Browsing Tag
USD
67 posts
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.
Houdini 21: Like good wine (Part1, VFX & Geo)
Houdini 21 polishes the chaos: production-ready MPM, neural surfacing, smarter Pyro, and Vulkan viewport upgrades: all taste-tested for real-world use. (Part 1 of ???)
Autodesk 3ds Max 2026.3: A modest update with key workflow tweaks
3ds Max 2026.3 arrives with more precise Conform modifier controls, dynamic material switching, USD workflow improvements and an updated Arnold plugin.
Autodesk launches Maya 2026.3 & Creative 2026.3
Maya 2026.3 packs Bifrost rigid bodies, Graph Editor channel sets, Flow connectivity, and an upgraded USD asset resolver.
Foundry Opens Nuke 17 Beta: New 3D System, New Variables
Nuke 17 Beta modernises its 3D system, adds a Variable framework and revamped annotation tools: compositors can now test them all.
Keep Your Pipeline: Chaos on Skipping the Game Engine
Chaos’ Chris Nichols explains how Chaos Arena and Chaos Vantage cut out the engine middleman with full ray tracing, open formats, and one asset for all.
Das Element 2.2: Major Step Forward for Asset Management
The new Das Element 2.2 release strengthens 3D handling, adds dynamic permission controls and custom Python action hooks to make studio asset management even smoother.
Blender 4.5 LTS lands
lender 4.5 LTS arrives with studio-grade support; the Blender survey shows where users stand; and Blender 5.0 beta is already here, so its time to plan your upgrade.
Chaos Vantage 3 expands its real-time rendering engine with USD and MaterialX support, AI-driven material generation, volumetric rendering, and Gaussian splats. The update brings Vantage closer to open-pipeline workflows for VFX and visualization and adds plenty of new toys for artists who prefer to stay in real time.
Trees in Autumn: SpeedTree Controller 3.0 Falls for Houdini 21
SpeedTree Controller 3.0 lets Houdini artists break, regrow and shade trees with Karma: new features, same procedural roots
GPU-FLIP solver Storm HydroFX launches in free open beta
Storm HydroFX, a standalone GPU FLIP fluid solver from Storm VFX, is now freely available in open beta with full import/export and no feature lockouts.
RiseFX on Heads of State: Explosions, Statues, and Digital Diplomacy
500 shots, one exploding limo, and statues aimed at helicopters: Rise FX brings high-stakes action to Heads of State with a new Riseflow pipeline.
Nevercenter Adds USD & UDIM in Silo 2025.2
Silo 2025.2 adds USD support, UDIM UVs, unit conversion, synced viewports, and more helpful features for serious 3D work.
Chaos Vantage 3.0 beta lands with USD, MaterialX and Gaussian Splats
Vantage 3.0 beta is here: USD, MaterialX and Gaussian Splats mean Chaos’ real-time GPU renderer finally speaks modern pipeline standards.
USDSkel: Optimized Character Rigging
USDSkel is an OpenUSD component that supports scalable, manipulable, and interchangeable skinned characters. Wanna know more?
Autodesk nudges 3ds Max into higher gear with version 2026.2
Autodesk releases 3ds Max 2026.2 with Skin modifier enhancements, Material Switcher speed tweaks, USD scene export and Arnold integration fixes.
Fusion Studio 20.1: Immersive, Patchy, and Ready for 360°
Blackmagic Fusion Studio 20.1 adds immersive 360° viewer, Magic Mask v2, deep compositing improvements, and CSV import for MultiText boxes.
Maya 2026.2 boosts MotionMaker AI, enables MaterialX in LookdevX, brings Arnold GPU Toon shading, and makes Bifrost mandatory. Check docs for full details.
Chaos Opens Real‑Time Rendering to All (No Unreal Required)
Chaos Arena now supports USD, MaterialX and Gaussian Splats, enabling real‑time rendering with no Unreal Engine license required.
Rumba 2.0: No More Animators’ Elbow
Rumba 2.0 from Mercenaries Engineering launches, promising faster, artist-friendly Maya-compatible character animation and seamless USD, Alembic, and FBX support.
