New procedural tools for designing large worlds

With the new in-editor and runtime procedural Content Generation Framework (PCG), you can set rules and parameters to quickly and efficiently populate large scenes with Unreal Engine assets of your choice. This means that the process of creating large worlds is faster and easier.

The introduction of the new Substrate system

The new Substrate system offers a new way to create materials and gives you, as an Unreal Engine user, more control over the look and feel of objects used in real-time applications such as games and linear content creation.

Improvements for virtual production workflows

The new version also brings several improvements for virtual production workflows. New shot creation and scene control tools help to make virtual productions faster and more efficient.

Caution: preview versions are unstable

Please note, however, that preview versions are not fully tested and should therefore be considered unstable until the final version is released. You can find all information here in the forum.

The post Unreal Engine 5.2 Preview is now available! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In nuce: Tech artist Simon Verstraete has unveiled his low-poly city generator on social media. Simon developed his generator using Houdini and Unreal Engine 5. In his Twitter post, Simon informs his followers that the generator primarily uses Houdini’s Point Clouds to place assets – whereas vehicles travel from point A to point B within the procedurally generated city using the Curve Node. For the assets that can be seen in the demonstration of his generator, Simon uses various asset packages from Synty Studios (available on the Unreal Engine Marketplace).

Clicked further: Tech artist Simon Verstraete is no stranger to readers of Digital Production. DP first reported on Simon on 20 April 2020, when his tutorial series Dungeon Generator informed interested parties about how level design can be approached procedurally. After that, on 28 January 2021, it was the Tree Generator tutorial series that provided virtual reforestation. And finally, on 14.12.2021 , DP reported on Simon’s Edge Smooth OP tool for Houdini, with which users can create stylised objects and organic patterns for VFX textures. All tutorials & tools are aimed at Houdini users. Freelance Houdini & Tech Artist Simon Verstraete can be reached via Twitter .

The post City Generator mit Houdini und UE 5! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Gigantomaniac alien spaceships disintegrate cities around the world: in the sci-fi sequel Independence Day: Resurgence. But instead of relying on model and miniature buildings, as in the first part of the extraterrestrial disaster film gem, the second part of the alien invasion uses CityEngine to provide the orgy of destruction so urgently needed for the big screen spectacle. And now the tool for (virtual) city construction and demolition is entering the next round – because: Esri has released CityEngine version 2022.0, back in June of this year. CityEngine is software that can be used to generate 3D cities – with the help of a procedural process. With CityEngine, Esri is primarily targeting architects and urban planners as a clientele. However, the software is also supplied with connections to common DCC tools and game engines.

New functions: A special feature that will please many developers of entertainment formats: CityEngine can now be used to export data to Twinmotion. Twinmotion is the real-time visualisation tool from Epic Games. Here are some other new functions.

• New lasso selection tool (Lasso Selection Tool)
• Rotate or scale multiple objects individually – around their centre point
• Simplified Street Inspector: Used to create street plans
• Revised Get Started screen: Should now help users to get used to the most important functions of the software more quickly
• Revised CGA: This is the procedural modelling language of CityEngine

Clicked further: Related announcement “What’s New in ArcGIS City Engine 2022.0” by Avonlea Fotheringham (Esri Product Marketing Manager) and Taisha Fabricius (Esri Product Manager). Further information can be found in the corresponding publication note. Digital Production last reported on CityEngine almost a year ago(16.11.2021). At that time about the software in version 2021.1. The video right here below familiarises interested users with the handling of the software.

Urban Design with CityEngine 2022

The post Esri releases new version of CityEngine! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: 3D R.n.D releases the Easy Escalator Pro. The tool is available for download as an MCG file (Max Creation Graph). The procedurally operating generator is aimed at users of 3dsMax 2016 up to and including 2023.

What can “Easy Escalator Pro” do? You can use the tool to create animated escalators that are generated procedurally. In terms of settings, the tool offers the option of adjusting the speed, (rolling) direction, height, width and angle of the escalator. The download scope of “Easy Escalator Pro” includes materials for Corona, Arnold and V-Ray. The tool is priced at £49.

Click further: You can find everything else about Easy Escalator Pro on Gumroad. The two videos below are the trailer for the tool, followed by an application example.

3D R.n.D | MCG | Easy Escalator Pro trailer

3D R.n.D | MCG | Easy Escalator Pro – Example video

The post Create escalators in 3ds Max with Easy Escalator Pro! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Product developer Insydium has released a sneak peek of its Taiao software, which is aimed specifically at artists. This is a plugin for Cinema 4D with which you can procedurally model and animate plants. incidentally, “Taiao” is Spanish for “environment” or “surroundings”.

