23lunes Shares Its 2021 Studio Reel
Barcelona studio 23lunes presents a three-minute reel featuring its character animation and visual-effects work.
Browsing Tag
Rendering
887 posts
LightPlacer Simplifies Lighting in 3ds Max
LightPlacer is a US$15 script for creating and managing V-Ray, Corona, Arnold and Octane lights in 3ds Max.
Mesh Contrast Plug-in Adds Detail Controls to 3ds Max
Mesh Contrast, later renamed Contrast Pro, increases selected model detail and supports uniform contrast across varied polygon sizes.
Power IK Full-Body Solver Released for Unreal Engine
Power IK provides Unreal Engine users with a full-body inverse-kinematics solver supporting multiple effectors.
Connecter 3.0 Expands Asset Management Integrations
Connecter 3.0 adds Revit support, improved 3ds Max and Blender integrations, PBR previews, image comparison and backup tools.
Push Pro Improves 3ds Max’s Push Modifier
Push Pro adds intersection avoidance, improved detail preservation and vertex-colour control to 3ds Max’s Push workflow.
Grid Modeler Speeds Up Hard-Surface Modelling in Blender
Grid Modeler offers Blender artists a fast draw-and-click workflow for creating hard-surface 3D models.
Dynamo Brings GPU-Accelerated Cloth Dynamics to 3ds Max
Deform Dynamics’ Dynamo plugin uses GPU acceleration to speed up cloth simulation workflows in 3ds Max.
Rebelle 4 Adds Oils, Acrylics and RYB Colour Mixing
Escape Motions’ Rebelle 4 expands its fluid-flow digital-painting system with oils, acrylics, improved watercolours and RYB mixing.
Cyberpunk 2077 Technical Art Director Discusses the Game’s Texturing Pipeline
CD Projekt Red technical art director Krzysztof Krzyścin explains how Substance tools supported Cyberpunk 2077’s material pipeline.
V-Ray 5 Benchmark Update Introduces Three Hardware Tests
Chaos updated the V-Ray 5 Benchmark application with a redesigned interface and CPU, CUDA and GPU testing modes.
Autodesk Ends Physical Media Orders and Moves Fully to Downloads
Autodesk discontinued orders for physical installation media in December 2020 as it completed the move to digital delivery.
Skin Retouch: Smoothing Skin Without Losing Fine Detail
The free Skin Retouch script uses frequency separation in After Effects to smooth skin while preserving texture and detail.
Ignite: More Than 200 Production Tools for 3ds Max
Sini Software’s Ignite suite consolidates more than 200 scene, modelling, diagnostic and Unreal-preparation tools for 3ds Max.
Adobe Creative Cloud Updates Add GPU Decoding and HDR Support
Adobe’s Creative Cloud updates brought native AMD and Intel GPU support, hardware decoding and expanded HDR workflows to its video applications.
Canon EOS R5 Brings 8K RAW Recording to the Mirrorless Line
Canon’s EOS R5 was introduced with an 8K sensor and RAW video recording, alongside demonstrations of high-resolution footage.
Akeytsu 2020.3 Adds Space Switching and a Unified Timeline
Nukeygara’s Akeytsu 2020.3 update introduces dynamic parenting through Space Switching and parallel character animation.
Flicker Free 2.0 Adds GPU Acceleration and Improved Motion Detection
Digital Anarchy’s Flicker Free 2.0 promises faster processing, improved motion detection and new presets for removing video flicker.
Rumba 1.0 Introduces Real-Time Character Animation for VFX Pipelines
Rumba 1.0 offers geometry-based character manipulation, onion-skin posing and integration with existing Maya pipelines.
Assimilate Scratch 9.3 and Play Pro 9.3 Add NDI Remote Workflows
Assimilate’s 9.3 releases integrate NewTek NDI, ColourSpace CMS and Nobe OmniScope for camera-to-post and remote workflows.
DragonFly 2.0 Improves Virtual Camera Tracking and Live Motion Capture
Glassbox Technologies’ DragonFly 2.0 adds better camera tracking, live motion-capture support and more flexible licensing.
Aardman Academy Launches 12-Week Online Stop-Motion Course
Aardman Academy announced a three-month online programme covering the craft and production workflow of stop-motion animation.
What the 2021 EU Drone Rules Meant for German Pilots
An archived guide to the EU drone regulation that took effect in January 2021, including operating categories, competence requirements and transitional rules.
Radeon ProRender 2.5 for Blender Enters Beta
AMD released a free Radeon ProRender 2.5 beta for Blender with updated next-generation rendering and viewport frame-rate controls.
