spreads collision checks everywhere, adds .pmat in the Library Browser, and gives Effects new camera-aware tricks.
OctaneRender 2027.1 alpha goes neural
OctaneRender 2027.1 alpha chases cleaner viewports, smarter lights, and more USD. Test it like it is spicy, because it is.
FMX 2026 program goes live
The FMX program is live for the 30th edition, with RENO pipeline lessons, generative video craft, and European collab on Predator: Badlands.
OpenPBR BSDF reference code from Adobe
OpenPBR BSDF reference implementation for Substance is public as a small library with prepare, sample, eval, pdf API and multi-target compilation.
How Pixar Cheats a Skunk Tail
Kranzler talks Hoppers grooming and shading, including a layered wet-fur look and why skunks got a “cheated” tail.
VFX School Closes and Leaves the Lights On
For those who don’t know the school: The VFX School was an online training platform focused primarily on…
A World Divided: Shaping a Global WWII Epic at Overmind Studios
125 shots, six episodes, and a two-person team. VFX lead Tobias Kummer explained how Overmind Studios delivered geographic transformations, period cleanup, atmospherics, and a nuclear blast for A World Divided, built on disciplined templating and automation in Fusion.
RenderMan 27.2 adds USD and XPU updates
RenderMan 27.2 ships with USD, XPU and workflow updates aimed at production use.
FMX 2026 spotlights fire, fur and pipelines
FMX 2026 adds Wētā FX, Pixar and Illogic Studios sessions, plus new Premium Partners AMCRS, Accenture Song VFX and AYON.
PFTrack update tidies Maya and LiDAR workflows
PFTrack update refines Maya export, LiDAR error handling and Survey Solver node logic for Studio and Enterprise users.
Katana 9 deepens USD and previews Hydra 2
Katana introduces UsdSuperLayer, new USD lighting and material nodes, and alpha Hydra 2 viewer support.
One click exports and zero patience for menus from Blender to Unreal, Unity and more.
A free Blender add-on offers fast exports to Unity, Unreal and Godot using collections and selection logic.
Animate re-animated
The King is dead, long live the King: Adobe caves, and Animate remains available with support and fixes, but no new features.
Adobe pulls the plug on Animate at last
Adobe has confirmed the end of life of Adobe Animate, setting clear dates for sales, access, and support wind-down.
Infinity Hotel: Endless Rooms, Endless Renders
HFF Munich’s VFX students built Infinity Hotel, a hybrid short film merging live action with CGI, LiDAR scans, and Dolby Atmos sound.
Foundry locks in full subscription future for 2027
Foundry drops perpetual maintenance: from 2027, all Nuke, Mari, and Katana users will be on subscription only.
Marvelous Designer adds indie pricing, quietly
Marvelous Designer introduces a discounted indie licence with defined revenue limits and feature parity.
Cinebench 2026: Benchmark therapy
Cinebench 2026 updates the classic benchmark with full GPU support and new SMT tests. Time to see if your workstation is still worth its power bill.
Rendering the Inferno at RiseFX: The Lost Bus
128 shots, 15 sequences, and GPUs on the brink: RISE FX’s Oliver Schulz explains how his team built the burning world of The Lost Bus.
The Cube Moved: Go for the Chaos (Ad) Vantage
Architecture Illustrators and Visualizers test Chaos Vantage for a narrative short and accidentally build a moving house. Unbox proves real-time previz can tell stories, not just sell floor plans.
Photoshop 27.0: Now with Harmonise, Upscale & Firefly Video
Photoshop 27.0 is official. You get Harmonise, Generative Upscale, Firefly video export, and selectable AI models. Test before rollout.
Momo: Of Time, Turtles, and Technical Wizardry
VFX Supervisor Michael Wortmann on how RiseFX built the fantasy of Momo: almost entirely on location, with 280 shots and the best turtle in the business.
One Toolbag to Rule Your Clicks
William Faucher’s EasyToolbag trims the fat from Unreal Engine 5 workflows with one-click helpers, shortcuts, and smarter viewport tweaks.
TD Meetup 21: VR, Quill & the Renaissance of Real-Time Storytelling
At TD Meetup #21, Dan Franke showed how Quill VR lets you literally paint, animate, and pivot scenes in real time—no rig, just hand and headset.
Sharper, Faster, Smokier: FumeFX 7.1 for 3ds Max
FumeFX 7.1 delivers faster warps, Alembic point clouds, and smarter VDB handling in 3ds Max. Less waiting, more burning.
Eight Hands, One Brush: Mari 7.5 Beta Paints on All Fronts
Multi-Paint lands in Mari 7.5 beta. Eight channels, one stroke. Texture transfer, image grouping, and faster backups follow. Test before trusting.
Python for Artists Cohort starts soon
Repetitive tasks kill time. Python kills repetitive tasks. DP author Alexander Richter teaches scripting for Maya, Houdini, Nuke, and more.
