html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Zibra AI has released a new free edition of ZibraVDB for Unreal Engine.The plugin makes it possible to import, play back and render data in .zibravdb format inside the game engine, and comes with four free smoke and fire effects.A new AI-based technology for compressing and playing back volumetric effectsLaunched commercially last year, ZibraVDB is a new AI-based technology for compressing volumetric data in OpenVDB format.It enables users to compress VDB files, like effects created in software like Houdini or EmberGen, then decompress and render them at runtime inside Unreal Engine.That enables users both game developers and VFX and virtual production studios to render much more complex effects than would previously have been possible in real time.According to Zibra AI, ZibraVDB can compress VDB files up to 100x, and render them twice as fast as Unreals native SVT system, introduced in Unreal Engine 5.3.New free Unreal Engine plugin comes with four free stock explosion and tornado effectsThe new free Unreal Engine plugin doesnt include the compression system itself, but it does make it possible to test the quality of the results it generates.To do that, you can download four free smoke and fire effects three explosions and a fire tornado compressed into .zibravdb format, and use it to import them into UE5 for rendering.There are no license restrictions on the assets, so once youve tested them, you can also use them as stock assets for future projects.Price and system requirementsThe free edition of ZibraVDB for Unreal Engine is compatible with Unreal Engine 5.3+. It is available via Epic Games Fab online marketplace under Fabs Standard license, which permits use in commercial projects.The full commercial version of ZibraVDB is available subscription-only, with individual subscriptions priced at $29/month or $299/year, and studio subscriptions priced on enquiry.Download the free edition of ZibraVDB for Unreal EngineDownload four free stock smoke and fire effects for use with the free edition(Requires registering your contact details on the Zibra AI website)Read more about ZibraVDB on Zibra AIs 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.