Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024Posted by Jim ThackerOtoy releases OctaneRender 2026.1 in alphahtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Otoy has released OctaneRender 2026.1, a new alpha preview of the GPU production renderer.It was released in parallel with OctaneRender 2025.1, the next actual production-ready build of the software, and showcases more experimental technologies.Features included in the initial alpha release include support for rendering 3D Gaussian Splats, and native MaterialX support, both previously scheduled for OctaneRender 2024.Those due to be added in future updates include new neural rendering modules and the much-delayed meshlet streaming system.Includes native support for MaterialX and 3D Gaussian SplatsOctaneRender 2026.1 includes a number of key features that Otoy has announced previously.They include native support for MaterialX, the open material standard increasingly being adopted in VFX workflows, and already supported in other renderers including Arnold, Houdinis Karma renderer, RenderMan, Unreal Engine and V-Ray.It also supports rendering of 3D Gaussian Splats, the new 3D scene reconstruction technology now being adopted in both VFX and architectural visualization, and supported in V-Ray.Both features were originally scheduled for the OctaneRender 2024 release cycle.Other features in the current alpha include real-time shader-based displacement, a new Neural Radiance Cache system, and support for trace sets.Neural rendering and meshlet streaming due in future updatesFeatures not included in the initial alpha, but scheduled for future OctaneRender 2026.1 updates, include the much-delayed meshlet geometry streaming system.Described as like Unreal Engines Nanite, but for path tracing, it was originally announced for the Octane 2023 release cycle, then re-announced for 2024.Other features scheduled for future updates include neural rendering, intended to make it possible to launch [machine learning] and neural filters locally or through the Render Network.So when will these features become production-ready?This is the first time that Otoy has released a preview build for the next-year-but-one, so its difficult to say when the features in Octane 2026.1 will reach a stable release.Its also difficult to say whether all of the features will actually become production-ready by 2026: this is the third year that meshlets have been announced, without reaching even an alpha build.For those reasons, its probably better to treat OctaneRender 2026.1 simply as a chance to test some of the experimental technologies that Otoy has in development.Well bring you more detailed coverage of the features once they seem closer to a final release.Price, system requirements and release dateOctaneRender 2026.1 is currently in alpha. Otoy hasnt announced a final release date.OctaneRender is compatible with Windows 10+ and Linux, and requires a CUDA 10-capable NVIDIA GPU.The native Metal edition, Octane X, is compatible with macOS 14.0+ on Macs with Apple M1 and later processors, and with iPadOS 17.0+ on devices with A12 Bionic and later chips.The software is rental-only, via Otoys Studio+ subscriptions, which cost 23.95/month, and which include integration plugins for 21 DCC applications, plus a range of third-party software.Otoy also provides free Prime editions of both OctaneRender and Octane X, which are limited to rendering on a single GPU, and which come with a smaller set of DCC integration plugins.Read a full list of new features in OctaneRender 2026.1 on Otoys forumHave your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.Latest NewsAdobe releases After Effects 25.1Check out the changes to 3D workflows in the latest update to the compositing software for motion graphics and VFX work.Wednesday, December 4th, 2024Otoy releases OctaneRender 2026.1 in alphaExperimental preview showcases new tech in development for the GPU renderer, including native MaterialX and 3DGS support.Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024Otoy releases OctaneRender 2025.1 in betaCheck out the new features in the next major production version of the GPU renderer, including new decal and lens effects systems.Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024iClone 8.52 adds new AI-assisted character posing systemMajor update to the real-time animation app adds new AI-based AccuPose system, plus motion trails and non-destructive clip editing.Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024Download ActionVFX's 20 free stock VFX clips of asteroidsThe clips of asteroids and asteroid fields are licensed for commercial use - but you need to grab them by the end of 3 December.Monday, December 2nd, 2024Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Holiday 2024 deals for CG artistsUpdated 3 December: Discover discounts on CG hardware and software available during Cyber Week, from Autodesk to ZBrush.Saturday, November 30th, 2024More NewsNekki releases Cascadeur 2024.3Exclusive Cyber Weekend offer on The Gnomon Workshop trainingTutorial - Maya for Animators: Body Mechanics3DGS Render 2.0 now lets you edit 3D Gaussian Splats in BlenderNevercenter releases Silo 2025 and Milo 2025Boris FX releases Sapphire 2025Epic Games releases RealityCapture 1.5KeenTools releases FaceTracker for BlenderCheck out Blender crowd animation add-on Population 2Download SideFX's free Project Greylight toolkit for HoudiniAdobe releases Photoshop 26.1Chaos ships Corona 12 Update 1 for 3ds Max and Cinema 4DOlder Posts

