Thursday, October 2nd, 2025Posted by Jim ThackerFaceform releases Wrap 2025.9 and Wrap4D 2025.9html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Faceform has released Wrap 2025.9 and Wrap4D 2025.9, the latest versions of its topology transfer software for creating CG characters from 3D scan data.Wrap 2025.9 introduces support for real-time playback, making it possible to preview 2D and 3D sequences inside Wrap, and lazy node evaluation to speed up processing of complex graphs.Wrap4D 2025.9 has the same new features as Wrap, plus a new ConvertNormalMap node for transferring normal maps between World and Tangent spaces.Powerful standalone tools for processing 3D scans of actors for games and VFX workFirst released in 2014, Wrap is a topology transfer tool for 3D scan data.It transfers clean topology from a reference mesh to a raw 3D scan, speeding up the process of creating animation-ready digital doubles of actors.The process is semi-automatic, and due to Wraps node graph-based architecture, adjustments made for one scan can then be rolled out to others.The extended edition, Wrap4D, is part of a set of tools for creating time sequences of scans from head-mounted camera rigs, for capturing an actors facial expressions in 3D.The software is used by game developers and visual effects studios including EA Vancouver, Rocksteady Studios, Framestore and The Mill.Wrap 2025.9 and Wrap4D 2025.9: real-time playbackKey changes in Wrap 2025.9 include support for real-time playback.Users can now play back video, image, and mesh sequences directly from the Wrap timeline, rather than having to export data to view in an external application.Playback controls include options to play forwards or backwards, set a timeline range to play, and to set the playback frame rate.Wrap 2025.9 and Wrap4D 2025.9: lazy node evaluation speeds up complex graphsThe other major change is support for lazy node evaluation of graphs.It speeds up processing of complex graphs by skipping nodes that are disabled, deselected, or that are not writing data to the viewport or to disk.It is also now possible to pin nodes with image outputs, forcing them to display in Viewport2D, no matter what other nodes are selected.Wrap 2025.9 and Wrap4D 2025.9: other changesIn addition, both editions of the software get a separate dedicated viewport for inspecting the UV map for any node selected that has geometry output.There are also a lot of smaller feature and workflow improvements, including the option to save custom workspace layouts, and updates to the command-line interface and batch processing.Wrap4D 2025.9 only: convert normal maps between World and Tangent spaceWrap4D 2024.9 has all of the same features, plus a new ConvertNormalMap node.As the name suggests, it converts normal maps: in this case between World and Tangent normal spaces.Price and system requirementsWrap 2025.9 and Wrap4D 2025.9 are compatible with Windows and Linux.For users with revenue under $100,000/year, perpetual node-locked Indie licenses of wrap cost $570. Full Professional licenses of Wrap cost $1,070 for node-locked licenses; $1,470 for floating licenses. The software is free to students and educational institutions.Wrap4D is priced on enquiry.Read a full list of new features in Wrap 2025.9 and Wrap4D 2025.9Have 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 NewsEscape Motions releases Rebelle 8Big update to the natural media painting software adds new Bristle Brushes, environment lighting for thick paint, and better PSD support.Friday, October 3rd, 2025Faceform releases Wrap 2025.9 and Wrap4D 2025.9Check out the new features in the topology transfer tools for creating digital doubles and blendshapes from 3D scans of actors.Thursday, October 2nd, 2025Zibra AI unveils ZibraGDSPromising new tech compresses complex destruction, cloth and liquid simulation caches for real-time rendering inside Unreal Engine.Thursday, October 2nd, 2025Cascadeur Mobile is now available on Android as well as iOSMobile edition of Nekki's AI-assisted animation software now works on Android tablets, See the other new features in Cascadeur Mobile 1.5.Thursday, October 2nd, 2025Marvelous Designer is now available for LinuxNew Linux version of the 3D clothing design software for VFX and game development adds a Python API for studios to automate repetitive tasks.Wednesday, October 1st, 2025Epic Games releases Twinmotion 2025.2 with Nanite supportMajor update to the real-time visualization app adds support for Nanite and the Unreal VCam virtual camera app. Free to indie artists.Wednesday, October 1st, 2025More NewsTopaz Labs to end perpetual licenses of its softwareZBrush and Cinema 4D to support Snapdragon processors nativelyOrnatrix is now free to schools and students worldwideBoris FX releases Silhouette 2025.5Pixar unveils the new features of RenderMan 27Theory Accelerated releases Axiom 4 for HoudiniGet 150+ modular assets to create wooden cabins in Unreal EngineWacom launches new $300 Wacom One 14 pen displayAdobe releases Photoshop 26.11BiteTheBytes releases World Creator 2025.1Globe Plants to close its online store next monthItoosoft releases Forest Pack 9.3 for 3ds MaxOlder Posts

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Originally posted on 4 August 2025 for early access, and updated for the final release.Escape Motions has released Rebelle 8, the new version of the natural media painting software.Its a wide-ranging update, particularly in the Pro edition, which gets a new set of Bristle Brushes, and support for environment lighting and ray traced soft shadows on thick paint.Pro users also get better AI image upscaling, better import and export of PSD files and even support for the WebSocket API, to make it possible to use Rebelle in live performances.Both standard and Pro editions get a new RYB color wheel, Color Harmonies system, intelligent symmetry painting, and a lot of workflow and performance improvements.A natural media paint package that accurately mimics the behavior of real-world paintsFirst released in 2015, Rebelle mimics the behaviour of real watercolor, acrylic and oil paint, complete with fluid flow and pigment-based color mixing.It can also mimic dry media, including pencil, pastel and marker, while commercial add-on packs replicate the textures of real-world papers, canvases and lithography stones.Recent updates have rounded out the feature set with more conventional drawing and image-manipulation tools, including AI-based Liquify and Warp tools.Rebelle 8 Pro edition: new particle-based Bristle brushesFor users of the Pro edition of the software, key changes include the new Bristle Brushes.Unlike the existing Texture brushes, which use textures to imitate brush strands, theyre based on a new particle brush system, which simulates the movement of each strand individually.Strands can respond uniquely to color and pressure, and can even affect one another.According to Escape Motions, the new system improves the realism of impasto paint effects, and the underlying changes improve the responsiveness of painting in general.Pro only: thick oil paint is now rendered with environment maps and soft shadowsAs well as providing new tools to create them, Rebelle 8 changes the way in which Rebelle renders impasto effects.The release introduces RealShader, a new generation of Rebelle materials using real photos as environment maps.The maps are used for image-based lighting in the same way as in 3D software, generating more realistic lighting effects on raised paint surfaces.In addition, a new SoftShadows setting enables raised brushstrokes to cast ray traced shadows, giving them a better sense of 3D volume.Escape Motions told us that RealShader and SoftShadows are only applicable to oil paint, as the only medium thick enough to benefit from the rendering effects. Pro only: Smooth Scaling preserves fine lines even when zoomed out fullyThe changes to Rebelles rendering engine that power RealShader also power Smooth Scaling, a new anti-aliasing system.It is intended to ensure that thin strokes, like pencil or ink lines, remain smooth even when the canvas is zoomed out to the full extend.Pro only: NanoPixel 2, better Metallic materials and expanded PSD supportThe NanoPixel AI-based image upscaling system introduced in Rebelle 5 has been updated, raising the maximum increase in resolution from 16x to 20x.Export size is now capped at 32,000 x 32,000px for most file formats, but is unlimited for TIFFs.For exchanging files with other digital painting software, support for Photoshops PSD file format has been extended to preserve layer arrangements and masks more faithfully.You can see a list of PSD properties currently supported in this blog post.Photoshop live link plugin Escape Motions Connect also now runs natively on current Apple Silicon Macs, rather than in Rosetta emulation mode, as in the initial release.Other updates to existing features include the option to use custom reflectivity patterns for the metallic materials introduced in Rebelle 7.Pro only: WebSocket support may make it possible to use Rebelle in live performancesAnother interesting, more speculative feature in the Pro edition is support for WebSockets.The WebSocket API enables two-way communications sessions between a software application and a remote server: in this case, making it possible to control Rebelle remotely.Escape Motions says that the workflow could be used for interactive installations or live performances, although it is genuinely curious to see how artists use it in practice.The system is built on Motion IO, the firms scripting system for VFX and motion graphics studios, used by Sony Pictures Imageworks on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.Both editions: New RYB color wheel and Color Harmonies toolBoth editions of the software get new color picking features, including