Available immediately for Mac and Windows computers, tablets, interactive white boards, and touch screens, ArtRage Studio and Studio Pro 3.5 provides a most realistic tactile experience. Major improvements in version 3.5 including improvements to the interface to smooth out workflow, tweaks to tools to give quick access to important functionality, and other changes that have been requested since the release of 3.0. Other features include the ability to record and playback actual paint strokes, faster speed, scripting, content sharing, and improved color blending tools.

New ArtRage 3.5 Features

Multithreading

Users of multiprocessor or multicore machines will see substantial speed increases when using version 3.5. Multithreading support has been added to the tools and many of the processor intensive functions in the application.

Package Files

Package Files make the process of sharing custom content like stickers, presets and stencils easy. The Package system lets you gather together as many custom resources as you like and compress them in to an easy to use data file that can be shared with other users and installed with a double click.

 
• Double click and ArtRage extracts and installs the contents of the Package automatically to the user content folders without you having to lift a finger.
• Installed Packages save a receipt which allows easy uninstallation or repair at a later date.
• (Studio Pro) Create your own Package Files, and add author notes and a preview image to personalize it before distribution.
• (Studio Pro) Save out partially completed Package Files to a Template so that you can work on them over multiple sessions.

 

Scripting

ArtRage Script Files allow users to record the process of painting as it happens in to a data file that can be played back later, reproducing the strokes that made up the painting dynamically for the viewer. Record your art for posterity, create tutorials with annotations explaining techniques, and share the process of painting as well as the finished result.

 
• Download and play back scripts at original or accelerated speed to see the painting constructed live on your canvas. The end result is a PTG file complete with all its texture and paint data.
• Play back scripts at different resolutions, recreating your artwork at larger or smaller sizes without losing quality as you would if you resized the original.
• (Studio Pro) Record paintings in a Script File that can be shared with other users.
• (Studio Pro) Annotate scripts as you record with Note Bubbles and Spotlights that draw the viewer’s attention to areas of the canvas during playback. Great for creating tutorials or sharing your knowledge by explaining why you’re using a certain technique or tool.
• (Studio Pro) Scripts are saved with the painting as you work, allowing you to come back to a session and continue recording later.

 

The ArtRage Scripting System is built on a Scripting Language that can be used by advanced script authors to create manually written scripts in a simple text file.

 
• Scripts recorded in ArtRage can be edited manually. Want to change the color of a single stroke you made in the painting, or change the tool that was used? You can adjust and rewrite every element of the painting script however you require.
• Control almost every aspect of ArtRage via written commands, including paint strokes, transformations, settings, built in filtering and more. This deep level of control allows you to automate complex processes in a single file.
• Work with C++ style functions and variable manipulation. The script language supports a wide range of variable types and operators, allowing you to write scripts for procedural painting.
• The script language includes user input options, so you can create scripts with branching functionality or allow the user to select values for numeric or string variables in the script while it plays.

 

Artistic Enhancements

3.5 contains a number of enhancements to the natural painting simulation, including enhancements to tools and color systems.

 
• The Real Color Blending system in ArtRage Studio Pro has been rewritten from the ground up to produce better blending results at faster speeds.
• You can load your Palette Knife with paint and create smooth strokes of pigment across the canvas, blending as you go. Studio Pro allows control over the precise angle of the knife edge if you want to create uniform strokes without worrying about how you hold the stylus.
• The Airbrush has new controls for the sharpness of its falloff so that you can create hard edged strokes, and adds control over drips in the nozzle to allow spattered paint effects.
• Hard tipped media tools such as Pencils, Crayons, and Chalks have been tweaked to allow more expressive variation based on stylus pressure when they interact with the canvas.

 

Comparison Chart

http://www2.ambientdesign.com/files/artrage_3.5_product_comparison.pdf

What’s New?

RenderMan for Maya 4.0

RenderMan® for Maya® 4.0 is the latest version of Pixar’s advanced rendering plug-in for Maya, featuring Pixar’s award-winning RenderMan renderer. Highlights in version 4.0 include a series of significant performance enhancements, which should be immediately apparent on many scenes.

NEW FEATURES

1. Maya Fluids – Maya Fluid are now supported with full support for motion blur and the ability to produce depth maps, for Deep Shadows, etc.
2. RenderMan Controls - A new, consolidated user interface provides intuitive, one-window access to the RfM’s basic settings and operations.
3. Co-Shader Support - RFM now supports tightly bound light/co-shader combiniations.