OctaneRender 2021 Preview Adds Hydra Support and Ampere Improvements
OTOY previewed OctaneRender 2021 with a revised AOV system, improved Nvidia Ampere performance, Hydra rendering and an RNDR+ bundle.
Chaos Vantage Launches for Real-Time Exploration of V-Ray Scenes
Chaos Vantage uses Nvidia RTX hardware to display and edit large V-Ray environments with real-time ray tracing.
Mari 4.7 Adds Procedural Masks and Material Workflow Improvements
Foundry’s Mari 4.7 focuses on collaboration, procedural masks, a redesigned Shelf palette and easier layered-material authoring.
V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D Launches with Light Mixing and GPU Rendering
Chaos released V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D with Light Mixing, Adaptive Dome Light, GPU rendering and distributed-rendering tools.
Hardmesh Brings Advanced Boolean Modelling to 3ds Max
Hardmesh for 3ds Max offers advanced Boolean modelling, rounded intersections and tools for building complex forms from simple geometry.
Isotropix Unveils Angie CPU/GPU Renderer
Isotropix previewed Angie, a CPU/GPU renderer planned for integration with Clarisse iFX and Clarisse Builder.
Tutorial: Stacking Modelling Deformers in Maya
3dWithAnAccent demonstrates a Maya workflow that recreates stacked 3ds Max modelling deformers using shape nodes and mesh connections.
Autodesk Expands Previous-Version Access to Five Releases
Autodesk expanded previous-version rights for subscribers and maintenance customers to include up to five earlier releases.
Gravity Sketch Review: Designing Freely in Virtual Reality
Gravity Sketch offers professional VR sketching and spatial design tools for creating forms, surfaces and concepts with two-handed interaction.
Radeon ProRender 3.0 Adds RX 6000 Ray Tracing and UDIM Support
AMD’s Radeon ProRender 3.0 for Blender adds hardware-accelerated ray tracing, contour rendering and UDIM workflows.
ZBrush 2021.5 Adds Thick Skin and Surface-Sculpting Tools
Pixologic previewed ZBrush 2021.5 with Thick Skin, new surface tools and updates to ZModeler and Sculptris Pro.
Tutorial: Baking and Exporting Custom Assets in Blender
A Blender tutorial covers normal-map baking, cages, material IDs, ambient occlusion, curvature maps and export for Quixel Mixer.
3ds Max 2021.3 Released with Retopology Tools
Autodesk’s 3ds Max 2021.3 update improved modelling, viewport performance, Arnold GPU rendering and introduced free retopology tools.
Insta360 ONE X2 Brings 360-Degree Capture to a Pocket Camera
The Insta360 ONE X2 combines 5.7K 360-degree capture, stabilised single-lens video, panoramas, MultiView and AI-powered subject tracking.
Simon Says Adds AI Transcription to DaVinci Resolve on macOS
Simon Says integrated AI transcription, captioning and translation with DaVinci Resolve for macOS, including frame-accurate subtitle editing.
Marmoset Toolbag 4 Released with Ray Tracing and 3D Painting
Marmoset Toolbag 4 introduced a ray-tracing engine, RTX support, 3D texture painting, a customisable interface and a free asset library.
Vertex 2021 Moves Its 2D and 3D Art Conference Online
Vertex 2021 brought talks, drawing classes, an exhibition hall and artist presentations for 2D and 3D creators to an online event.
Photokina Suspended Indefinitely After 70 Years
Koelnmesse suspended Photokina indefinitely as imaging-market decline and the COVID-19 pandemic made the established trade-show format unsustainable.
Designing a Half-Life-Inspired Environment in Blender and Eevee
Ivan Novikov explains how he created a Half-Life-inspired City 17 environment using Blender, Eevee and the Megascans library.
Procedural Hair Creation Previewed for Substance Painter
Olivier Lau previews a Substance Painter tool for generating procedural hair cards directly across a model’s surfaces.
Three Cinema 4D Quick Tips for Animation and Viewport Work
Three Cinema 4D videos cover camera jump cuts, isolating animated parameters and adding viewport bloom with Magic Bullet Looks.
Ray Tracer Sandbox Enables Real-Time PBR Shader Testing with Vulkan
The open-source Ray Tracer Sandbox lets artists create and test physically based shaders in real time with prepared scenes and assets.
Cloth Deform Adds Interactive Wrinkle Sculpting to 3ds Max
KM-3D’s Cloth Deform plug-in for 3ds Max provides an interactive way to press, pull and sculpt wrinkles into cloth surfaces.
KeyShot 10 Adds Advanced Lighting, Animation and Export Tools
KeyShot 10 introduced a Light Manager, viewport gizmos, caustics, cloth rendering, environment animation and improved 3D export.