a RYB color wheel.Rebelle has supported the RYB (Red Yellow Blue) color model, which mimics the subtractive color mixing of real-world pigments, since version 4.The current release also introduces a new Color Harmonies tool, which generates color palettes based on Complementary, Analogous Complementary, Triadic and Tetradic harmonies.The Gradient preview, which displays a hue along a black-to-white gradient, has been reintroduced as a slider to make color picking more intuitive.Both editions: new Symmetry tool mirrors paint strokes intelligentlyBoth editions of the software also get the new Symmetry tool, which mirrors brush strokes intelligently from one side of the canvas to the other.Rather than just mirroring the pixels, it clones the entire brush engine, meaning that the stroke interacts independently with the paint and paper texture on each side of the canvas.Both editions: workflow and performance updatesThere are also a lot of workflow and performance updates, particularly to the brush engine.The maximum brush size has been raised from 700px to 3,000px, and recently used brushes are now stored in a new tab in the Favorite Brushes tool to make it easier to find them again.It is also now possible to control more properties on a per-layer basis, including impasto settings and filter layer properties including brightness, contrast, hue and saturation.Other changes include the option to move the anchor point when transforming a layer or selection, making it possible to scale or rotate it around a specific point.There is also a self-descriptive View at Print Size option for previewing art work, You can see a complete list of new features on Escape Motions blog: most of the smaller workflow improvements are covered in either this blog post or this one.Price, system requirements and release dateRebelle 8 is compatible with Windows 10+ and macOS 10.15+. The Rebelle 8.0.x releases were the early access releases, so the stable release is officially Rebelle 8.1.The standard edition costs $89.99 for a perpetual license; Rebelle 8 Pro costs $149.99.Read an overview of the new features in Rebelle 8 on Escape Motions blogSee a feature comparison between the standard and Pro editions of Rebelle.Have 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.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Epic Games has made a set of 156 modular assets for creating a rural cabin and its surrounding environment available to download for free from Fab, its new online marketplace.Games environment artist Maarten Hofss Modular Rural Cabin asset pack is part of the latest set of time-limited free content released on Fab, and will be free until 7 October 2025.Over 150 modular 3D assets for creating a mountain cabin and its wooded surroundingsThe Modular Rural Cabin asset pack consists of 156 meshes for creating a rural cabin with wooden walls and an iron roof and its wooded surroundings, with a AAA realistic art style.As well as parts of the cabin itself, they include set dressing objects like chairs, tables, log piles, oil drums and tires; and a set of 3D plants, including a conifer tree.The meshes dont have LODs, but they do have lightmaps.The asset pack includes eight customizable master materials, with textures up to 2,048 x 2,048px in resolution, and six maps including readymade environment layouts.System requirements and availabilityThe Modular Rural Cabin asset pack is available as an asset package for Unreal Engine 4.22+ and 5.0+ under a Fab Standard license.The terms of the Fab Standard license permit content to be used in any engine or tool, including for commercial projects, subject to the restrictions set out in the Fab EULA.Get Maarten Hofs Modular Rural Cabin asset pack from Fab(Available free until 7 October 2025)Have 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.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Adobe has released Photoshop 26.11, the latest version of the image-editing software, widely used in the entertainment industry for concept art, texture editing, and retouching renders.The update adds new Projects feature for creating and managing shared projects, and makes it possible to view images generated with Adobes Firefly AI tools from the home screen.Create and manage simple cloud-based shared projects from within PhotoshopThe main new feature in Photoshop 26.11 is Projects, a new system for creating and managing shared cloud-based projects from inside the software.Users can upload Photoshop (.psd), Illustrator (.ai) and Adobe Express files to a shared location on Adobe cloud storage, available as part of Photoshop and photography plan subscriptions.They can then send email invitations to collaborators to join the project, and assign simple permissions options: currently just Can Comment and Can Edit.Sharper rendering of Chinese, Japanese or Korean textIn addition, when opening a Photoshop document, it is now possible to update text layers to use vector-based output.The option is mainly intended to improve display of Chinese, Japanese and Korean text, but may also help when displaying documents created using fonts not available directly to the user.View Firefly generation history from the Photoshop home screenPhotoshop users can also now preview and import any still images they have generated using Firefly, Adobes suite of online generative AI tools, from the softwares home screen.Single-app Photoshop subscriptions currently include 25 generative credits per month, enough to generate a single image with the Firefly 4 Ultra AI model.Price and system requirementsPhotoshop 26.11 is compatible with Windows 10+ and macOS 13.0+. In the online documentation, it is also referred to as the September 2025 release or Photoshop 2025.9.The software is rental-only, with Photography subscription plans that include access to Photoshop costing $29.99/month or $239.88/year. Single-app Photoshop subscriptions cost $34.49/month or $263.88/year.Read Adobes release notes for Photoshop 26.11Have 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.

Wednesday, September 24th, 2025Posted by Jim ThackerWacom launches new $300 Wacom One 14 pen displayhtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Wacom has updated its entry-level Wacom One product range, launching a new 14-inch display, the Wacom One 14.It has similar dimensions to the original Wacom One, but is thinner, lighter, has a larger usable drawing area, and at $299.95 has the joint-lowest launch price of any Wacom pen display.The Wacom One range: lower-cost pen displays for newer usersOn its release in 2020, the original 13.3-inch Wacom One was pitched as a pen display for creative beginners, social content creators and visual thinkers.It offered a lower-specced but lower-cost alternative to to Wacoms professional Cintiq range, with an HD-resolution screen and a pen that supported 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.It was joined in 2023 by a newer, touch-enabled 13.3-inch model, the Wacom One 13 touch, and the 12-inch Wacom One 12.Wacom One pen displaysWacom One 14Wacom One (2020)Wacom One 13 touchWacom One 12Screen size14.0 in13.3 in13.3 in11.6 inDimensions13.2 x 8.9 x 0.4 in(336 x 201 x 10 mm)14.1 x 8.9 x 0.6 in (357 x 225 x 14.6 mm)13.2 x 8.7 x 0.5 in (336 x 222 x 12 mm)11.8 x 7.5 x 0.4 in (299 x 190 x 11 mm)Resolution1,920 x 1,080 px1,920 x 1,080 px1,920 x 1,080 px1,920 x 1,080 pxColour gamut98% sRGB72% NTSC(<99% sRGB)99% sRGB99% sRGBViewing angle (H)178170170170Brightness285 cd/m2200 cd/m2320 cd/m2275 cd/m2Contrast ratio1,000:11,000:12,000:11,400:1PenWacom One PenWacom One PenWacom One PenWacom One PenPressure sensitivity4,096 levels4,096 levels4,096 levels4,096 levelsMulti-touchNoNoYesNoWeight1.7 lbs (750 g)2.2 lbs (1.0 kg)2.0 lbs (900 g)1.5 lbs (700 g)Launch date2024202020232023Launch price(Wacom e-store)$299.95$399.95$499.95$299.95Wacom One 14: better key specs than its predecessor at a lower priceThe new Wacom One 14 is an improvement over its 2020 predecessor in pretty much every way.Although its marginally smaller and significantly lighter it has a larger usable drawing area, thanks to its slimmer bezel.The resolution, color gamut and contrast ratio are unchanged, but the screen direct-bonded, unlike its predecessor is brighter, and has a wider viewing angle.The bundled stylus remains the Wacom One Pen, which only supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, although the response time has improved from 26ms to 16ms.As with the Wacom One 12 and 13 touch, it should connect to newer workstations which Wacom defines as anything less than five years old via a single USB-C cable.And at $299.95, it has the joint-lowest launch price of any Wacom pen display, equalling the smaller Wacom One 12, although the latter is now discounted in Wacoms online store.That brings it much closer to similarly sized displays from traditionally cheaper rival manufacturers like Huion and XP-Pen.Although its still marketed very much at students and hobbyists, Wacom is pitching it as a solution for anyone looking for an affordable pen display.Price and system requirementsThe Wacom One 14 is compatible with Windows 10+, macOS 13.0+, and ChromeOS. It costs $299.95, including the Wacom One Pen, a foldable stand and carry case.Read more about the new Wacom One 14 on Wacoms websiteHave 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 NewsWacom launches new $300 Wacom One 14 pen displayBeginner-friendly 14-inch HD display is Wacom's thinnest, cheapest pen display to date. Check out its key specs for digital art.Wednesday, September 24th, 2025Adobe releases Photoshop 26.11Check out the new features in the image-editing app, including a new system for creating and managing shared cloud-based projects.Wednesday, September 24th, 2025BiteTheBytes releases World Creator 2025.1Big update to the GPU-based terrain generator adds new biome and object scattering systems. See all of the changes, and the new pricing.Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025Globe Plants to close its online store next monthPopular 3D plant creator's models will be available via Chaos's Cosmos asset library after its e-store closes on 1 October 2025.Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025Itoosoft releases Forest Pack 9.3 for 3ds MaxCheck out the changes to the scattering and scene layout toolset, including support for wind animation in the new ForestIvy plugin.Monday, September 22nd, 2025Get 48,000 free 3D models, HDRIs and materials from BlenderKitCheck out the stock resources, add-ons and even complete 3D scenes available for free in the Blender asset library. For commercial use.Sunday, September 21st, 2025More NewsDownload 350+ free KitBash3D assets with Cargo 2.0Storyboarding app Previs Pro 3 adds animatics and a free editionTon Roosendaal to step down as Blender chairman and CEOAutodesk unveils new AI tools coming to MayaDiscover 5 key features for CG artists in Godot 4.5GPU firm Bolt Graphics becomes Blender's latest Corporate PatronCascadeur to get dedicated Unreal Engine Live Link pluginRizom-Lab releases RizomUV 2025Foundry releases Mari 7.5 in betaTutorials: Rendering Matte Surfaces - Volumes 1 and 2Blackmagic Design releases Fusion Studio 20.2Autodesk releases MotionBuilder 2026.1Older Posts