ENHANCEMENTS

1. Upgrade to 15.2 - RFM includes a significant upgrade to the core rendering technology, providing substantial out-of-box performance enhancements.
2. Unlimited Threading – Renderings now can take advantage of unlimited threads per seat.
3. Enhanced Threading - Significant gains when using multiple processors
4. Accelerated Ray Tracing – Substantial performance optimizations
5. Render Layers - The pass mechanisms for both implicit and explicit passes has been improved for Maya Render Layer’s.

JOB DISTRIBUTION

• 1. Pixar’s Tractor – RFM provides no-hassle job distribution with Tractor, Pixar’s new and improved work dispatching system … Tractor is available as a separate purchase for RFM.

NEW COMPATIBILITY

• 1. 64 bit Vista Support on OSX
  2. Maya 2011 Support

What’s New?

RenderMan Studio

RenderMan Studio 3.0 is the latest version of Pixar’s advanced suite of tools for shading and lighting TDs. Highlights in version 3.0 include a series of significant performance enhancements, which should be immediately apparent on many scenes.

NEW FEATURES

1. Relighting - GUI for interactive, final render-quality relighting of your Maya scene. (RFM Pro Only, RenderMan Pro Server Required.)
2. Maya Fluids – Maya Fluid are now supported with full support for motion blur and the ability to produce depth maps, for Deep Shadows, etc.
3. RenderMan Controls - A new, consolidated user interface provides intuitive, one-window access to the RfM’s basic settings and operations.
4. Co-Shader Support - RFM now supports tightly bound light/co-shader combiniations.
5. Slim Scripting – MTOR-style Slim scripting is now supported from RFM, via slimcmd and slimmsg.
6. TCL - RFM now supports Slim-side Tcl expressions (e.g. mattr, etc.)

ENHANCEMENTS

1. Render Layers - The pass mechanisms for both implicit and explicit passes has been improved for Maya Render Layer’s.
2. The RIB Inspector – A new RIB inspector provides quick access to your render data.
3. Better Intergration with Slim – RFM’s integration with Slim has been improved:
   1. Slim sessions now “travel” with Maya scene files.
   2. Bind Slim shaders to Maya nodes without the use of Maya ShadingGroup Nodes.
   3. Hierarchical binding via the Maya DAG is now supported. A new binding strength attribute allows you to override lower-level bindings at higher DAG levels.
   4. Slim can now initiate preview renders in Maya.
   5. Slim networks can now generally imply extra rendering passes.
   6. Full support for Slim-side Ensemble Adaptors.

SLIM 9.0

1. Factory Templates – Complete upgrades to out-of-box templates, providing production-ready shading while leveraging the new capabilities of RSL 2.0.
   1. Improved physical accuracy
   2. Optimized performance
   3. New Slim nodes of all types, including Broadcast co-shaders, PTex utilities, volume nodes, and more.
2. Materials Library – A library of complex appearances is provided.
3. Tight Slim/RFM Integration – Offering new levels of interactivity with Maya. Tight integration means:
   1. Direct attachments from Slim
   2. A new Smart Palette based on Maya selections
      Slim networks can now imply extra rendering passes..
   3. Full support for Slim-side conditional Adaptors
4. PSets - PSets are a new UI tool for simplifying the process of introducing many minor variations in shaders.
5. Co-Shaders – Complex shading tasks can be much more controllable and efficient with co-shaders.

RENDERER ENHANCEMENTS

1. Upgrade to 15.2 - RFM includes a significant upgrade to the core rendering technology, providing substantial out-of-box performance enhancements.
2. Unlimited Threading – Renderings now can take advantage of unlimited threads per seat.
3. Disney’s PTex - RFM now supports PTex files, including both reading, writing, and baking, facilitating new workflows for painting and texturing models, with higher quality results.
4. Enhanced Threading - Significant gains when using multiple processors
5. Accelerated Ray Tracing – Substantial performance optimizations

JOB DISTRIBUTION

• 1. Pixar’s Tractor – RFM provides no-hassle job distribution with Tractor, Pixar’s new and improved work dispatching system … one Tractor license is included with every seat of RenderMan Studio.

Press Releases

EMERYVILLE, CA – (July 27th, 2010) Pixar Animation Studios today disclosed full details of the upcoming versions of its RenderMan Studio and RenderMan for Maya products at SIGGRAPH 2010.