Autodesk ships Arnold 7.4.3 with Inference imager and GPU volume speedups
Arnold 7.4.3 introduces a machine-learning Inference imager, faster GPU volume rendering, improved Global Light Sampling, and enhanced OpenPBR and USD workflows.
DJV 3.0 Returns: Free VFX Review Tool Gains Timeline & USD Support
DJV 3.0 revives its open-source VFX viewer with OTIO timelines, USD playback, OCIO color management, and multi-track audio under a BSD license.
Animation for All: Reallusion AccuRIG 2.0 and Friends Keep Things Moving
AccuRIG 2.0 puts 4,500+ animations a click away. Reallusion’s animation and rigging ecosystem is picking up speed.
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.
Blender 4.5 Beta: Nodes Get Nifty, Collada Gets the Boot
Blender 4.5 Beta brings new Geometry Nodes, USD and glTF upgrades, and drops Collada in 5.0. Here's what's new - and what’s going away.
Fusion 20: a deep look at the core
With its latest release, Blackmagic Fusion is positioning itself more aggressively than ever as a powerful and cost-effective complete package for node-based compositing and motion graphics. We check whether Fusion 20 lives up to the high expectations.
Autodesk's MotionBuilder 2026 enhances USD workflows, introduces animation retention, and adds new selection shortcuts for improved motion capture editing.
Painter, Designer, Modeler: Adobe Refines the 3D Toolbox
Adobe presents updates to Substance 3D Painter and Designer, expanding integration, realism, and control—with unmetered assets and indie pricing.
SketchUp 2025: Better Visuals, Smoother Workflows
SketchUp 2025 enhances realism with photorealistic materials, environment lighting, ambient occlusion, and improved interoperability with Revit and USD export.
Arnold 7.3.7.0: Casting Light on Glass and Gloss
Autodesk's Arnold 7.3.7.0 introduces enhanced glass shadows, improved global light sampling, and faster scene updates.
Redshift 2025.3: Lighting the Way to Better Renders
Maxon's Redshift 2025.3 enhances volume scattering, USD procedural support, and introduces experimental compatibility with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs.
OpenUSD 25.02: Technical Tweaks for the Speedy Frame Wrangler (Yes, Really)
OpenUSD 25.02 refines API calls, performance, and stability with a suite of focused technical improvements.
UNIGINE 2.19.1 Embraces Full USD Support
UNIGINE’s real-time engine hits version 2.19.1, introducing full support for USD files. Artists and developers can now integrate USD assets smoothly, improving compatibility across tools like Maya, Houdini, and Blender.
Mocha Pro 2025: Planar Tracking, USD, and Roto
Boris FX rolls out Mocha Pro 2025 with USD support, improved planar tracking, and updated rotoscoping workflows for VFX professionals.
Autodesk Opens USD for 3ds Max
Autodesk has released the USD plugin for 3ds Max as open-source on Github,
Katana 8.0 introduces USD roundtripping, Mari 7.1 unveils 2D painting, and Nuke 16.0 open beta offers multishot workflows for VFX professionals.
Andreas Weidman’s Project Greylight: Free Tools for Houdini Artists
Project Greylight by Andreas Weidman offers Houdini users free tools to streamline Solaris workflows, USD management, and integration with Unreal Engine.
DaVinci Resolve 19.1 Enhances Multicam, Audio, and VFX Workflow
The DaVinci Resolve 19.1 update adds new audio tools, Fusion effects, and color grading features, alongside support for spatial media and USD export.
Unigine 2.19: New functions for 3D
With the latest update to version 2.19, the Unigine engine offers improvements in animation and new features, such as support for OpenXR and USD.
Google Blocks now open source
Google releases its VR modelling app "Blocks" as open source. Building virtual worlds - now you can do it yourself!
CST-USD Viewer in beta
The Higher Technical Commission for Sound and Images (CST), a French association of film and audiovisual technicians, has presented the new 3D-Info tool. This tool aims to simplify the visualisation of 3D scenes and make it more efficient. The focus is on the USD format.