Thursday, September 26th, 2024Posted by Jim ThackerItoosoft releases Forest Pack 9.0 for 3ds Maxhtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Itoosoft has released Forest Pack 9.0, the latest version of its scattering plugin for 3ds Max.The most ambitious release in years, the update adds ForestIvy, an accompanying plugin for generating 3D ivy and other climbing plants using a mix of manual and parametric workflow.The ultimate scattering tool for 3ds MaxDescribed by Itoosoft as the ultimate scattering tool for 3ds Max, Forest Pack is designed to distribute objects across a scene: usually plant models, but also rocks, buildings or lights.The plugin can generate scenes with hundreds of thousands of scattered objects, with a point cloud display mode to improve viewport response, and the option to convert Forest Pack objects to Maxs native instances.The scattering process is fully parametric, and object distribution can also be controlled by image maps, splines or painting directly onto terrain geometry.Forest Pack can scatter both static and animated objects, with the option to randomise both texture maps and the time offset of animation cycles, or control them via image maps.Forest Pack 9.0: new ForestIvy plugin generates 3D climbing plantsThe main new feature in Forest Pack 9.0 the paid Pro edition, at least is ForestIvy, a new bundled plugin for generating 3D ivy and other climbing plants.Users set the overall form of the ivy using a combination of manual and procedural workflow, drawing it directly onto surfaces, generating it automatically, or blending between the two.Its also possible to generate vegetation without an underlying surface, to create basic bushes and shrubs.For finer control, the plugin includes parametric control for properties like branching pattern, the response of the plant to gravity, and the distribution of leaves and flowers.ForestIvy ships with 30 presets based on real-world leaf scans, making it possible to recreate a range of types of climbing plants.To improve performance, the plugin uses viewport and render-time instancing: the initial release is supported in Arnold and V-Ray CPU, but other renderers should add support soon.Workflow and performance updates to the core pluginAs well as ForestIvy, there are a number of workflow and performance improvements to Forest Pack itself.Distribution maps now support multiple mapping channels, and the Randomize Stacked setting now supports stacked splines as well as areas.The ForestSet helper plugin added in Forest Pack 8.0 has been updated, to make it possible to move items from the Geometry List to ForestSet objects.There are also updates to the UI, Library Browser, camera clipping, memory management, and support for V-Ray Proxies. You can find a full list of changes via the link at the foot of the story.Pricing and availabilityForest Pack 9.0 is compatible with 3ds Max 2019+ running on Windows 10+. You can find a list of compatible render engines here.New perpetual licences cost $275. There is also a free Lite edition. Its feature-limited, but can be used on commercial projects.Read a full list of new features in Forest Pack 9.0 in the online release notesRead more about Forest Pack on the product webpage(The download link for the Lite edition is at the top of the page) Latest NewsAdobe releases Photoshop 26.11Check out the new features in the image-editing app, including a new system for creating and managing shared cloud-based projects.Wednesday, September 24th, 2025BiteTheBytes releases World Creator 2025.1Big update to the GPU-based terrain generator adds new biome and object scattering systems. See all of the changes, and the new pricing.Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025Globe Plants to close its online store next monthPopular 3D plant creator's models will be available via Chaos's Cosmos asset library after its e-store closes on 1 October 2025.Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025Itoosoft releases Forest Pack 9.3 for 3ds MaxCheck out the changes to the scattering and scene layout toolset, including support for wind animation in the new ForestIvy plugin.Monday, September 22nd, 2025Get 48,000 free 3D models, HDRIs and materials from BlenderKitCheck out the stock resources, add-ons and even complete 3D scenes available for free in the Blender asset library. For commercial use.Sunday, September 21st, 2025Download 350+ free KitBash3D assets with Cargo 2.0Check out the changes to the kitbash asset library's browser app, plus the free 3D vehicles, models and materials available through it.Sunday, September 21st, 2025More NewsStoryboarding app Previs Pro 3 adds animatics and a free editionTon Roosendaal to step down as Blender chairman and CEOAutodesk unveils new AI tools coming to MayaDiscover 5 key features for CG artists in Godot 4.5GPU firm Bolt Graphics becomes Blender's latest Corporate PatronCascadeur to get dedicated Unreal Engine Live Link pluginRizom-Lab releases RizomUV 2025Foundry releases Mari 7.5 in betaTutorials: Rendering Matte Surfaces - Volumes 1 and 2Blackmagic Design releases Fusion Studio 20.2Autodesk releases MotionBuilder 2026.1Maxon releases Red Giant 2026.0 and Universe 2026.0Older Posts

Thursday, September 26th, 2024Posted by Jim ThackerUnity previews its roadmap for Unity 6.1 and beyondhtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Unitys keynote from its Unite 2024 conference. The section on the product roadmap for Unity 6.1 and beyond starts at 01:30:30 in the recording.Originally posted on 20 September, and updated with more details of the next-gen releases.Unity has previewed its product roadmap and release schedule for the next few versions of its Unity game engine at its Unite 2024 conference.Unity 6, the next long-term support release, will be released globally on 17 October 2024.It will be followed in April 2025 by Unity 6.1, with new features including support for Deferred+ rendering in the GPU Resident Drawer, and support for larger and foldable screens.Development of the next major release generation presumably Unity 7 is also underway, with an open beta due in 2025.The next-gen releases will overhaul the Unity engine core, and introduce new artist tools for shader authoring, rendering, character animation and world building.Unity 6: due for release on 17 October 2024The first part of the roadmap announced at Unite was the release date for Unity 6, the next long-term support release, which will become available globally on 17 October 2024.Many of its key features, including the new GPU Resident Drawer for faster rendering, STP render upscaling, and updates to the URP and HDRP rendering pipelines, are already available in preview. You can read our pick of key graphics features in the Unity 6 Preview here.Unity 6 was previously the point at which the Unity Runtime Fee was due to come into force something that will not now be happening, Unity having just announced that it is scrapping the controversial per-installation fee on higher-earning games created with the engine.Unity 6.1: due in April 2025Unity 6 will be followed in April 2025 by Unity 6.1, an update building on the core Unity 6 capabilities.New features will include support for what Unity is billing as Deferred+ rendering in the GPU Resident Drawer, the behind-the-curtain system for speeding up rendering of scenes with a lot of instanced objects.The release will also introduce support for foldable and large-format screens, and introduce new build targets and profiles, including a target for Facebook Instant Games, and a new profile for Meta Quest VR systems.Next release generation: due in open beta in 2025Unity also announced that it is already a year into development of its next generation of releases.During the keynote, the focus of the release cycle was described as simplicity, iteration and power, marking a fundamental shift in our thinking and approach.Changes will include bringing Unitys Entity Component System (ECS) into the very heart of the Unity engine, integrating Entities with GameObjects.The content pipeline will be reworked to allow more import tasks to run in the background, making it possible to iterate on projects more quickly.New graphical capabilities include virtual texturing, advanced tessellation, and terrain services in the Shader Graph, making it possible to seamlessly blend in meshes.There will also be an all-new animation system emphasising flexibility, animation