Targeted for release in the fall of 2010, RenderMan for Maya 4.0 is Pixar’s RenderMan® plug-in for Autodesk’s Maya®, optimized to provide fast and easy access to the photorealistic rendering technology used to create the stunning visual effects in the majority of today’s feature films. This latest version provides accelerated performance via the addition of unlimited threading and significant acceleration and memory efficiencies from core optimizations to the internal renderer. Additionally RenderMan for Maya 4.0 brings support for Maya Fluids, Maya 2011 compatibility, and the addition of a new unified interface for RenderMan Controls.

Also targeted for release in the fall of 2010, RenderMan Studio 3.0 includes all of the above new features and adds enhanced Slim integration, a new production-quality shader library, a relighting GUI built on PRMan’s re-rendering API, enhanced co-shader support, PSets, Ptex compatibility, and more. In addition, RenderMan Studio now includes Tractor 1.0, Pixar’s recently released distributed render management solution built on an innovative new architecture designed to manage both small and large multi-core render farms.

Pixar’s SIGGRAPH 2010 booth (#628) features demonstrations of both the new RenderMan Studio 3.0 and RenderMan for Maya 4.0, together with customer case studies and workflow demonstrations from complimentary products that closely integrate with RenderMan in today’s production pipelines. The annual RenderMan Users Group is being held at 6.30 pm at the JW Marriott, Los Angeles at L. A. Live, 900 West Olympic Boulevard, CA 90015. More information is available for those both using and considering RenderMan at the Pixar booth.

SIGGRAPH 2010 highlights the latest versions of RenderMan Studio, RenderMan for Maya, together with RenderMan Pro Server, as the core technologies used in today’s cinematic rendering pipelines, all built on a shared technology base providing entry points and upgrade paths suitable for every level of user.

Availability
RenderMan for Maya 4.0 is compatible with Mac OS 10.5 and 10.6, Windows 7, Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit, and Windows Vista 64-bit HPC Server. In addition to the above, RenderMan Studio 3.0 is compatible with Linux 32-bit and 64-bit. New purchasers of the current versions of both products are entitled to a free upgrade when these versions release.

Tractor 1.0 is included in RenderMan Studio and is also available as a standalone product. Each additional Tractor license is able to execute one task on a remote client for only $99. Until December 31, 2012, existing Alfred, Alfserver, RenderMan Pro Server, and RenderMan Studio customers on active maintenance are entitled to freely replace their Alfred and Alfserver licenses with an equivalent number of Tractor licenses on a one to one basis at any time. Tractor 1.0 is compatible with Mac OS X and Linux 32-bit and 64-bit, but can deploy tasks to Windows 7, Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit, and Windows Vista 64-bit HPC Server also.

Pixar’s annual maintenance program benefits customers with access to ongoing support and free upgrades. For more information please visit www.pixar.com or contact rendermansales@pixar.com.

About Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is an Academy Award®-winning film studio with world-renowned technical, creative and production capabilities in the art of computer animation. Creator of some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time, including Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL•E, Up and most recently, Toy Story 3. The Northern California studio has won 24 Academy Awards® and its eleven films have grossed more than $5.5 billion at the worldwide box office to date. The next film release from Disney•Pixar is Cars 2 (June 24, 2011).

source: pixar.com

3D camera breaks world record with 158 lenses

Sure, there are viable commercial options for taking photos in three dimensions, but if you really want to capture 3D images (and you happen to be attached to a major university) you can always go the route of Associate Professor Ishino Youzirou and company. The camera that they developed at the Nagoya Institute of Technology sports 158 lenses arranged on an 18.5-inch aluminum arc frame. The school’s combustion engineers will use it to study irregular flames — all the while content in the knowledge that they’ve entered the Guinness Book of World Records for building the camera with the most lenses. This is certainly safer than Youzirou’s other attempt to enter the Guinness book, Most Live Rattlesnakes Held in the Mouth (the record for that, by the way, is ten).

Cambridge’s ProFORMA does 3D scanning with any stationary webcam

Never mind that silly name: ProFORMA (which stands for ‘Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition’, if you must know) is some cool system that turns any ordinary webcam into a powerful 3D scanning tool. In fact, a camera is pretty much all you need for some “on-line” modeling action — no laser or green screen necessary — meaning the 3D models are constructed on the spot while you slowly rotate the objects, although ProFORMA can also track fast moving objects as shown in the demo video after the break. Fans of machinima should also look into this for their next Warhammer drama series, but don’t say you heard it from us.