Here comes the new Cityengine
CityEngine 2024.0 offers new tools such as the Visual CGA Editor, ArcGIS Urban Integration and the ability to share web scenes.
TD Meetup 06: USD for Visual Effects
USD is becoming an important standard file format for visual effects, animation and video game productions. Most of us have heard of USD, but what is it and how to use it in our next production is still a mystery to most.
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.
The market for VFX and motion design software seems pretty saturated. Nuke for VFX, After Effects for Motion Design, sprinkle in a little bit of Flame and Fusion and that’s about it. Or is it?
Hitchhikers Guide to … asset libraries?
Let's talk about asset management! But why do we actually want to organise our assets?
Here comes OpenUSD
USD seems to be catching on - Pixar, Adobe, Apple, Autodesk and Nvidia have launched the "Alliance for Open USD" together with a branch of the Linux Foundation
Autodesk releases Maya 2024
Autodesk has released Maya 2024. The updates include enhancements to the Retopology toolset, a new USD-based material autthoring and new brush-based workflows for sculpting animation curves. Also new: native Apple Silicon support, the Bifrost multiphysics plugin and the MtoA plugin for the Arnold renderer, which run on M1 and M2 processors.
What’s New in Nuke 14?
"The next generation of Nuke" - the British developers from Foundry are confidently announcing their new version. Let's take a look at what's new between Copycat and Scanline Renderer, what's changed, what's completely new or what remains the same?
Omniverse updates at the CES 2023!
At the Consumer Electronics Show, graphics card manufacturer Nvidia presented innovations for its Omniverse collab platform. AI tools, Blender extension and more.
The Foundry releases Katana 6.0!
The software for look development and lighting is getting an update - and should further speed up workflows.
Autodesk releases Maya 2023.3!
Particularly worth mentioning are: workflow improvements for animation tools and updates for the Arnold, Substance and USD plug-ins.
The Foundry releases Mari 6.0!
The software for drawing 3D textures has been released in version 6.0 and Charli Holt, Product Manager for Mari, is proud of the many USD-related improvements.
Autodesk updates Bitfrost - and advances the open-source integration of Bitfrost-USD.
Who should use the Aurora renderer from Autodesk?
It is aimed at artists who work with Universal Scene Description (USD). What other functions does the real-time path tracing renderer offer?
USD for 3ds Max 0.3 released!
Autodesk is expanding its USD implementation for 3ds Max with new core functions. Will the Universal Scene Description become more user-friendly thanks to this public beta?
Nvidia announces: new toolset for Omniverse!
Perhaps the most impressive new feature is called Neural VDB - it is currently still in beta, but should result in significant data savings for 3D assets.
Tutorial series on USD with Bitfrost published
The Maya Learning Channel explains: With these three video tutorials, users learn USD with Bitfrost. How do variants, instancing and co. work?
USD-Hydra-Plugin 1.1 for Blender released!
Can you trust these four killer features - or is it just window dressing?
Version 7.0 of Multiverse | USD released!
You want the "Universal Scene Description" for Autodesk Maya? Then it might be worth taking a look at this great tool from J Cube!
Download USD Island Paradise from the Disney film Moana now
South Pacific beaches are beyond your travel budget? Then take a trip to Motunui Island now with this USD download.
USD | Article
From Chaos Group: Universal Scene Description - in the flow of time, or fishing in the mud?
Animal Logic pushes the USD-based workflow: with this free USD asset.
USD Shell Extension | Release
Actvision released: a source-free software solution for USD file management.
Houdini becomes hyperactive
Once again, SideFX doesn't do things by halves. The new Houdini 18.5 is packed with classic updates, but also with completely redesigned tools.
Cinema 4D: Project Neutron announced
Redshift 3.0, Trapcode and Project Neutron: Proceduralism is coming to Cinema 4D, Redshift Realtime and much more!
The Nuke Indie version is here!
The time has come - together with Nuke 12.2, Foundry is releasing an affordable "indie" version of the compositing package - with (almost) everything you need.