at scale, and performance across multiple platforms.For scripting, all of the functionality of the Mono backend will be moved to CoreCLR, which will bring big performance gains to both the [Unity] Editor and the runtime.The stable release is still a ways off, but the new version is expected in open beta in 2025.The Unity Engine roadmap session from Unite 2024. The section on the new animation and worldbuilding tools starts at 38:05 in the recording.Updated 26 September 2024: Unity has now posted the recording of Unity Engine Roadmap session from Unite 2024.It covers the ground summarized in the keynote in more detail, including the new animation and world building tools due in the next-generation releases.New character animation systemNew animation features include the option to preview animations without loading them into the scene, a new socket object for weapons and props, and a new animation remapping system.Technical animators get a new underlying graph system along the lines of the Shader Graph, and a reworked hierarchical, layered State Machine.For troubleshooting animations, a visual debugging system makes it possible to rewind gameplay frame by frame, and jump to the relevant point in the animation graph.New world building toolsThe video also shows the new world building workflows for technical artists, emphasising non-destructive editing via procedural rulesets.New capabilities include the option to mask terrain procedurally by altitude or slope angle.There are also demos of the new terrain blending capabilities, and the virtual texturing and tessellation systems, which increase detail in areas of the environment closest to the player.Unified renderer replaces the URP and HDRPHowever, the video also covers changes in the next-gen releases that werent covered in the keynote. For 3D artists, the key changes are in this section, which covers shading and rendering.The old Built-In Render Pipeline will be marked as deprecated during the Unity 6 releases, and is scheduled for replacement by the newer Scriptable Render Pipeline.Within the SRP, the Universal Render Pipeline (URP) for mobile devices and High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) for desktop and console will be replaced by a single unified renderer.Rather than having to create different versions of lights, cameras, materials and effects for different hardware platforms, Unity says that artists will be able to author them once, then configure the rendering logic to scale across all platforms.To test output, it will be possible to switch between rendering configurations via a drop-down within the Unity Editor.New Unified Lit shader and Shader Graph 2 authoring environment For shading, a Unified Lit shader based on the new OpenPBR standard will make it possible to author shaders in a standard way between Unity and your art package.OpenPBR development is being driven by Adobe and Autodesk and will supersede their own individual Adobe Standard Material and Autodesk Standard Surface material specifications.Unity is also working on Shader Graph 2, a complete rebuild of the node-based visual shader authoring environment.The update will add more than two dozen new nodes, update over 50 existing nodes, and make it possible to create custom nodes using block shader code: Unitys new shader format.Workflow improvements include new options for grouping nodes and snapping them to the canvas, and better node search capabilities.Read a summary of the announcements from the Unite 2024 keynote on Unitys blogHave 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 Photoshop 26.11Check out the new features in the image-editing app, including a new system for creating and managing shared cloud-based projects.Wednesday, September 24th, 2025BiteTheBytes releases World Creator 2025.1Big update to the GPU-based terrain generator adds new biome and object scattering systems. See all of the changes, and the new pricing.Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025Globe Plants to close its online store next monthPopular 3D plant creator's models will be available via Chaos's Cosmos asset library after its e-store closes on 1 October 2025.Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025Itoosoft releases Forest Pack 9.3 for 3ds MaxCheck out the changes to the scattering and scene layout toolset, including support for wind animation in the new ForestIvy plugin.Monday, September 22nd, 2025Get 48,000 free 3D models, HDRIs and materials from BlenderKitCheck out the stock resources, add-ons and even complete 3D scenes available for free in the Blender asset library. For commercial use.Sunday, September 21st, 2025Download 350+ free KitBash3D assets with Cargo 2.0Check out the changes to the kitbash asset library's browser app, plus the free 3D vehicles, models and materials available through it.Sunday, September 21st, 2025More NewsStoryboarding app Previs Pro 3 adds animatics and a free editionTon Roosendaal to step down as Blender chairman and CEOAutodesk unveils new AI tools coming to MayaDiscover 5 key features for CG artists in Godot 4.5GPU firm Bolt Graphics becomes Blender's latest Corporate PatronCascadeur to get dedicated Unreal Engine Live Link pluginRizom-Lab releases RizomUV 2025Foundry releases Mari 7.5 in betaTutorials: Rendering Matte Surfaces - Volumes 1 and 2Blackmagic Design releases Fusion Studio 20.2Autodesk releases MotionBuilder 2026.1Maxon releases Red Giant 2026.0 and Universe 2026.0Older Posts

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The keynote from this weeks Blender Conference, during which Ton Roosendaal the original creator of the open-source 3D software announced that he is standing down as Blender CEO.Ton Roosendaal is to step down as chairman of the Blender Foundation and Blender CEO on 1 January 2026. The news was announced during todays keynote at the Blender Conference.Roosendaal the original author of the open-source 3D software, and its public figurehead for the past three decades will pass on his roles to current Blender COO Francesco Siddi.Roosendaal himself will move to the newly established Blender Foundation supervisory board.Other new Blender Foundation board positions include Head of Development Sergey Sharybin, Head of Product Dalai Felinto, and Head of Operations Fiona Cohen.Ton Roosendaal in the early 1990s. Blender originated as in-house software at NeoGeo, the animation studio he co-founded.Blenders original creator and principal promoterBlender began life in the mid-1990s as in-house software at NeoGeo, the Dutch animation studio that Roosendaal co-founded, and for which he wrote the custom tools.Although initially set to become a commercial product, when investors decided to pull the plug on Not a Number, the firm he had founded to develop Blender, Roosendaal went open-source. A crowdfunding campaign quickly raised the 110,000 needed to buy back the code base, and on 13 October 2002, Blender was released to the world under a GPL licence.From the start, two things distinguished Blender from most other open-source CG applications.First, even before the first release, Roosendaal established the non-profit Blender Foundation, so development was run through an organization akin to a commercial software developer.Second, the software was tested in something close to real-world production conditions, on a series of open movies, beginning with 2006s Elephants Dream, and continuing to this day.The early open movies funded through a combination of DVD pre-sales and arts grants also provided valuable exposure for Blender, and illustrated Roosendaals gifts as a producer and promoter: a mixture of passion, physical presence, and sheer force of personality.Taking Blender from fan favorite to staple of professional productionBy the mid-2010s, Blender was quietly being adopted in major studios, with Pixar confirming that it was one of a small number of third-party 3D tools that it approved for use internally.A major turning point was the release of Blender 2.80: the 2019 update that addressed many of the UI and workflow issues that had previously alienated artists used to commercial 3D apps.It catalysed support for Blender among big tech firms, with a landmark $1.2 million grant from Epic Games followed by backing from companies including AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and Qualcomm.Last year, the Corporate Patrons of the Blender Development Fund accounted for just under 40% of the collective income of the Blender organizations.The resulting 3.1 million paid the salaries of over 15 full-time developers, plus a similar number of tech support staff and part-time devs: a larger team than many commercial CG tools.Roosendaal (right) introduces the new Blender leadership team: (L-R) incoming CEO Francesco Siddi, Sergey Sharybin, Dalai Felinto and Fiona Cohen.The public incarnation of BlenderDuring that time, the software has been closely identified with Roosendaal himself, both through his role as chairman of the Blender Foundation, and as a kind of totemic figurehead.When I interviewed him in 2019 for an article in a UK tech magazine, he described himself, quite accurately, as the incarnation of Blender.But in the same interview, he noted that Blender is much bigger than me and commented: Now I need to get the organisation working without me, and then I can move on.Six years later, those plans have finally come to fruition, with the appointment of a new Blender leadership team.From single figurehead to four core leadership rolesAnnouncing his departure at the Blender Conference, Roosendaal identified four of his key skills that he felt had led to Blenders success: as an organizer, developer, designer and entrepreneur.Its telling that rather than trying to appoint one person to fulfil all four roles, they have been split out to four separate people.Former animation producer Fiona Cohen takes on the organizational role, as the Blender Foundations new Head of Operations. The developer role will be taken by Blender Lead Engineer Sergey Sharybin in his new role as the Foundations Head of Development.The designer role passes to another long-time Blender artist and developer, Dalai Felinto, as the new Head of Product.The critical entrepreneurial role will be fulfilled by current Blender COO Francesco Siddi, who takes on Roosendaals job tiles of chairman and CEO.Siddi first began working with the Blender organization in 2012, as a VFX artist on the open movie Tears of Steel, later acting as a web developer and pipeline developer.He began working as a producer on subsequent open movies in 2017, and has managed Blenders industry relations since 2020.I am very proud to have such a wonderfully talented young team around me to bring our free and open source project into the next decade, commented Roosendaal.Read the official announcement that Ton Roosendaal is stepping down as Blender CEORead more about Blenders leadership structure in the latest Blender Foundation annual report