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MIT gestural computing makes multitouch look old hat

Ah, the MIT Media Lab, home to Big Bird’s illegitimate progeny, augmented reality projects aplenty, and now three-dimensional gestural computing. The new bi-directional display being demoed by the Cambridge-based boffins performs both multitouch functions that we’re familiar with and hand movement recognition in the space in front of the screen — which we’re also familiar with, but mostly from the movies. The gestural motion tracking is done via embedded optical sensors behind the display, which are allowed to see what you’re doing by the LCD alternating rapidly (invisible to the human eye, but probably not to human pedantry) between what it’s displaying to the viewer and a pattern for the camera array. This differs from projects like Natal, which have the camera offset from the display and therefore cannot work at short distances, but if you want even more detail, you’ll find it in the informative video after the break.

Latest SixthSense demo features paper ‘laptop,’ camera gestures

We’ve already seen MIT researcher Pranav Mistry’s SixthSense projector-based augmented-reality system in some cool demos, but he just gave a TED talk and his latest ideas are the wildest yet. Forget simple projections, he’s moved on to taking photos by just making a box with your fingers, identifying books and products on store shelves and projecting reviews and other information on them, projecting flight schedules on boarding passes, and even a new paper “laptop” concept that works by using a microphone on the paper to sense when you’re touching it. It’s pretty amazing stuff — check out his whole talk at the read link.

Marvell’s Armada chip bringing ‘HD-quality video, 3D graphics support’ to Entourage Edge

We already knew that a potent Marvell chip was under the hood of Spring Design’s Alex, but at long last the mystery surrounding the powerhouse within Entourage’s Edge is no more. The Armada PXA168 processor will be responsible for steering the world’s first “Dualbook” through the stormy seas that’ll be created once crazed consumers get ahold of this thing, and while we’ve no idea if the software will actually support this laundry list of capabilities, the chip should have no issue with “full-featured web browsing, multi-format video and image processing.” More specifically, we’re informed that “HD-quality video and 3D graphics” will be supported, which could obviously lead to some pretty interesting applications (you know, like actual web surfing on an e-reader). Hop on past the break for a brief look at an early generation model as well as a functioning version of what should hopefully hit shelves in early 2010.

Adobe engages Apple in passive aggressive warfare with iPhone’s Flash message

Adobe’s seemingly tried everything in its fight to get Apple to tear down enough development barriers to get Flash ported to the iPhone, culminating in a native compilation option in CS5 that… well, really doesn’t solve much of anything. So far, nothing’s worked. What’s next? Get the masses fired up with some old-fashioned propaganda and let ‘em riot down at One Infinite Loop, of course! Visiting Adobe’s Flash download page from an iPhone now shows a pretty tersely-worded message informing the user that they’re getting short-changed simply by Apple’s refusal to budge, so yeah, if you hear an occasional cry of “this is outrageous, I’m writing Apple immediately!” while sitting at an airport gate or a coffee shop, you can safely guess what just happened.

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Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites 2010 — Coming Soon

Product Information Autodesk 3ds Max A comprehensive 3D modeling, animation, and rendering solution right out of the box A set of flexible creative tools and extensive polygon modeling capabilities Efficient character animation software with an integrated Biped toolset Extensive range of tightly integrated  rendering capabilities Autodesk 3ds Max (pdf – 1594Kb) Autodesk Maya An end-to-end computer graphics (CG) pipeline in the box Extensive 3D animation tools, innovative simulation technologies, and advanced compositing capabilities Academy Award®-winning creative tools Powerful, flexible, open framework for better implementation of conceptual ideas Support for Microsoft® Windows®, Mac OS® X, and Linux® operating systems Autodesk Maya (pdf – 525Kb) Autodesk MotionBuilder Real-time character animation software, renowned for its retargeting, motion capture data editing capabilities Software that enables animators to take on demanding, high-volume projects Ideal solution for virtual cinematography, pre-visualization, performance animation, and real-time character simulations Interoperability with Maya and 3ds Max Autodesk Mudbox A premier digital sculpting and 3D painting software A solution that supports the creation of highly detailed 3D characters and environments Highly intuitive organic modeling and painting tools Easy integration into existing production pipelines

New 2010 Product Releases

Autodesk Maya 2010—New Release A powerful, integrated 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, and rendering solution. Autodesk® Maya® 2010 software is the first release to unify the Autodesk® Maya® Complete 2009 and Autodesk® Maya® Unlimited 2009 software feature sets, advanced matchmoving capabilities, and a high dynamic range compositing system into a single, affordable offering. Autodesk Mudbox 2010—New Release Designed by artists who understand how you work, Autodesk® Mudbox™ 2010 software is a highly intuitive 3D digital sculpting and texture painting solution for artists in the game, film, television, and design industries.