The two-year anniversary of ChatGPTPublished inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter4 min readJust now-- Welcome backIssue #221: your thoughts on AI-generated writing + a tour of Parisian bookstoresChatGPT is as old as some of my friends kids now. It turned two last Saturday, and I remember exactly where I was when it was announced to the world. We were sitting in a friends living room in San Francisco talking about the movie M3GAN, which was premiering around the same time (the trailer was everywhere). It stars a ventriloquist doll who develops human intelligence and stages a murder-suicide. (Fun!)Weird how culture converges around a theme sometimes.I was writing some marketing copy for Medium, and I was working so hard on it my friend was just like, Why dont you ask ChatGPT what Medium is? She did and it did an okay job! I didnt use the copy because it sounded boring and was wrong in subtle ways, but it was unsettling and a little awe-inspiring to see how capable this tool already was. (No, we do not use ChatGPT to write this newsletter.)Anyway. Whether youve used it to code, play D&D, or peer into your fridge and tell you what to cook (or not) its arguably the most important invention of the last decade. ChatGPTs monthly userbase grew to 100M within two months of its release, making it the fastest-growing app in history (TikTok took nine months to reach that milestone; Facebook took four years).The technology is not as new as it feels. GPT = generative pre-trained transformer, a fancy term for a system that converts text into numbers and maps the probability of a character string appearing next in a sequence. OpenAI has been working on these models since 2017. Rudimentary language training models based on the same principles date back to the 60s. The first one was created in 1966. It was called Eliza and built to sound like a therapist.So, OpenAI didnt invent something new they improved upon something half a century old. Its not a fundamentally more capable model than what we had previously, one OpenAI researcher admitted last year, but the teams meticulous attention to how it might be used made it take off. The interface is intuitive; it guides you toward using it successfully. GPT aside, I think theres a lesson here about the value of attending to details.On Medium, Georgia Tech professor Mark Riedl explains how it works and shares a tip: Dont anthropomorphize. Humans have an innate tendency to see humanity in all things, but LLMs are not human and youre not having a conversation with them (journalists keep getting confused about this). Harris SockelYour thoughts on writing and AIOn Monday, we sent a newsletter on what AI means for the future of writing. Many of you had strong feelings on this topic! Here are a few responses that stood out to us.Andrew Wagnerinvokes an Apple Intelligence ad:[This newsletter] reminded me of David Ogilvys assertion that People who think well, write well (wonder if Paul has been reading some Ogilvy : ) Also reminded me of this Apple Intelligence ad which perfectly sums up one of the scariest things about AI to me anyway. If Ogilvy is correct (and I think he is), that people who think well, write well, then why do we want to create tools that mask bad thinkers (like Warren, in the ad)?Mollie Coradisagrees with the premise that a world where you dont need to write = a world where you dont need to thinkI would strongly disagree with this statement. I know enough people in the STEM fields to know not everyone needs regular reading and writing to think critically.and jotisPC believes that human progress depends on skilled storytellers (i.e. writers):Human progress is crafted by those who can write. Or tell stories. And at the base of that is the improvement of thought that comes from writing or storytelling. [] Imagine if the (US) Constitution had been written by the non-thinkers of the United Colonies instead of debated and crafted by those who were disciples of classical thought. While the masses have been successful revolutionaries at times in history, unless they had thinkers who could communicate at the helm, chaos was waiting not far down the road. A good sentence I highlighted recentlyA bookstore isnt like most stores, where you walk in, hand over money, and walk out. Its more like a contemporary museum, with artifacts in the form of books. photographer William Sidnam, via his visual tour of Parisian bookstores