Friday, September 12th, 2025Posted by Jim ThackerAutodesk releases MotionBuilder 2026.1html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"https://www.cgchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/250327_MotionBuilder2026.mp4Animation is now retained when loading a USD stage in MotionBuilder 2026.Posted on 27 March 2025. Scroll down for details of the MotionBuilder 2026.1 update.Autodesk has begun its 2026 updates to MotionBuilder, its character animation software, commonly used for viewing and editing motion-capture data.MotionBuilder 2026 extends support for USD workflows.MotionBuilder 2026.1 makes a number of further workflow and quality-of-life improvements.Updates to USD workflowsMotionBuilder 2026 extends USD-based workflows, USD support having been introduced last year in MotionBuilder 2025.When loading a USD stage file, the animation contained in the file is now retained, and will be rendered.A new animatable frame offset property in the Python API makes it possible to retime or time warp the motion.There is also a new button in the UI to reload USD stage proxies, and a corresponding property in the API.Other quality-of-life improvementsWorkflow improvements include a new shortcut key to force-select previously unselectable objects, and support for extended function keys [F13] and beyond as keyboard modifiers.There is also a new SDK property to control whether HUDs are exported in FBX files, and some API properties have been renamed for clarity.Updated 12 September 2025: Autodesk has released MotionBuilder 2026.1.Again, its primarily a workflow update, particularly when working with Relations constraints, the interface for which now supports grid snapping and four new styles for the connections between nodes (shown above), helping to keep graphs organized.Other changes include a new search bar within the Property View, the option to customize the default scene frame rate when launching MotionBuilder, and the option to save unnamed scripts automatically when exiting the Python Editor.In addition, the update introduces new hi-res icons to help MotionBuilders interface scale better on high-DPI displays.However, its only the second time since 2020 that Autodesk has put out more than one new version of the software in a year, the other occasion being last years MotionBuilder 2025.1.Pricing and system requirementsMotionBuilder 2026.1 is available for Windows 10+ and RHEL and Rocky Linux 8.10/9.3/9.5. The software is available rental-only, with subscriptions costing $2,225/year.Read a full list of new features in MotionBuilder in the online documentationHave 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 NewsTutorials: Rendering Matte Surfaces - Volumes 1 and 2Master digital drawing skills with The Gnomon Workshop's new series of introductory tutorials recorded by top Concept Designer Neville Page.Saturday, September 13th, 2025Blackmagic Design releases Fusion Studio 20.2Free update to the 3D compositor adds multilayer support for the 3D renderer, extends the USD tools, and speeds up the Surface Tracker.Friday, September 12th, 2025Autodesk releases MotionBuilder 2026.1Check out the changes to the character animation and mocap-editing software, including updates to Relations constraints.Friday, September 12th, 2025Maxon releases Red Giant 2026.0 and Universe 2026.0Check out the new features in the suites of tools for motion graphics and VFX artists, including new options for DaVinci Resolve users.Friday, September 12th, 2025Maxon releases Cinema 4D 2026.0Small update to the 3D animation and motion graphics software makes two 'general enhancements' but adds no new major features.Friday, September 12th, 2025Nevercenter releases Silo 2025.2 and Milo 2025.0Check out the new features in the 3D modeling app and its real-time renderer, including support for USD files and UDIM workflows.Thursday, September 11th, 2025More NewsMaxon 'pauses' development of Redshift for BlenderMaxon releases Redshift 2026.0Maxon releases ZBrush 2026.0 and ZBrush for iPad 2026.0Blackmagic Design releases DaVinci Resolve 20.2Get an Evermotion Archinterior scene for freeStock asset firms KitBash3D and Greyscalegorilla mergeKiri Engine 4.0 is out for Android and iOSHowler 2026 is outASWF adopts ACESChaos releases Vantage 3.0 in betaChaos adds AI Material Generator to V-Ray 7.1.2 for SketchUpGet free Maya character rigging toolset mGear 5.1Older Posts

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Blackmagic Designs NAB 2025 livestream announcing its latest product updates. The new features in Fusion are shown at 2:26:15, shown here in the Fusion page inside DaVinci Resolve.Originally posted on 7 April 2025. Scroll down for news of the Fusion Studio 20.2 update.Blackmagic Design has begun its Fusion Studio 20.x releases, its latest annual series of updates to the 3D compositing software.Fusion Studio 20.0 itself is a sizeable release, adding a complete new deep compositing toolset, and support for multi-layer EXR workflows, 180 VR formats, and Cryptomatte matte ID data.Also available inside DaVinci Resolve 20A version of the Fusion toolset is included in DaVinci Resolve, Blackmagic Designs colour grading, editing and visual effects software, version 20 of which has also just been released.DaVinci Resolve gets more promotional support than Fusion Studio at the time of writing, the Fusion Studio 20 product webpage still lists features from version 17 so the video above shows the Fusion page within DaVinci Resolve 20.0, but the new features should be the same.Fusion Studio 20.0: complete new deep compositing toolsetThe main change in Fusion Studio 20.0 is support for deep compositing.Deep compositing, long supported in VFX-focused apps like Nuke, makes use of depth data encoded in image formats like OpenEXR to control object visibility.It simplifies the process of generating and managing holdouts, and generates fewer visual artifacts, particularly when working with motion blur or environment fog.Fusion Studios implementation makes it possible to import deep images and inspect them in a viewer or by converting them to point clouds within the 3D environment.For manipulating deep image data, a new set of nodes, shown in the screenshot above, make it possible to merge, transform, resize, crop, recolor and generate holdouts.It is also possible to convert between deep and standard images, and to convert deep images to points.For exporting data, it is now possible to render deep images from the 3D environment.Support for multi-layer workflows and Cryptomatte dataThe update also introduces full support for multi-layer workflows, with all of Fusions nodes now supporting multi-layer images such as PSDs or layered EXRs.Users can preview image layers in the viewer, and access and manipulate layers independently inside any node, removing the need to generate multiple separate renders of a source file.Fusion also now natively supports Cryptomatte ID matte data in EXR files.Supported as standard in other VFX tools, Cryptomatte data makes it possible to isolate individual objects or sub-objects in rendered images, and manipulate them independently.New optical-flow based vector warping toolsetOther new features include a vector warping toolset, for image patching and effects like digital makeup or mapping an image onto a deforming surface: for example, a logo onto clothing.The toolset is optical-flow-based, so it can also be used for more general tasks: other suggested uses include motion-vector-based noise reduction.Support for 180 VR workflows for virtual reality contentUsers creating virtual reality content get support for 180 VR workflows.Key tools, including PanoMap, the spherical stabilizer, LatLong patcher, 3D VR camera and the 3D viewers have been updated to support 180 as well as 360 angles of view. It is also now possible to render 3D scenes to VR 180.Other changes: new 3D dome light, updated text tools and performance improvementsOther changes include a new 3D scene Dome Light, making it possible to use 360 HDRI images as background environments and to light scenes more realistically.The text tools have been extended, with the release adding a new MultiText tool and updating the Text+ tool to make it possible to control the layout of on-screen text more precisely.Workflow improvements include the option to set a start frame for compositions, and to search for tools based on effects category.Performance improvements include GPU support in the PanoMap and spherical stabilizer tools.For pipeline integration, the update moves Fusion Studio to ACES 2.0 and OpenColorIO 2.4.2, newer versions of the color-management standards.Updated 11 August 2025: Blackmagic Design has released Fusion Studio 20.1.The