Autodesk Softimage 2010—New Release Autodesk® Softimage® 2010 software is a 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, rendering, and compositing solution optimized for artist efficiency. This release boasts accelerated performance and greater data handling, includes the Softimage® Face Robot® facial rigging and animation toolset, and has been expanded to allow the creation of custom Interactive Creative Environment (ICE) systems. ICE effects and Face Robot meshes can be exported to Autodesk Maya for ease of integration into Maya pipelines when creating complex simulations and believable characters. Autodesk MotionBuilder 2010—New Release A leading real-time 3D character animation software and an ideal tool for high-volume game animation pipelines, director-driven virtual cinematography, and real-time character simulations, Autodesk® MotionBuilder® software is the perfect complement to 3ds Max, Maya, and Softimage.

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source : http://usa.autodesk.com

Pixar Animation Studios released version 2.0 of RenderMan Studio and version 3.0 of RenderMan for Maya. Built on the common foundation of Pixar’s core rendering technology, both releases feature substantial performance enhancements for production rendering, including faster multi-threading, optimized ray tracing, and other enhancements that will dramatically impact most scenes. New levels of customization will allow studios the ability to develop their own unique pipelines, and both releases provide full Maya 2009 compatibility. In addition, RenderMan Studio 2.0 offers premium features such as a new version of Pixar’s shading program, Slim, with many significant enhancements for creating sophisticated and high quality visuals looks.

• RENDERER ENHANCEMENTS
  1. Enhanced Threading - Significant gains when using multiple processors
  2. Accelerated Ray Tracing – Substantial performance optimizations
  3. Faster Depth of Field – For scenes with fast objects and heavy blur
  4. Faster Subsurface Scattering – With a new threaded version of PTFilter
  5. Faster AOVs – Significant improvements for secondary outputs
  6. More Efficient Polygons – Complex meshes have big performance gains
  7. Optimized Long Curves – Long hair is now easier to render
  8. Organized Point Clouds – Better performance through improved memory efficiency
  9. Ray Traced Procedural Unload – Trace procedural geometry with greater memory efficiency
  10. And much more …
• PLUG-IN FEATURES
  1. New Workspace Editor – Improved asset management
  2. Enhanced Extendibility – More flexible for production pipelines
  3. RSL for Maya Materials – Now may be easily customized
• NEW COMPATIBILITY
  1. 64 bit Vista Support
  2. Maya 2009 Support
  3. Mac 10.5.x Leopard Support

Both RenderMan Studio and RenderMan for Maya are designed to provide fast and easy access to Pixar’s photo-realistic technology used to create the stunning visual effects in most contemporary feature films. Both products offer the Autodesk Maya user a seamlessly integrated interface that provides an unparalleled combination of ease of use, creativity, performance, and cinematic image quality. A free no time-limit evaluation version of RenderMan for Maya 3.0 is available for all Maya 2009 users to try out at https://renderman.pixar.com/forum/eval/

“The improved integration of RenderMan Studio 2.0 into Maya has been great for our artists and we are seeing incredibly fast renders with its new performance features.” said Jamie Macdougall, Senior 3D artist at Artifex Studios. “In particular being able to render directly to OpenEXR and hand the compositors all the passes that they require is a huge time saver.”

RenderMan For Maya 3.0 and RenderMan Studio 2.0 are compatible with Mac OS X 10.5.5 and above, Windows XP, and Windows Vista 64-bit. In addition, RenderMan Studio 2.0 is also compatible with both Linux 32-bit and 64-bit.

The upgrade price from RenderMan for Maya 2.0 to RenderMan for Maya 3.0 is $295 and can be purchased from the Pixar e-store at https://renderman.pixar.com/store/ The upgrade price from RenderMan Studio 1.0 to RenderMan Studio 2.0 is $400 and the upgrade price for the RenderMan Embedded Renderer is $300. In addition, Pixar’s maintenance program benefits RenderMan Studio customers with access to ongoing support and version upgrades for an annual fee. For more information please visit www.pixar.com or contact rendermansales@pixar.com.