An illustration of theMary Celestein 1861, when the ship was known as theAmazonDeAgostini / Getty ImagesOn December 4, 1872, sailors aboard the Canadian brigantine Dei GratiaMary Celeste in the distance. The vessel appeared to be drifting aimlessly in the restless Atlantic, about 400 miles east of the Azores.But though the ship was seaworthy and well-stocked with cargo and supplies, its lifeboat was missing and not a single person was aboard.Thus was born one of the most durable mysteries in nautical history, wrote Jess Blumberg for Smithsonian magazine. What happened to the ten people who had sailed aboard the Mary Celeste? Benjamin Briggs, captain of theMary CelestePublic domain via Wikimedia CommonsThe mysterious ship, first named the Amazon, was built in Nova Scotia in 1861. For the most part, the Amazon was unremarkable, engaged in a typical trading route between the West Indies, England and the Mediterranean. After a series of mishaps and a wreck off Cape Breton, however, Richard W. Haines, an American businessman, bought the ship, made significant repairs and renamed it the Mary Celeste.In fall 1872, the Mary Celeste was loaded with a cargo of 1,701 barrels of industrial alcohol bound for Genoa, Italy. Captain Benjamin Spooner Briggs left his home in Marion, Massachusetts, traveling to New York to embark on the ships latest journey.As the ship left her Staten Island anchorage, she began a voyage destined to lift her from comparative obscurity to a place of enduring fame in the chronicles of the sea, Charles Edey Fay wrote in The Story of the Mary Celeste.Briggs, his wife, 2-year-old daughter and seven crew members were aboard the ship as it headed to the Azores, battling two weeks of bad weather and stormy seas on the Atlantic. But entries in the ships log stopped on November 25. Nothing more was heard of the Mary Celeste until the Dei Gratia arrived nine days later.Captain David Morehouse of the Dei Gratia brought his ship close to offer help or directions to the other vessel. But despite its full cargo and fine sailing condition, no one was aboard the other ship. From Gibraltar, another 800 miles past where he discovered the Mary Celeste, Morehouse sent a cablegram to the disaster clerk of the Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company in New York describing the seaworthy vessel he found abandoned in the middle of the ocean.Back in the United States, speculation about why a captain, his wife, his baby and his seven-man crew abandoned a well-provisioned and seaworthy ship fueled itself. An article in the Alexandria Gazette claimed that the circumstances were strongly indicative of unfair dealing. The inference is that there has been foul play somewhere and that alcohol is at the bottom of it.The True Story of the Mary CelesteWatch on The Mary Celestes crew was never heard from again.British authorities in Gibraltar ultimately ruled against claims of foul play. But that verdict, which didnt offer any alternative explanations for the disappearance of the ships crew, did nothing to settle restless minds.Ten years later, stories still abounded. In one case, the Los Angeles Times embellished details about the Mary Celeste for dramatic effect, changing the captains name and turning the real-life mystery into a dubious myth.Even esteemed writer Arthur Conan Doyle got in on the action, writing a tall tale called J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement from the perspective of the ships fictional sole survivor. Doyles proposed solution to the mysterythat a group of Africans killed every crew member except for the narrator and set the ship adrift into the Atlantichardly stands to reason.A more reasonable theory, advanced in The True Story of the Mary Celeste, a Smithsonian Channel documentary, argues that Briggs might have ordered an evacuation because he believed that the Mary Celeste was taking on too much water after coal dust from a previous voyage clogged the ships pumps.But with no survivors to testify about what happened aboard the Mary Celeste, questions remain about the reason the crew abandoned the ship and what happened afterward. Explanations of the mysterious crews fate remain only theories, adrift on a sea of speculation.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Atlantic Ocean, Canada, Literature, Mysteries, On This Day in History, Ships, Shipwrecks

An artist's depiction of two sauropodomorphs in a wet Early Jurassic environment, eating the newly evolved plants. Marcin AmbrozikPrehistoric poop is full of secrets. Now, one of those secretsthe key to the rise and dominion of dinosaursmight have finally been revealed. In a new study, scientists analyzed hundreds of fossilized droppings and vomit, called bromalites, to reconstruct dinosaur food webs, uncovering how they were influenced by climate and by other species extinction.The research, published last week in the journalNature, shows how dinosaurs fit into food webs over the course of 30 million years. The researchers put a special focus on dinosaurs first appearance in the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic, roughly 230 million to 200 million years ago.There has never been a study of this kind, ever, says lead author Martin Qvarnstrm, a paleontologist at Uppsala University in Sweden, to Sciences Kermit Pattison. People want to study the big skeletons and not the poop.Though researchers have studied how dinosaurs