update builds on several of the key changes in Fusion Studio 20.0, with the new deep compositing toolset getting the option to cache deep composites to disk.When working with Cryptomatte data, it is now possible to make selections based on regular expressions.The MultiText tool gets support for indents, paragraph-level styling, built-in character-level styling, and the option to import .csv files as column-aligned MultiText text boxes.Support for Magic Mask 2Fusion Studio also now supports more of the new features introduced in DaVinci Resolve 20.0.The most important is probably Magic Mask 2, the new version of the softwares AI-based matte-generation system, which now operates in a single mode for both people and objects.However, the update also expands support for the Swizzler tool, used for rearranging layers in multilayer workflows.New features for creating immersive content for Apple Vision Pro XR headsetsIn addition, Fusion Studio gets some of the new features for creating immersive content for Apple Vision Pro XR headsets introduced in DaVinci Resolve 20.1.They include a new immersive option in the 360 Views menu in the viewer, and a new immersive patcher tool.Other feature and workflow improvementsOther changes include the option the option to edit individual tool controls from the Inspector context menu, and the option to downscale clip compositions to timeline resolution.In addition, the Shape Duplicate tool has been updated, with style, jitter and aligned rotations.Blackmagic Designs release video for DaVinci Resolve 20.2. The changes to the softwares Fusion page many of which have also been made in Fusion Studio 20.2 are shown at 4:40.Updated 12 September 2025: Blackmagic Design has released Fusion Studio 20.2.Key changes include support for multi-layer workflows in the 3D renderer. The release notes dont go into detail, but the launch video for DaVinci Resolve 20.2 (embedded above), show the corresponding changes in the softwares integrated Fusion toolset.It is now possible to preview the individual passes generated by the Renderer3D node in the viewer: the video shows Shadow, Diffuse, Specular, Ambient, Reflect, Refract and Fog passes.USD workflows, introduced in Fusion Studio 18.5, have been extended, with the USD tools now supporting animated image inputs, and multilayer AOV channel support in the USD renderer.In addition, the Surface Tracker, which tracks organically deforming planar surfaces for example, for adding logos to clothing is now up to 2x faster.Pricing and system requirementsFusion Studio 20.2 is compatible with Windows 10+, Rocky Linux 8.6+ and macOS 14.0+. The update is free to existing users. New perpetual licenses cost $295.The Fusion toolset is also available in the free edition of DaVinci Resolve, with a maximum image resolution of 16k x 16k and no network rendering capabilities. See a feature comparison.Read a full list of new features in Fusion Studio 20.0 in the online release notesRead a full list of new features in Fusion Studio 20.1 in the online release notesRead a full list of new features in Fusion Studio 20.2 in the online release notesHave 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.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The Gnomon Workshop has begun a new series of tutorials on foundational digital drawing skills recorded by leading Concept Designer Neville Page.Rendering Matte Surfaces: Volume 1 and Volume 2 each provide over two hours of video training, primarily using Photoshop, although the skills demonstrated apply to any medium.A new series of tutorials covering foundational drawing skills for CG artistsThe new series of workshops is intended to set out essential skills for drawing and rendering 3D forms, helping less experienced artists master perspective and lighting.It progresses in logical steps through planar, rounded, complex, and ultimately, reflective surfaces, blending clear demonstrations with real-world observations.Rather than just teaching drawing techniques, the workshops are intended to set out the reasons why objects appear dimensional, and how to make them feel alive on the page. Rendering Matte Surfaces: Volume 1In the first tutorial, Page explores how light interacts with flat planes, using a cube as the foundation, and explains how our brains interpret form through value changes. Having demonstrated how to build convincing cast shadows and define planar surfaces with clarity and intent, Page explains how to apply those principles in your own drawings.Rendering Matte Surfaces: Volume 2In the second tutorial, Page moves on to rounded surfaces, explaining how light behaves across rounded geometric forms, and demonstrating how to render them convincingly.Having demonstrated how to shade a cylinder, cone, and sphere the core building blocks of form Page provides rendering demos of more complex forms, including a pistol and a camera.About the artistConcept Designer Neville Pages clients include Universal Studios, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Mattel and BMW. He has worked on feature films including Minority Report, Planet of the Apes, X-Men 2 and 3, Superman Returns, Avatar, Cloverfield, The Watchmen, The Hulk, and Star Trek.Pricing and availabilityRendering Matte Surfaces: Volume 1 and Volume 2 are available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, which provides access to over 300 tutorials.Subscriptions cost $57/month or $499/year. Free trials are available.Read more about Rendering Matte Surfaces: Volume 1 on The Gnomon Workshops websiteRead more about Rendering Matte Surfaces: Volume 2 on The Gnomon Workshops websiteHave 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.Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"3D scanning tools developer Kiri Innovations has released 3DGS Render, an open-source tool for visualizing 3D Gaussian Splats inside Blender.The add-on makes it possible to import 3DGS scans of real-world objects in PLY format and manipulate them in real time inside Blender, rendering them with the Eevee renderer.A new technique for generating 3D scans from images of real-world objectsBased on research published last year, 3D Gaussian Splatting is a new method for reconstructing and rendering real-world objects in 3D.Like photogrammetry, it begins by generating a point cloud of an object or scene from a set of source photos, but rather than converting the point cloud to a textured mesh, it converts it to gaussians, using machine learning to determine the correct color for each.The result is a high-quality and potentially fast-rendering 3D representation of the object or scene being scanned.Supported by 3D scanning apps like Kiri EngineAn increasing number of 3D scanning tools now support 3D Gaussian Splatting, one obvious example being Kiri Innovations own Kiri Engine.For users with paid Pro accounts, both iOS and Android editions of the app now support 3DGS.Free tools for visualizing 3DGS dataAlthough there are free online tools for visualizing 3DGS data, like SuperSplat and Polycams online viewer, native support in CG software is more limited.Unity and Unreal Engine have free third-party add-ons, but for Blender, the best option was previously ReShot AIs experimental add-on.Manipulate and render 3DGS data directly inside Blender with 3DGS Render3DGS Render is intended to address some of the pain points with existing workflows, making it possible to manipulate 3DGS scan data inside Blender like a standard 3D object.On importing a scan in PLY format, the raw data is converted into a set of planes oriented to face the active camera in the scene.The resulting internal representation can be manipulated like a standard 3D object, transforming, scaling, rotating or duplicating the scan.The object can be displayed using the original scanned lighting, or be set to react to react to the lighting in the scene.However, there are still some limitations, discussed in the online documentation.The main one is that the add-on only works with Eevee, Blenders real-time renderer, not Cycles, the main production renderer.Pricing and system requirements3DGS Render is compatible with Blender 4.2. Its a free download. The source code is available under an Apache 2.0 license.Read more about 3DGS Render in the online documentationDownload 3DGS Render from Kiri Innovations GitHub repositoryHave 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.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Compositing training provider Compositing Academy has released pScatter, a free Nuke plugin for breaking up your perfect CG renders.The plugin adds imperfections to renders generated in 3D applications like Blender, Houdini or Maya, using a position data pass to distribute textures over their surface.Suggested uses include adding surface imperfections like dirt, scratches, snow or rain.Add surface imperfections to 3D models directly within NukepScatter is intended to break up the often-too-clean look of renders from 3D applications: the documentation namechecks Blender, Houdini, Maya and Unreal Engine.Rather than requiring the original 3D model, it distributes a texture map over the render using a position data pass, with users able to adjust texture placement and density.Suggested use cases range from adding surface imperfections like dirt, scratches, snow or raindrops to more stylized effects like energy FX or sci-fi camouflage patterns.According to Compositing Academy, the plugin provides a more controllable alternative to using procedural noise within Nuke.Licensing and system requirementspScatter is compatible with Nuke 15.0+. Its free, including for commercial use.Download pScatter for Nuke from Gumroad(Enter a figure of $0 to download them for free, or make a voluntary donation)Visit Compositing Academys websiteHave 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.

