For those who don’t know the tool: RenderMan from Pixar is a production renderer used across VFX and animation. It integrates with basically all DCC apps and USD pipelines.

Pixar has released RenderMan 27.2, the latest update to its production rendering system. According to the official documentation and release notes, the update focuses on improvements to USD workflows, XPU rendering, and core stability. RenderMan is developed by Pixar and is used in feature animation and VFX production. The 27.2 release follows the established 27 series architecture.

USD and Hydra workflow updates

RenderMan 27.2 continues to refine its USD centric rendering path. USD serves as the backbone for scene descriptions in many production pipelines, and RenderMan’s Hydra delegate enables interactive and final-frame rendering of USD stages within host applications. The update includes adjustments to how USD stages are translated and synchronised. Changes affect the evaluation and propagation of attributes from USD primitives into RenderMan’s internal scene representation. This includes refinements to light, material and geometry handling when rendering directly from USD.

Behaviour between Hydra-driven rendering and traditional scene translation paths has been aligned in several areas. Parameter evaluation and state updates have been corrected to reduce discrepancies between USD and non-USD workflows. OpenPBR support is extended within USD contexts. OpenPBR is an open material model designed for renderer-agnostic material definition. RenderMan 27.2 improves the mapping and interpretation of OpenPBR parameters, ensuring more consistent shading results when using USD-defined materials.

Light handling in USD scenes has been refined, including updates to parameter interpretation and light linking behaviour. Attribute inheritance and override cases have also been corrected in specific scenarios.

XPU feature coverage expands

RenderMan XPU, Pixar’s hybrid CPU GPU rendering architecture, receives additional feature support in 27.2. XPU is designed to distribute rendering workloads across CPU and GPU devices in a single render session. In earlier 27.x builds, some shading nodes and features were restricted to RIS, the CPU based renderer. The 27.2 update brings further parity between RIS and XPU.

Additional shading nodes and material features are now supported in XPU. Parameter handling and default values have been aligned more closely with RIS, reducing behavioural differences between the two modes. Updates also affect integrator behaviour and light transport handling in XPU. Certain light types and rendering options now behave consistently across CPU and hybrid modes. Texture evaluation and displacement workflows have been corrected in XPU, addressing cases where results diverged from RIS. This includes fixes to shading artefacts and inconsistencies in displacement evaluation under specific configurations.

Shading system refinements

RenderMan 27.2 introduces updates across its shading and material system. Changes affect specific shader nodes, parameter ranges and default values. In several cases, adjustments were made to ensure consistent evaluation between RIS and XPU.

OpenPBR integration continues to evolve, with improved correspondence between OpenPBR inputs and RenderMan’s internal shading representation. This reduces mismatches when exchanging materials through USD based pipelines.

Layered material evaluation has been corrected in edge cases involving texture lookups and attribute overrides. Procedural shading nodes receive fixes addressing order of operations and attribute inheritance issues. Arbitrary Output Variables, or AOVs, are also affected. The update corrects output behaviour in certain configurations, ensuring that custom render passes produce the expected data for compositing workflows.

Geometry and motion updates

Geometry handling has been refined in 27.2. Subdivision surface evaluation has been corrected in specific cases, particularly when driven by USD scene data. Instancing behaviour and attribute propagation across instances have also been updated to ensure accurate rendering results.

Motion blur evaluation receives fixes addressing timing and interpolation of animated attributes. These corrections affect both geometry deformation and transformation blur under certain configurations. Displacement workflows have been adjusted, improving consistency in how displacement is evaluated across rendering modes. This reduces visible discrepancies between CPU and hybrid renders.

Volume rendering and lights

Volume rendering receives targeted corrections in sampling and shading behaviour. These address edge cases that previously resulted in artefacts or incorrect density evaluation in particular setups. Lighting workflows are refined in both USD and non USD contexts. Light parameter interpretation, linking and shadow behaviour have been corrected where inconsistencies were identified. These changes contribute to more predictable lighting results when switching between RIS and XPU or between traditional and USD based scene translation.

Incremental

RenderMan 27.2 is an incremental update focused on expanding USD and XPU coverage, aligning behaviour between rendering modes, and correcting shading, geometry and lighting edge cases. There are no architectural overhauls in this release. Instead, the emphasis is on feature parity, correctness and stability across established workflows.

Facilities relying on USD centric pipelines or actively deploying XPU will find broader feature support and fewer fallback scenarios. As always, new tools and innovations should be tested before use in production.

// RenderMan 27.2 documentation
// https://rmanwiki-27.pixar.com/space/REN27/726761480/RenderMan+27.2/

The post RenderMan 27.2 adds USD and XPU updates first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: Redshift from Maxon is a GPU renderer for Cinema 4D, Maya, 3ds Max, Houdini and Katana. It targets final-frame GPU rendering and USD Solaris pipelines, sitting at lookdev and lighting in production.

Consolidation, not features

Maxon has released Redshift 2026.3.0. The build includes plugins for Cinema 4D, Maya, 3ds Max, Houdini and Katana. It is a maintenance release focused on stability, host compatibility and incremental displacement updates. No new headline rendering features are introduced.