lived and died, many questions remain around how they initially came about and grew to dominate the world. When dinosaurs first appeared 230 million years ago, mammal-like reptiles and giant crocodile-like creatures ruled the Earth. But gradually, dinosaurs outcompeted the other species. The new research shows that dinosaurs took advantage of the environment-driven changes in food sources at the time, and as a result, they grew into larger creatures.Bromalite is an umbrella term that includes fossilized poop (known as coprolite), fossilized vomit (regurgitalite) and fossilized contents of an animals digestive tract (cololite). Qvarnstrm and his colleagues investigated more than 500 bromalite samples collected from the Polish Basin in Central Europe that together weighed more than 220 pounds. Elongated herbivore bromalites from Sotykw, Poland, with plant remains. Qvarnstrm et al., Nature, 2024The team uncovered surprising diversity and remarkable preservation of the food remains in the fossilized droppings and vomit. We found bones, teeth, fish scales, plant fragments and even tiny beetles, which give us a unique glimpse into ancient diets, Qvarnstrm tells Popular Sciences Laura Baisas. Some of the insects were even preserved in 3D, with the legs and antennae intact.Researchers used this information to trace links between prey and predatorsand how these changed over time. They found that dinosaur ancestors in the Triassic were small and omnivorous, and carnivores appeared next, around 220 million years ago. Then, the herbivores evolved and produced droppings laden with ferns.The researchers found that environmental activity of the era, such as volcanic eruptions, changed the Earths plants. The shifts in local climates most likely allowed herbivorous dinosaurs to grow bigger and more plentiful. By eating and digesting the new plants, these dinosaurs got the upper hand compared to other non-dinosaur species. Then, in turn, the meat-eating dinosaurs that hunted them ballooned in size. A coprolite from an archosaur of the genusSmok, in front of an illustration of the reptile Grzegorz NiedwiedzkiThis new, comprehensive picture of the Triassic and Jurassic periods combines information from the dino poop with climate data, along with details from other fossils, including plants, footprints and bones. All the material was collected over 25 years. The final result was a much deeper understanding of dinosaurs dietary diversity and adaptabilityboth crucial traits for survival.The study demonstrates that dinosaurs bromalites, though often overlooked or maligned by researchers, reveal details about how the reptiles lived and fit into ecosystems. Inside these coprolites is a story about life and the biology of these early dinosaurs, says study co-author Grzegorz Niedwiedzki, a paleontologist at Uppsala University, to the Washington Posts Carolyn Johnson.The study is an impressive piece of work, says Suresh Singh, a researcher at the University of Bristol in England, to Nature News Helena Kudiabor. This is the first time hes seen a study of bromalites at such a large scale, and he adds that future research could also focus on how dinosaurs evolved in different parts of the world.With new work like this, bromalites may be improving their reputation. Qvarnstrm hopes the study inspires researchers to look into fossilized droppings in other regions, per Science. People dont really take them seriously scientifically, he tells the outlet, but I think that is about to change.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, Biology, Dinosaurs, Fossils, New Research, Paleontologists, Paleontology, Poland, Poop, Volcanoes

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Chivalry developer Torn Banner Studios lays off staffCuts follow early access launch of No More Room In Hell 2, CEO says studio is still "fully committed" to zombie shooterImage credit: Torn Banner Studios News by James Batchelor Editor-in-chief Published on Dec. 4, 2024 Toronto-based developer Torn Banner Studios has laid off an unknown number of staff.The cuts were announced in a statement by CEO and creative director Steve Piggott, which was shared via LinkedIn, where he said this was part of a restructure for the studio.All affected employees will receive severance packages and have been allowed to keep their work computers. Piggott added that the company is "working hard to help people find positions at other studios where we can."The news follows the early access launch for the studio's latest game, zombie shooter No More Room In Hell 2. Despite the cuts, Piggott emphasised that the studio is "fully committed as we move forward with a full 1.0 release in 2025."He added that multiplayer action game Chivalry 2, which received its final update earlier this year, will not be affected by the cuts and the servers will continue to operate as normal."Torn Banner Studios would not be the place it is today without the dedication, passion, and accomplishments of these great people," Piggott wrote, later adding: "We're saddened to part ways with some of our incredible team, and sincerely wish them the best."