Epic Games Takes a Minority Investment in SideFX
Epic Games acquired a minority stake in SideFX while Houdini’s ownership, development roadmap and industry partnerships remained unchanged.
Autodesk University 2020 Goes Online with 750 Sessions
Autodesk University 2020 moved online for four days of industry talks, more than 750 sessions and hundreds of live Q&As.
Foundry Completes the Modo 14 Series
Modo 14.2 completed Foundry’s Modo 14 series with USD support, Rig Clay, MeshFusion tools, viewport upgrades and major performance gains.
GS CurveTools v1.1 Expands Procedural Hair Creation in Maya
GS CurveTools v1.1 for Maya provides tools for curve-controlled hair cards, tubes, braids and other procedural grooming elements.
Working with the SubSpline Script in 3ds Max
Jamie Cardoso’s second SubSpline tutorial demonstrates a scripting workflow for 3ds Max artists.
Creating Atmospheric Blender Eevee Renders
Curtis Holt demonstrates how to build a cinematic spaceship scene and produce atmospheric real-time renders with Blender Eevee.
Using Scene Data and Mathematics with OSL in 3ds Max
Changsoo Eun’s third OSL mini-tutorial shows how scene data and straightforward mathematics can drive shaders in 3ds Max.
Autodesk RV 2021 Adds Python 3 and New Versioning
Autodesk RV 2021 updated the VFX image viewer and playback system with Python 3.7.6, a new naming convention and version availability policy.
Epic Games Presents Unreal Engine 4.26 Release Highlights
An Inside Unreal session explores Unreal Engine 4.26 release highlights with Epic’s programming, animation and engineering leads.
M.A.R.K.13 on Producing Ritter Rost
Holger Weiss discusses M.A.R.K.13’s work on Ritter Rost, its production pipeline, regional film funding and Stuttgart’s animation industry.
Arnold 6.1 Reduces GPU Texture Memory Use
Arnold 6.1 adds partial texture loading on the GPU, new light-path features, imager nodes, USD improvements and faster Windows rendering.
ESMA Showreel Highlights Student Animation and VFX
ESMA’s showreel presents animation and visual-effects work produced by students at the French creative-arts school.
Foundry Releases Katana 4.0
Katana 4.0 introduces Foresight rendering, artist-focused lighting tools and an updated Hydra bridge for USD workflows.
J Cube Introduces MUSE Alpha USD Editor
MUSE Alpha is a standalone USD editor from J Cube with non-destructive multi-editing capabilities.
Adobe Releases Substance Alchemist 2020.3
Substance Alchemist 2020.3 adds improved image-to-material processing, delighting, atlas generation and new colour tools.
Vessel Studios Presents Medical Animation Work
Vessel Studios combines artists, medical specialists, programmers and animators to create scientific and medical visualisation.
Netflix Targets Six Animated Feature Films per Year
Netflix planned to release six animated feature films annually alongside its animated-series slate, with projects from major filmmakers.
Rebelway Offers Free VFX Career Guide
Rebelway’s free 70-page ebook covers VFX software, education, demo reels, industry pay and advice for aspiring artists.
Epic Games Offers Free Virtual Production Primer
Epic Games’ free Virtual Production Primer provides 15 hours of training across ten videos covering Unreal Engine production workflows.
Four Animated Features Nominated for European Film Awards
The 2020 European Film Awards nominated Calamity, Josep, Klaus and The Nose or the Conspiracy of Mavericks in animation.
Netflix Cuts 4K Streaming Bitrates with Shot-Based Encoding
Netflix said optimised shot-based encoding could deliver comparable 4K image quality at roughly half the bitrate.
3DF Zephyr Tutorial Reconstructs a Brick Wall
Grzegorz Baran demonstrates a photogrammetry workflow using 3DF Zephyr, PhotoLab 3 and Substance Designer to build a digital brick wall.
Unigine 2.13 Preview Adds GPU Lightmapper
The Unigine 2.13 preview highlights an accessible GPU lightmapper, dynamic-light selection, voxel light probes and SSRTGI.
MUSE Technology Preview Provides Standalone USD Editing
J Cube’s MUSE technology preview opens, displays and edits USD assets without requiring a host DCC application.
Substance Designer 2020.2 Adds New Engine and Faster Graphs
Substance Designer 2020.2 introduces Substance Engine V8, new distance options, smoother gradients and more intuitive parameters.
Autodesk Explains Perpetual Licence Trade-In
Autodesk outlined the benefits of moving from legacy perpetual licences to its subscription model.
