Friday, December 27th, 2024Posted by Jim ThackerFaceform releases Wrap 2024.11 and Wrap4D 2024.11html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Faceform has released Wrap 2024.11 and Wrap4D 2024.11, the latest versions of its topology transfer software for creating CG characters from 3D scan data.Wrap 2024.11 includes significant quality-of-life improvements to the softwares node graph and brush tools, and introduces new options for working with vertex masks.Wrap4D 2024.11 also introduces a complete new toolset for creating and working with blendshape-based facial rigs.(Full disclosure: both updates were released last month, but we didnt manage to post a story at the time.)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 2024.11: significant improvements to the node graphWrap 2024.11 is the first update to the software in a year, and its a sizeable release.There are a number of important quality-of-life improvements when working in the node graph, including the option to group nodes, to find nodes within large graphs by searching by name, and to temporarily disable nodes to speed up graph evaluation.A new SwitchGeom node switches between input geometries for a graph, helping to preview experimental changes.There are also new nodes for cleaning and retargeting scan data, including nodes for smoothing geometry to remove high-frequency artifacts, blending between transforms, and mirroring geometry.Updates to the brush toolsetWraps brush toolset, for cleaning and editing scans manually, gets a number of updates.It is now possible to display reference images within Wrap, as a guide for editing geometry.There are also five new brush types: Move Surface, Relax Surface, Mirror Clone, Clone Project and Erase.Extended vertex mask workflowThe update also extends workflows based around vertex masks, with new Draw and Fill modes to define how brushstrokes overlap when painting masks manually.There are also new nodes for displaying the difference between two geometries as a vertex mask, for transferring vertex masks between geometries with different topologies, and converting vertex masks to images, for export to other DCC applications.Changes to file exportFor pipeline integration, it is now possible to export geometry sequences from Wrap to other applications as a single Alembic file.It is also now possible to export cameras created in Wrap to other applications, this time in FBX format.Wrap4D 2024.11: New toolset for creating and working with blendshape rigsWrap4D 2024.11 has all of the same features, plus a complete new blend rig pipeline.Its a set of new nodes for creating, editing and exporting blendshape-based facial rigs, combining 3D geometries for facial expressions and corrective blendshapes.According to Faceform, solving a 4D sequence within a blendshape rig makes it easier to carry out common tasks like modifying gaze direction, or enhancing expressions.Pricing and availabilityWrap 2024.11 and Wrap4D 2024.11 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 2024.11 and Wrap4D 2024.11Have 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.Latest NewsFaceform releases Wrap 2024.11 and Wrap4D 2024.11Check out the new features in the topology transfer tools for creating digital doubles and blendshapes from 3D scans of actors.Friday, December 27th, 2024DreamWorks Animation releases MoonRay 1.7Check out the latest features in the open-source release of DreamWorks' renderer, used on movies like The Wild Robot.Thursday, December 26th, 2024Sparseal releases Uniform 1.3Check out the new features in the modeling and texturing iPad app, including support for procedural objects and projection painting.Thursday, December 26th, 2024Happy holidays to all CG Channel readers!Updates to the site may be less frequent than usual over the next two weeks, but normal service resumes on 6 January.Wednesday, December 25th, 2024Tutorial: Introduction to Marvelous DesignerGet started with the industry-standard tool for creating clothing for 3D characters with The Gnomon Workshop's beginners' guide.Tuesday, December 24th, 2024Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Holiday 2024 deals for CG artistsUpdated 24 December: Find discounts on CG hardware and software available until New Year, including 3DCoat, FumeFX and Yeti.Tuesday, December 24th, 2024More NewsRandomControl releases Maverick Indie and Maverick Studio 2024Pilgway releases 3DCoat 2024.30Terragen Sky now lets you paint clouds into the sky directlyPlanetside Software releases Terragen 4.8Photoshop users can now create filters in Substance 3D DesignerPixar releases RenderMan 26.3Create game characters with CC Auto Setup for 3ds Max and V-RayLeopoly releases Shapelab 2025 and Shapelab LiteAdobe releases Photoshop 26.2Check out Blender's experimental anime rendering buildsCell Fluids 2.0 for Blender is outUnigine 2.19.1 can now import and export USD filesOlder Posts