On Apple hardware, Redshift now requires macOS Sonoma 14 or higher. Maxon recommends macOS Tahoe 26.2 as the latest officially supported version, while noting known rendering artefacts on Intel CPU plus AMD GPU systems on Tahoe. On Windows and Linux, updated NVidia driver minimums apply, including specific requirements for Blackwell 50xx GPUs. Linux requires glibc 2.28 or higher.

Texture displacement cleaned up

Texture displacement receives performance improvements and several correctness fixes. The update resolves holes in meshes, vertical artefacts in the software ray tracer and cases where displacement disappeared on tessellated meshes without UVs.

Support for smooth normals has been added to texture displacement. The UV Context Projection node gains a new camera selection mode for camera projection mapping.

Additional fixes address deformation motion blur with displacement, incorrect auto-bump behaviour, and noisy details on scaled meshes. Material blending issues involving stacking and the Material Blender shader have also been corrected.

Hydra and Solaris updates

Redshift adds support for Houdini 21.0.559 and 21.0.596 and drops support for 20.5.654 and 21.0.440. The Hydra delegate now supports the Solaris 21.0 statistics panel in the latest Houdini 21.0 production build.

Hydra 2.0 fixes include motion blur limitations, primvars sampling issues, light linking problems, nested instancing errors and live updating of custom light and camera parameters. Support has been added for USD implicit surface primitives, USD mesh lights via the Geometry Light LOP, and updated USD and Alembic procedurals. AOV-related bugs affecting ObjectID, Depth, cryptomatte, deep and Refractions Light Groups have been fixed.

Redshift 2026.3 is a stabilisation release aimed at removing pipeline friction introduced in earlier 2026 builds. As always, new tools and innovations should be tested before use in production.

// Redshift 2026.3.0 Release Notes
// https://support.maxon.net/hc/en-us/articles/Redshift-2026-3-0-2026-02-February-10-2026

The post Redshift 2026.3 fixes displacement headaches first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Pixar’s RenderMan 26.3 is here, offering updates targeted at rendering professionals in VFX and post-production. While it doesn’t claim to revolutionize workflows, the new version adds practical tools for rendering stability and efficiency. And a lot of fixed bugs!

This release primarily focuses on bug fixes and crash resolution across critical areas, including RIS (RenderMan Interface Specification) and XPU (Pixar’s multi-GPU/CPU rendering technology). In addition, RenderMan 26.3 extends support to current versions of popular DCC (Digital Content Creation) software, ensuring seamless compatibility with Maya 2025, Katana 8.0, and the newly launched Houdini 20.5. These updates aim to streamline integration into modern workflows, addressing long-standing stability concerns while keeping pace with the latest tools used in production pipelines.

Improved Volume Rendering in RIS

RenderMan 26.3 enhances volume rendering within the RIS framework, delivering better performance and higher fidelity for complex simulations like smoke, fire, and clouds. This update introduces optimized handling of volumetric data, which translates to faster renders without sacrificing quality. The changes are particularly beneficial for large-scale effects requiring detailed light scattering and shading, such as explosion simulations or atmospheric effects. While the performance boost is noticeable, artists should test the updated system in production scenarios to ensure consistent results across various project scales.

XPU Enhancements: Memory Optimization

Pixar has further refined XPU, its hybrid CPU and GPU rendering engine, by optimizing memory usage. This improvement allows XPU to handle more complex scenes with higher geometry and texture counts. Artists working on dense scenes with intricate assets should experience fewer bottlenecks, especially when leveraging high-performance GPUs. However, given the relatively new nature of XPU, users should monitor how well these optimizations perform in large-scale productions where memory constraints are typically a concern.

Path Tracer Improvements for Interactive Rendering

The Path Tracer used for interactive rendering has received key updates, enabling faster feedback during look development and lighting adjustments. These improvements aim to accelerate iterations, allowing artists to refine shaders and scene compositions more efficiently. The enhanced Path Tracer provides smoother real-time feedback in pre-visualization workflows and interactive sessions, giving teams a more reliable tool to test ideas before committing to final renders.

Updated Preset Library and Shader Adjustments

RenderMan 26.3 also brings an updated preset library featuring new materials and shader adjustments designed for modern workflows. The presets are tailored to support physically plausible rendering, ensuring that assets match real-world lighting conditions more accurately. These adjustments make it easier for artists to apply pre-configured materials, saving time during look development. While not groundbreaking, the expanded library and shader tweaks reduce setup time, particularly for teams working on tight deadlines.

Additionally, 26.3 tweaks interoperability with existing rendering pipelines. Though specifics are scarce in the source, the update aligns RenderMan with industry-standard tools, suggesting better integration into hybrid pipelines combining multiple rendering engines.

Pricing and Availability

RenderMan 26.3 is available for download directly from Pixar’s official site here. Pricing remains consistent with previous releases. A node-locked license costs $595, while a floating license is priced at $795. Studio users can inquire directly for multi-seat pricing options. For more details and to download the new version, visit Pixar’s german Reseller page.

The post RenderMan 26.3 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.