RV 2025: Onion Skin, Live Review, ARM Macs
RV 2025 arrives with Live Review (Beta), ARM64 macOS support, and onion skin annotations.
Maya 2026.2: Lighter Wolves, Smarter Motion, and One Less Excuse to Skip MaterialX
Maya 2026.2 boosts MotionMaker AI, enables MaterialX in LookdevX, brings Arnold GPU Toon shading, and makes Bifrost mandatory. Check docs for full details.
Beyond Normal: A Creative’s Guide to Different Minds and Managing Neurodivergent Talent (Part 1)
Creative brilliance doesn’t come in one flavor—and in today’s VFX-landscape, understanding how your team thinks isn’t just good leadership, it’s critical infrastructure.
Frank Rueter’s Quest to Stop Nuke Knowledge from Disappearing
Nukepedia’s origin: How Frank Rueter launched the community’s Nuke tool repository and why the relaunch matters in 2025 - and what is coming to nuBridge?
Substance 3D Designer 15 arrives
Substance 3D Designer 15 arrives with a new real-time/path-tracing renderer, in-viewport post FX, and direct scene-based material editing.
![A stylized blue cartoon character with big eyes and a wide smile, shown in a wireframe model. The background features a gradient from blue to purple, with text overlay indicating 'Blender [Addon] Rlg Creator [Beta]'.](https://i0.wp.com/digitalproduction.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Banner_Rig_Creator_A_free_Blender_add_on_for_creating_character_rigs.jpg?resize=380%2C250&quality=80&ssl=1)
Rig Creator Beta for Blender: Faces, Relationships, and a Fresh Start
Rig Creator’s beta rebuild adds facial rig, Relationship tool, overhauled bone generators, and English names—now free for Blender users.
Parrot Sample: Engine Switch from Unity to Unreal Without Headaches?
Parrot Game Sample offers annotated Blueprints, C++, feature parity and walkthroughs to simplify engine migration.
Lola Post’s VFX Survival Guide on Walking with Dinosaurs
Lola Post’s Rob Harvey shares VFX details on Walking with Dinosaurs 2025: 800 shots, 200 artists, Unreal Engine for dinosaurs, and zero Jurassic Park liberties.
Baby’s first pipeline
The first big project with multiple stakeholders can feel like a rollercoaster ride! A clear workflow is the secret recipe for smooth collaboration and communication between departments. You often hear the term "pipeline" - sounds technical, doesn't it? Don't panic! In this article, I'll show you how to set up a pipeline for your project - without any magic or programming!
Prism Pipeline, the second
The technical requirements of animation and VFX productions are increasing every year - I don't have to tell you that. In most projects, a variety of tools are used to achieve the desired quality. In order to complete these increasingly complex projects within the specified deadlines, more powerful pipeline tools are also required.
TD Meetup 03: Visual Effects Pipelines
A clear workflow is essential for seamless collaboration and communication between departments. The term "pipeline" is often used in this context, but it can sound technical and complex. This article simplifies how to build a pipeline, with or without coding.
Direct Modeling (R)evolution für Houdini
For most people, the idea of modelling directly in Houdini causes them to break out in a sweat at the very least, and some are even said to have thrown the mouse out of the window in sheer horror. The reasons for this are understandable at first glance.
Nuke Tools Vol. 3 – Channels, Passes and Mattes
While looking at the UI previously, we are now finally moving on to the node tree. More specifically, into Nuke's channel management. Here too, artists can make their lives much easier with a few tools and scripts. Because especially with a view
rebuild, you want to make life a little easier than constantly repeating the same steps.
Flying in the Unreal Editor!
If you work all day in 3D software such as Unreal, sooner or later you will either configure your workstation or go mad - pushing and rotating the mouse is easy, but neither efficient nor comfortable. Not to mention the ergonomics. But wouldn't it be great if there was a device that was built to move in 3D? And that would work natively with Unreal?
Premiere listens – and types!
New functions and tools are added with every Creative Cloud update. In the last major update for Premiere, there was an entire subsection - transcribing. But how exactly does it work? (Including self-test and prize draw)
Plex – Open source pipeline for VFX
Review: In DP 03 : 2018, our author Alexander Richter stated: "There are countless pipelines for film projects. But how is a project ultimately set up and realised?
Foundry: Goodbye Athera
Foundry terminates Cloud Pipeline project Athera: The future is not in the cloud after all?
Foundry: Modo 12.0 released
Modo 12.0 is here: New modelling features, UV improvements, Python scripts and more in the new update!
Update for Nuke and Cara VR 2.0
In addition to Nuke 11.1, the Cara VR plug-in has also been updated with new stichting tools, Match Move and new Ocula tools for customising stereo projects.
Nuke and Hiero 11.0 are here!
Live Groups, VFX Reference Platform 2017 standards, GPU support for AMD, Denoise improvements and more in the new release of Nuke.