Pixomondo Builds Virtual Production Studio in Toronto
Pixomondo planned a large Toronto virtual-production stage with Epic Games, Nvidia, ROE Visual and William F. White International.
Autodesk Releases Maya 2020.3
Maya 2020.3 adds Bifrost 2.1, Motion Library updates, Script Editor improvements, revised painting and skinning tools, and FBX Standard Surface import.
Tangent Labs Opens Loupe Production Platform Beta
Loupe combines asset and project management, media review, collaboration, render management, reporting and analytics in a browser-based service.
Pixologic Releases ZBrushCore 2021
ZBrushCore 2021 adds a streamlined ZRemesher, Dynamic Subdivision and the MicroPoly system for hobbyists and students.
Chaos Czech Previews Corona Renderer 7
Corona Renderer 7 was planned to add OpenVDB rendering, improved tone mapping, a new PBR material, better interoperability and Cinema 4D enhancements.
Studio Suite 13 Adds Gantt and Kanban Interfaces
Studio Suite 13 introduces an interactive Gantt chart, Kanban interface, faster calendar, approval controls and Active Directory support.
Boris FX Launches All-in-One Suite Subscription
The Boris FX Suite bundles Sapphire, Continuum, Mocha Pro, Silhouette and Optics in a single annual or monthly subscription.
DECALmachine 2.0 Expands Blender Decal Workflows
DECALmachine 2.0 improves speed and flexibility with expanded atlasing, trim sheets, material-channel support and new UV tools.
U-Render 2020.9.2 Integrates Live Rendering in Cinema 4D
U-Render 2020.9.2 adds direct Cinema 4D viewport rendering, improved reflections and volumetrics, clear-coat materials and RGB curves.
Laan Labs Releases Free LiDAR 3D Scanner App
Laan Labs’ free iPad app uses the LiDAR sensor in 2020 iPad Pro models to create textured scans of large objects and environments offline.
Marmoset Toolbag 4 Enters Beta
Toolbag 4 beta adds RTX-accelerated ray tracing and baking, a redesigned interface and expanded asset support for look development.
RenderStacks 1.06 Adds Six Modifiers
RenderStacks 1.06 adds RenderOutput and FStorm overscan support plus six modifiers for visibility, layers, Corona and Royal Render.
Survey Tracks Archviz Rendering Engines
CGarchitect’s 2020 survey collected more than 2,500 responses about renderers used, tested and considered for architectural visualisation.
V-Ray 5 für Houdini | Free Public Beta
After 3ds Max and Maya, Houdini is now following suit. Light Path Expressions make light.
Hum3D Opens Car Render Challenge 2020
Hum3D’s 2020 Car Render Challenge invited artists to build and render real or fictional vehicles in any 3D package.
HdCycles | Tangent Animation
Use Blenders Cycles renderer in Houdini. HdCycles makes it possible.
Chaos Announces V-Ray 5 Webinar Series
Chaos scheduled three 2020 webinars covering V-Ray for 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D and SketchUp plus Lavina and Chaos Cloud.
RenderMan 24 Plans XPU Rendering and Blender Support
Pixar’s RenderMan 24 roadmap included the CPU/GPU XPU renderer, RIS support, stylised looks, layered materials and new OSL nodes.
Blender Tutorial: Cinematic Rendering in Eevee
FlippedNormals demonstrates lighting, rendering and camera animation for a cinematic Blender scene using Eevee.
Blender 2.90 Updates Eevee, Cycles, Sculpt and VR
Blender 2.90 introduced updates across Eevee, Cycles, sculpting, VR, animation and modelling.
3ds Max 2021.2 Improves Materials and Selection
Autodesk 3ds Max 2021.2 improved Material Editor performance, selection workflows, splines, fluids loading and modifiers.
Research Simulates Detailed Water Droplets
Researchers combine sheet, filament and volume particles to simulate droplet surfaces, sprays and splashes with improved surface tension.
Gnomon Workshop Teaches Hair Grooming in Yeti
A two-hour Gnomon Workshop tutorial demonstrates character hair grooming with the Yeti plug-in for Autodesk Maya.
Corona Renderer 6 Adds Sky and Distance Maps
Corona Renderer 6 for Cinema 4D introduced a procedural sky model, Distance Map, adaptive environment sampling and new bloom controls.
NVIDIA Studio Driver Expands Creative-App Support
NVIDIA’s August 2020 Studio Driver added creative-app improvements for Premiere Rush, Premiere Pro, Blender and Boris FX Optics.
Renderbaron 2020 Showreel Highlights Photoreal CG
Düsseldorf animation studio Renderbaron’s 2020 showreel presents photoreal product, architectural and visual-effects work.