Sunday, September 29th, 2024Posted by Jim ThackerThe Gnomon Workshop releases Introduction to ZBrush 2024html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The Gnomon Workshop has released Introduction to ZBrush 2024, a comprehensive guide to the industry-standard digital sculpting software, recorded by Madeleine Scott-Spencer.The tutorial a new version of the popular beginner-to-intermediate-level training course, updated for ZBrush 2024 comprises over 18 hours of video training.A complete guide to sculpting, texturing and rendering in ZBrushFor some years now, Scott-Spencers ZBrush training for The Gnomon Workshop has provided an invaluable introduction to the software, and is updated with every major release of ZBrush.The training begins with a quickstart tutorial for users entirely new to ZBrush, covering the process of sculpting a character bust using DynaMesh.In subsequent chapeters, Scott-Spencer revisits the character to create a full-body creature sculpt with fine details, including wrinkles and pores.Other key topics covered include modeling hard-surface props, creating cloth and costume elements, texturing, posing figures, and rendering images within ZBrush.As well as the training videos themselves, viwers of the workshop can download a range of supporting files to help follow the tutorials.About the artistMadeleine Scott-Spencer is Head of Assets and Visual Development at Cinesite. She has worked in VFX and collectible design for nearly two decades, for studios including Weta Workshop and DNEG, on movies including The Hobbit trilogy and Wonder Woman.Price and availabilityIntroduction to ZBrush 2024 is available via an online subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, giving you access to over 300 detailed tutorials. Subscriptions cost $57/month or $519/year. Free trials are available.Read more about Introduction to ZBrush 2024 on The Gnomon Workshops websiteHave 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.Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.Latest NewsChaos releases Vantage 3.0 in betaMajor update to the real-time ray tracing renderer adds initial support for USD, MaterialX, 3D Gaussian Splatting, and volumes.Friday, September 5th, 2025Chaos adds AI Material Generator to V-Ray 7.1.2 for SketchUpExperimental cloud-based tool generates PBR materials and texture maps from real-world reference photos. Find more details here.Thursday, September 4th, 2025Get free Maya character rigging toolset mGear 5.1Update to the open-source Maya rigging and animation framework resolves compatibility issues with popular blendshape editor Shapes.Thursday, September 4th, 2025Ephere releases Ornatrix 3ds Max 9Check out the changes to the 3ds Max hair plugin for games and VFX, including a new Warp Roots modifier to help groom feathers.Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025Ephere releases Ornatrix Maya 5Check out the changes to the Maya plugin for creating hair and fur for games and VFX, including fast new workflows for braiding hair.Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025Tutorial: Creating Sci-Fi Electrical FX in HoudiniMaster efficient workflows for creating professional visual effects with The Gnomon Workshop's intermediate-level Houdini tutorial.Saturday, August 30th, 2025More News3D Gaussian Splats are being added to the glTF standardFree add-on turns MetaHumans into rigged Houdini charactersReallusion releases iClone 8.6Reallusion releases Character Creator 5SideFX just released Houdini 21: check out its five key featuresChaos releases V-Ray 7.1 for BlenderWacom becomes Blender's latest Corporate PatronXencelabs launches the Pen Display 24+Master Procedural Workflows for Games Using HoudiniRE:Vision Effects releases video and animation upscaler REZUp 2AMD releases FidelityFX SDK 2.0 and UE5 plugin with FSR 4 supportCLO Virtual Fashion releases Marvelous Designer 2025.1Older Posts

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Chaos has released V-Ray for Blender, Update 1 (V-Ray 7.1 for Blender), the first major update to the new version of its ray tracing renderer for Blender.The update adds two key features missing from the initial release: support for Blenders Geometry Nodes system, and one-click conversion of Cycles materials for rendering in V-Ray.Other changes include support for Blender 4.5 LTS and the new OpenPBR material standard.A new edition of V-Ray integrated directly inside BlenderReleased last month, V-Ray 7 for Blender makes it possible for Blender users to render with V-Ray from the current version of the open-source 3D software.Unlike the legacy plugin, which exported scenes to V-Ray Standalone, it integrates V-Ray directly inside Blender, with V-Ray available for interactive rendering in the 3D viewport.It supports Blenders hair system, and has initial support for rendering materials and nodes from Cycles, Blenders principal built-in production renderer.Users can also create, edit and manage V-Ray materials, textures and geometries inside Blender via the V-Ray Node Editor, using a workflow similar to Blenders native node editors.Now supports Geometry Nodes out of the boxTo that, V-Ray for Blender, Update 1 adds two missing features often requested by users during the original public beta period.One is support for Geometry Nodes, Blenders procedural modeling and scattering system.Users can now render Geometry Nodes set-ups out of the box, without the need to bake out the geometry first.New Cycles-to-V-Ray material converterThe other is automated conversion of materials authored for Cycles, Blenders native production renderer, for rendering in V-Ray.Conversion can be done on a scene-wide basis, via a new Convert Materials option in the V-Ray menu, or on a per-material basis, via a Convert to V-Ray Material option in the shader graph.You can see the workflow in the video at the top of the story: according to Chaos, the new V-Ray shaders generated are visually virtually identical to their Cycles counterparts.Support for Blender 4.5 and OpenPBROther changes include support the new OpenPBR open material standard.Developed by Autodesk and Adobe, and overseen by the Academy Software Foundation, OpenPBR is intended to streamline look development for VFX, with materials developed for one application displaying near-identically in others that support it.In addition, V-Ray for Blender now supports Blender 4.5 LTS, the current stable version of the software, and there are a number of smaller feature updates and bugfixes.Updates to the Chaos Cosmos library included with subscriptionsOutside the core application, over 3,100 scanned real-world materials have been added to Chaos Comos, the library of stock 3D assets included with V-Ray for Blender subscriptions.In other editions of V-Ray, all users can load and render the materials, but you need at least a V-Ray Premium subscription to edit the original scan data.Weve contacted Chaos to confirm whether this is the case with V-Ray for Blender subscriptions, and will update if we hear back. Price, system requirements and release datesV-Ray 7.1 for Blender is compatible with Blender 4.2+ on Windows 10+ only. It supports GPU rendering with NVIDIA GPUs only. The software is available rental-only.V-Ray for Blender subscriptions include a named-user license of V-Ray for Blender, the Chaos Cosmos asset library and Chaos Cloud rendering, and cost $33/month or $199/year.V-Ray for Blender is also available through existing V-Ray subscriptions, which provide access to all of the other current V-Ray integrations, plus a range of other tools and services.V-Ray Solo subscriptions cost $84.90/month or $514.80/year, while V-Ray Premium subscriptions cost $119.90/month or $718.80/year. You can find more details in this story.Read an overview of the new features in V-Ray 7.1 for Blender on Chaoss blogRead a list of new features in V-Ray 7.1 for Blender in the online documentationHave 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.

