CG news

The iClone 7.9 update focuses on facial animation, introducing the new AccuLips and Expression Plus lip sync system. A new set of scan-based face shapes has also been introduced, and face motion capture with the new iPhone has been improved. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMqZvDuYzqk[/embed] iClone now supports hairstyles and facial hair created with the new Smart Hair system introduced in Character Creation 3.4, released simultaneously with this update. AccuLips,

  The functionality shown in the video below was first introduced in ZBrush 2021.6, the latest release earlier this month. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6E7mycRiQc[/embed] It is noted that the Sticky Keys system from ZBrush 2021.6 is now disabled by default. Sticky Keys allows you to hold down any hotkey that triggers a slider in the ZBrush interface, move the cursor to adjust that slider, and then release the hotkey.

Autodesk's Maya 2022 has received full USD integration, and support for key pipeline technologies such as Python 3 and OCIO 2 has been added. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyPkTeJ9vJ8[/embed] There are also new features in the Maya toolkit, including the Sweep Mesh system, new procedural snap tools, the GPU-accelerated Morph deformerator, and the new Ghosting Editor for animation. Autodesk has also released Create VR, a separate conceptual design application designed

A number of common modeling tools have been updated in 3ds Max 2022, including Smart Extrude and the Relax, Slice, and Symmetry modifiers. Preconfigured maps in Bake-in Texture have also been added. 3ds Max 2022 has been released as part of a broader series of updates to Autodesk Media and Entertainment software, along with Maya 2022 and MotionBuilder 2022. Smart Extrude has two new drag-and-drop operations

UV-Packer plugin - designed for 3D artists, game studios, architectural visualization, photogrammetry and designers of 3D products, optimizes the packaging of UV spreads for both organic and hard surfaced models to minimize the loss of UV space. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHkrN4eGTOE&feature=emb_logo[/embed] The high-performance automated UV-Packer plug-in was originally positioned as a commercial plug-in for 3ds Max, but after the release of version three, last year, the developer 3d-io made

V-Ray 5 Update 1 for 3ds Max from Chaos (formerly Chaos Group) has received support for masks in the V-Ray frame buffer. Support for multiple additive dome light sources, improved translucency handling, progressive caustics rendering, and automatic conversion of 3ds Max physical material have also been added. The update also integrates the software with Chaos Cosmos, a new library of architectural resources from Chaos.   [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFpmb8j3QME[/embed]

The free Particle Illusion 2021 from Boris FX is part of the Continuum visual effects plugin suite. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Ygfx84VBA[/embed] The standalone version can be used with any compositing application, including After Effects, Fusion, and Nuke. An important nuance is the lack of Mocha planar tracking, but otherwise it's a pretty full-featured product. In the Particle Illusion 2021 update, like the commercial version that was updated last year,

Serif has released Affinity Photo 1.9 and Affinity Designer 1.9. Users of Affinity Photo have the ability to apply non-destructive liquefaction adjustments as masked layers, and to link multiple layers and edit them simultaneously. Affinity Designer users get a new Contour tool and new convenient workflow changes for object selection, including the ability to select all objects in a document that advise a certain attribute value.

Originally released at the end of May 2020, D5 Render, a new rendering program, has been updated to version 1.8. The engine combines ray tracing and rasterization techniques. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWs2V3I3EYw&feature=emb_logo[/embed] Update 1.8 adds quite a few new features, including a handy option that allows the software to automatically set the angle of the sunlight based on the position of the brightest spot on the HDRI scene map.