What can Taiao do? According to the product description, Taiao should enable you to plant your 3D worlds in a matter of minutes. The plugin is particularly worthwhile for motion graphic artists and has three modes, which we present to you below in a quick run-through:

• ToPlant: This allows you to create any kind of plant, from a cute wallflower to an imposing oak tree
• ToTree: This allows you to fill a selected space with branches and leaves that do not overlap each other
• ToGrass: Use this function to plant your floors with grasses or distribute other objects on the surface

Click further: On insydium.ltd you will soon find out everything else about this useful plugin for Cinema 4D. Click on the video below for a video and audio demonstration of how Taiao works.

Taiao Sneak Peek

The post Cinema 4D plugin for procedural plants first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Blender artist Ray Wakui has released his Blender tool called “Geometry Nodes Pipes”, which can be used to lay procedurally generated pipes. The tool is currently in version 1.1. If you want to use the tool, you need Blender 3.0 or higher.

What can Geometry Nodes Pipe do? The non-destructive approach of the tool allows you to customise pipes in terms of length, radius, number of rivets and many other details.

Who is Ray Wakui? He is a graduate of the University of Tokyo, where he studied aerospace engineering. During his student years, he realised a music video for his own band – this is how Ray’s creative career began. At the end of 2019, he taught himself Blender to realise another music video with 3D objects. It was a long-cherished dream of Ray’s to work with 3D objects. Since then, he has realised numerous music videos for various musicians, always with his passion for visual effects in the pipeline. If you would like to discover Ray Wakui and his work, visit him on his homepage, Twitter or Instagram.

Click further: You can get the “Geometry Nodes Pipes” tool for free on Gumroad. The following video gives you a quick run-through of how the tool works. We hope you enjoy the virtual pipe-laying experience.

Geometry Nodes Pipes in Blender [Free DL Link in Description]

The post Now lay pipes in Blender until the plumber screeches first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: VFXGuide releases its add-on One Click Damage (short: OCD) for Blender.

What can One Click Damage do? With OCD, you can add procedural scratch, wear and destruction marks to your 3D objects – with just a few clicks. According to the description, all you have to do is select your desired 3D object, click the Make Damage button, make adjustments to suit your taste, and voilà: OCD gives your object that magical used look. According to VFXGuide, the add-on was primarily created for objects that are man-made building elements, such as paving stones, pavements, house walls, walls or similar.

One fly in the ointment: As fantastic as it sounds to be able to smash objects with just a few clicks, one drawback remains: In the current version of the add-on, you can only apply the destruction orgy once per object. Applying the destructive object properties to the same object multiple times does not work at the moment. The hope remains that VFXGuide will make an improvement.

Requirement: You need Blender 2.92 or higher

Price: 12 US dollars

Availability: You can download the destructive add-on on Gumroad . VFXGuide is looking forward to your visit (and praise for his cool add-on) on Twitter.

The post Blende(r)nd Destroy with this add-on first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: In this video tutorial, Satendra Saraswat shows you which nodes you need to grow a procedural generator that can be used to sprout a wide variety of flowers from the borders.

Saraswat’s approach: For her tutorial, Saraswat uses the Geometry Nodes from Blender 3.0. Once such a generator has been integrated into the pipeline, it should save a considerable amount of time.

What can be done with the procedural generator? One person who has really let off steam in the flora with such a generator is artist Simon Lee, whose video series on Twitter amazes viewers when sunflowers twist their necks under his direction, curl their petals or orientate their heads according to the position of the sun. If anyone has mastered the procedural green thumb, it’s Simon Lee!

More Blender tutorials: Also check out the other Blender tutorials by Satendra Saraswat. The YouTube channel All the Works regularly publishes video tutorials to help you hone your Blender skills. You can also visit the freelance 3D artist from Delhi, India, on Artstation. We wish you artistic creativity!

Easy Geometry Nodes PLANTS – Blender 3.0

The post Procedural flower generator with Blender 3.0 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: 3D artist Corza shares a procedurally created rock with you, raised with Blender.

The video shows you how it works: You use the cursor to change the rock model, whereupon the shader adjusts dynamically according to the changes you have made – including textures and the nature of the object’s surface. In a ten-minute video, Corza also shows you how to recreate the shader. According to Corza, the shader works best with cycles.

Further information: If you want to keep it procedural, but can’t do without lots of colourful Lego bricks, you can stack the popular building blocks with either Blender or Houdini. But if you want to combine Corza’s procedural approach with environment design, take a look at the Terrain Mixer or search for suitable asset packages in the Australian outback.

The post Procedural rock | Tutorial first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

McMinimoysWall

Marc Chevry releases his procedural tool MC MinimoysWall, with which you can erect medieval-looking stone walls in no time at all.

Simply draw a curve over the terrain and your protective wall, partition or castle courtyard is ready. The height of the wall, the size of the stones and the course of the wave can be customised.

Further information

McMinimoysWall is available on Gumroad for 15 dollars. Marc Chevry explains how the tool works in a blog entry. The video below breaks down the wall between user and tool.

MinimoysProceduralWall

The post MinimoysWall | Houdini first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.