Ubisoft to sunset XDefiant in 2025, nearly 300 people affected by layoffsStudios in San Francisco and Osaka will close, production to be ramped down at Sydney officeImage credit: Ubisoft News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on Dec. 4, 2024 Ubisoft has announced it will be sunsetting XDefiant in 2025, resulting in the closure of two production studios with layoffs affecting almost 300 employees.As shared in a blog post, Ubisoft chief studios and portfolio officer Marie-Sophie de Waubert said that XDefiant had not attracted or retained enough players to continue the live-service title."The game is too far away from reaching the results required to enable further significant investment," said Waubert.Its offices in San Francisco and Osaka will close and production at its Sydney location will be ramped down. 277 people will be made redundant as a result.Half the XDefiant team will be transitioning to "other roles within Ubisoft." According to Insider Gaming, a "skeleton crew" will be kept on to run XDefiant until its servers shut down on June 3, 2025.Season three is still set to launch, but as of today (December 4), new downloads, player registrations, and purchases will no longer be available.Waubert added that Ubisoft will continue to "radically evolve [its] mindset for production and business practices" and will partake in "targeted restructuring when necessary."Last month, Ubisoft's Mark Rubin dismissed claims that XDefiant would be shut down after the game's fourth season.As reported in its latest financials, Ubisoft is currently undergoing a cost reduction plan which has seen the company limit recruitments, enact targeted restructurings, and decrease external spending.

Deceive Inc developer Sweet Bandits Studios has shut down.The Canadian indie studio broke the news in a short forum post and explained it has reached "breaking point.""There is no easy way to say this: The Sweet Bandits team is no more. After a long and difficult road of trying to get Deceive Inc in a state where it could thrive, we have reached the breaking point for the studio, unable to continue this adventure with you," reads the post."While this is a moment of great sadness for us, we are happy to have been given the chance to create this universe and share it with you all. We were amazed by the passion of this community and this has been a driving force for us all along, pushing us to try and make this project reach the potential it has. Weve put our heart and soul into this game and nothing makes us happier than seeing it resonate with other people across the world."The Sweet Bandits website states the studio had 18 employees.Deceive Inc launched in March 2023 and currently has a 'very positive' rating on Steam from almost 4,500 user reviews. Sweet Bandits has been unable to make the project work despite that positive reception.SteamDB estimates the multiplayer stealth shooter has struggled to attract more than 200 concurrent players over the past six months. It reportedly delivered an all-time peak of 8,632 concurrent players in May 2023, but engagement has seemingly fallen dramatically since then.Deceive Inc is also available on consoles such as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S. It's unclear how the title has performed on those platforms.Sweet Bandits is now working with publisher Tripwire Interactive in a bid to maintain the title. "We are considering options, with the goal of maintaining the game that we all love," it added. "We will share news with everyone once we have more details. In the meantime, servers and game access will continue as they have been."

Ubisoft is shutting down free-to-play shooter XDefiant and closing production studios in San Francisco and Osaka. Another production team in Sydney is also being "ramped down."In a note to investors, the French company said XDefiant is being axed following a "thorough review of the games performance, profitability, and market conditions." Ubisoft added that it's now being more selective with its R&D investments.XDefiant launched on May 21, 2024. It will remain active and fully playable until June 3, 2025.In a separate message to players, Ubisoft explained it has already initiated the sunsetting process, meaning new downloads, player registrations, and purchases are now prohibited.The company still plans to launch Season 3 of XDefiant but noted refunds will be issued to players who purchased the Ultimate Founders Pack and have made other virtual currency and DLC purchases since November 3, 2024.Ubisoft retains faith in games-as-a-service titles despite XDefiant failureThe shutdown will result in half of the XDefiant team transitioning to other roles within Ubisoft. 277 people will likely be departing the company due to those aforementioned studio closures."This decision also leads to the closing of our San Francisco and Osaka production studios and to the ramp down of our Sydney production site, with 143 people departing in San Francisco and 134 people likely to depart in Osaka and Sydney," wrote the company.Although Ubisoft is culling XDefiant, placing livelihoods and studios on the chopping block, the company said the games-as-a-service model remains a "central pillar" of its strategy.It cited "notable successes" such as Rainbow Six, The Crew, and For Honor as evidence the model can deliver the goods, but explained XDefiant simply wasn't able to retain enough players to become viable in the freemium shooter market."Although XDefiant generated initial excitement it did not retain a large enough player base to establish it as a viable competitor in the free-to-play first-person-shooter genre nor to support the companys continued investment in its development," added the company. "Ubisoft will apply the lessons learned from XDefiant to future free-to-play titles."Ubisoft said it remains committed to building a "robust portfolio of proprietary IPs" to deliver long-term value to its stakeholders.