Monday, August 25th, 2025Posted by Jim ThackerXencelabs launches the Pen Display 24+html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Xencelabs has released the Pen Display 24+, its new $1,899 24-inch 4K pen display, targeted at professional graphics workflows including illustration, animation, VFX and 3D design.It is billed as the industrys first Calman Ready pen display, streamlining the process of color calibration, and also supports HPs Anyware remote access software.The original Pen Display 24 is also still available, and now comes bundled with the new versions of Xencelabs pens.Xencelabs 24-inch pen displaysPen Display 24Pen Display 24+Display resolution4K Ultra HD (3,840 x 2,160)4K Ultra HD (3,840 x 2,160)Active area20.8 x 11.7 in(527 296 mm)20.8 x 11.7 in(527 296 mm)Dimensions24.4 x 15.3 x 1.4 in(619 x 388 x 35 mm)24.4 x 15.3 x 1.4 in(619 x 388 x 35 mm)Weight13.3 lbs (6.0 kg)13.3 lbs (6.0 kg)Color gamut99% sRGB99% Adobe RGB93% DCI-P382% REC 202099% sRGB99% Adobe RGB93% DCI-P382% REC 2020Brightness330 cd/m2330 cd/m2Pen 3-Button Pen v2Thin Pen v23-Button Pen v2Thin Pen v2Pen pressure levels8,1928,192Programmable keys8(On Quick Keys:supports up to 5 sets)8(On Quick Keys:supports up to 5 sets)Includes stand?YesYesCalman Ready?NoWindows and Linux onlyIncludes HP Anyware?NoWindows onlyOperating systemsWndows, macOS,LinuxWndows, macOS,LinuxRelease date20232025Current price$1,749$1,899Prices are those in Xencelabs online store as of 25 August 2025.Key specifications and priceThe new Pen Display 24+ has the same core specifications and the same $1,899 launch price as the original Pen Display 24, which was released in 2024.As such, its a high-quality display targeted at high-end work, with driver support for a range of 2D and 3D software, including Blender and Adobe, Autodesk, Foundry and Maxon applications.Supports Calman color calibration workflows and remote access via HP AnywareThe main difference is that the Pen Display 24+ is Calman Ready: that is, that it has Portrait Displays color calibration technology built in.The technology is intended to streamline the process of color calibration, [enabling] hardware-level calibration directly on the display, bypassing complex OS-level adjustments.That makes the Pen Display 24+ the first Calman Ready input device: the other Calman Ready displays are professional monitors and high-end home entertainment systems.However, it isnt an all-in-one solution: calibration also requires the Calman Studio or Calman Ultimate software and a compatible colorimiter like Portrait Displays C6 HDR5000.The workflow is available when connecting the Pen Display 24+ to a Windows or Linux system: it isnt currently available on macOS.In addition, the Pen Display 24+ is compatible with remote access software HP Anyware, albeit only on Windows.Both the Pen Display 24 and Pen Display 24+ also support Parsec for remote access, which is available on Windows, Linux and macOS.Original Pen Display 24 also still availableThe original Pen Display 24 also remains available, and now also comes bundles with Xencelabs new v2 three-button and thin pens, which also work with the firms current pen tablets.At the time of writing, it is available in Xencelabs online store for $1,749, down $150 since launch.The current price is the result of a back to school sale, but presumably, the Pen Display 24 wont return to its full original price now that the Pen Display 24+ is available.Price and system requirementsXencelabs Pen Display 24+ is compatible with Windows 7+ (Windows 11 on ARM64 processors), a range of Linux distros, and macOS 10.13+. It costs $1,899.Read more about the Xencelabs Pen Display 24+ on the product websiteHave 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 NewsWacom becomes Blender's latest Corporate PatronWacom ups its funding for Blender by 210,000/year in partnership to develop 'next-gen" Blender experience on Android tablets.Monday, August 25th, 2025Xencelabs launches the Pen Display 24+Check out the price and key specs for the 'industry first' pen display with Calman Ready built in for color calibration for high-end CG work.Monday, August 25th, 2025Master Procedural Workflows for Games Using HoudiniMaster professional workflows for creating games environments with The Gnomon Workshop's intermediate-level tutorial.Saturday, August 23rd, 2025RE:Vision Effects releases video and animation upscaler REZUp 2Check out the new machine learning models in the pro upscaling plugin for compositing and video editing applications.Friday, August 22nd, 2025AMD releases FidelityFX SDK 2.0 and UE5 plugin with FSR 4 supportSDK for developers looking to integrate FidelityFX tech into their apps now includes latest version of the AI image upscaling system.Thursday, August 21st, 2025CLO Virtual Fashion releases Marvelous Designer 2025.1Clothing design tool gets the option to create garment parts by drawing onto a 3D avatar, and an AI Pose Generator. See the other changes.Thursday, August 21st, 2025More NewsAdobe releases Photoshop 26.10Unity rolls out Unity AI in Unity 6.2Sitni Sati releases FumeFX 7.0 for 3ds MaxZibraVDB for Houdini and UE5 is now free to indie artistsSneak peek: Axiom 4 for HoudiniMarmoset releases Toolbag 5.02Adobe launches free asset review tool Substance 3D ReviewerMatPlus puts Substance 3D-style texture painting inside BlenderTutorial: Fantasy Creature Texturing & Look DevUVPackmaster 3.4 for Blender adds one-click UV repackingAdobe releases After Effects 25.4NVIDIA unveils two compact new RTX PRO Blackwell GPUsOlder Posts

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Graphics tablet and pen display manufacturer Wacom has become the latest Corporate Patron of the Blender Development Fund, upgrading from its previous Corporate Gold membership.The change announced as part of a partnership to develop a next-generation Blender experience for Android tablets means an extra 210,000/year in funding for Blender.Wacom now one of the biggest corporate backers of Blender developmentWacom was already a Gold sponsor of the Blender Development Fund, but the upgrade to Corporate Patron status is a considerable one, taking its contribution from 30,000/year to 240,000/year.The extra 210,000/year equates roughly to the salaries of three full-time Blender developers.Wacom becomes one of the largest corporate backers of the open-source 3D software, alongside Epic Games, Qualcomm and VR and XR headset manufacturer Pico.Part of a partnership to develop a next-gen Blender experience on Android tabletsThe change is part of an expanded partnership between Wacom and Blender following the Blender Foundations announcement of new tablet editions of the open-source 3D software.The new editions will feature a reworked user interface designed for use on smaller screens with pen and touch input.The changes will roll out first on iOS and later on Android Wacoms main area of interest.The MovinkPad 11, Wacoms new 11-inch Android drawing tablet, is one of the devices namechecked in last months Blender Developer blog post announcing the tablet editions.As well as development of a next-generation Blender experience for Android tablets, Wacom says that it support more general optimization of pen and touch performance in Blender.Our collaboration with Wacom is a major step in making Blender more intuitive on pen and touch devices, said Francesco Siddi, COO at Blender. Read Wacoms announcement of its expanded partnership with BlenderVisit the Blender Development Fund websiteHave 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.

Saturday, August 23rd, 2025Posted by Jim ThackerMaster Procedural Workflows for Games Using Houdinihtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The Gnomon Workshop has released Procedural Workflows for Games Using Houdini, a guide to procedural asset-creation workflows, recorded by Respawn Entertainments Giovani Magana.It follows Maganis introductory tutorial Creating Assets & Architecture for Games Environments, and provides over four hours of video training in Houdini, ZBrush and Unreal Engine.Create environment assets for videogames using HoudiniThe workshop runs through the entire process of creating a stylized fantasy environment suitable for use in a videogame, using artist-friendly procedural workflows.Magana begins in Houdini, building key architectural elements, including walls, floors, and pillars, and setting up a clean, modular blockout, before detailing the set pieces. He also discusses how to build a custom Digital Asset Library to speed up iteration, and how he creates rock formations with very little sculpting, while still retaining control over overall form.Next, Magana explores how to blend assets naturally into the environment, creating an Unreal Engine master material to introduce variation into the 3D models.To complete the stylized fantasy theme, he also explores to how generate complex crystal formations procedurally and how to prepare them for texturing and shading.Finally, Magana takes a quick look at some of his favorite features in Unreal Engine, including the Procedural Content Generation framework (PCG) and Chaos Destructions Fracture mode.About the artistGiovani Magana is Senior Environment Artist at Respawn Entertainment, and has been working professionally in the games industry as an environment artist for nine years.His credits include The Walking Dead, God of War Ragnark, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.Pricing and availabilityProcedural Workflows for Games Using Houdini is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, which provides access to over 300 tutorials.Subscriptions cost $57/month or $499/year. Free trials are available.Read more about Procedural Workflows for Games Using HoudiniHave 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.Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.Latest NewsMaster Procedural Workflows for Games Using HoudiniMaster professional workflows for creating games environments with The Gnomon Workshop's intermediate-level tutorial.Saturday, August 23rd, 2025RE:Vision Effects releases video and animation upscaler REZUp 2Check out the new machine learning models in the pro upscaling plugin for compositing and video editing applications.Friday, August 22nd, 2025AMD releases FidelityFX SDK 2.0 and UE5 plugin with FSR 4 supportSDK for developers looking to integrate FidelityFX tech into their apps now includes latest version of the AI image upscaling system.Thursday, August 21st, 2025CLO Virtual Fashion releases Marvelous Designer 2025.1Clothing design tool gets the option to create garment parts by drawing onto a 3D avatar, and an AI Pose Generator. See the other changes.Thursday, August 21st, 2025Adobe releases Photoshop 26.10Minor update to the image-editing and digital painting software adds a new Star tool for drawing regular star polygons on the canvas.Wednesday, August 20th, 2025Unity rolls out Unity AI in Unity 6.2Game engine's new AI toolset includes generative AI features for creating sprites, textures and animations. Check out our FAQs.Tuesday, August 19th, 2025More NewsSitni Sati releases FumeFX 7.0 for 3ds MaxZibraVDB for Houdini and UE5 is now free to indie artistsSneak peek: Axiom 4 for HoudiniMarmoset releases Toolbag 5.02Adobe launches free asset review tool Substance 3D ReviewerMatPlus puts Substance 3D-style texture painting inside BlenderTutorial: Fantasy Creature Texturing & Look DevUVPackmaster 3.4 for Blender adds one-click UV repackingAdobe releases After Effects 25.4NVIDIA unveils two compact new RTX PRO Blackwell GPUsGet 165 3D assets for creating a warehouse scene in Unreal EngineAutodesk cuts prices of Flow Studio subscriptionsOlder Posts