GPU – Graphic World

We’re alreay halfway through the year and developments in the world of 3D artdon’t show signs of slowing down any time soon. With plenty of tools and updates hitting the scene, let’s dive in with the top 5 tools for June.

1. Laubwerks

Laubwerks are touted as the best foliage kits in the business

If you’re into architectural visualisation or environment work then it’s very likely that you will need foliage of some kind. Over the last few years Laubwerk have produced some of the best quality foliage packs around.

What makes them special is not just the excellent models and accompanying textures but the implementation. Not only doe they ship plugins for various host apps but the Laubwerk player also lets you dial in attributes for your plants, from age of plant to the season, with materials and meshes responding appropriately.

Now, Laubwerk have released their first shrub pack, as well as a new Maya player, bringing these top quality kits to an even bigger user base.

2. Modo 10.1

10.1 adds a large feature list to the previous release and will please modelers

Not that long ago the foundry announced their new model for development of modo and now we are seeing the results of the second edition in this series, 10.1.

10.1 is solidly focused on modelling and brings to the table far more than can be talked about here but the highlights are some huge additions and improvments to MeshFusion, the versatile Boolean system. With similarities to Zbrush’s shadowbox it allows the user to create Booleans from different angles, making complex shapes far easier than traditional methods.

Also a big new feature, and one that joines forces with other areas of modo, is the procedural modelling system,. With many uses it’s hard to describe fully here but see it as a way of creating and editing models non destructively, with operators able to be freely moved, adjusted and animated.

10.1 is a big release so head to the product page to read more and see some of the demo videos.

3. Guide to GPU rendering

In depth guide to rendering on the GPU is free to all registrants

The battle for rendering supremacy is raging away, with both GPU and CPU camps having good points to make. However understanding the benefits of one system over another is not always that simple but Chaos Group Labs have come to the rescue, with this in depth and best of all, free guide on how working with a GPU can make your life as a cg artist easier, or at least quicker.

Of course there’s a slant towards V-Ray but that is in some ways irrelevant. The pros and cons are the same and the authors have put together a really comprehensive guide, covering everything from compute power background and history to what the future could hold.

4. Spline connect

The most efficient way of connecting spline segments is only $15

Default Cinema 4D installs don’t provide a way of easily connecting spline objects but Mike Udin, has the answer. His new Fast Spline Connect plugin, available from cgtools, makes it about as simple as any command can be.

At just $15 it’s impossible to resist if you ever work with splines and should really be a part of the standard feature set. Seeing as Cinema 4D has such a large user base we can certainly see this being a popular plugin.

5. Autodesk Industry collections

Autodesk’s new collection is a rent only affair, although cheaper than pervious iterations

If you are a fan of Autodesk software but your budget prohibited signing up tho their subscription service there’s some good news. The big ‘A’ have reshuffled their software suites into ne ‘industry collections’, which contain the same core products as before, although obviously not softimage, and they come out at a fairly substantial reduction in yearly cost (around $300 depending on your choices).

On top of this the new collections also sign you up to a new cloud service, for rendering, storage and other tools like the character builder.

There will no longer be the option to buy a perpetual license however, so if you really need to use the software plan ahead.

This time of year can often be a quiet one for those of us working in 3D art and visual effects, with developers gearing up for the events season and new releases being a bit thin on the ground.

However there are a few notable updates and newcomers, so have a read below to see what could help you improve your work or help you be more efficient.

01. Modo 10 series

Modo has been around for a while but continues to develop and grow

Recently announced is the latest version of the now long running Modo, the full solution for 3D artists that includes tools for modelling and texturing animation and rendering. Previous updates had followed the x01 naming convention, lending a feeling of continuity to the brand but The Foundry have broken from that with what would have been 1001. Instead they have refocussed a little and changed the way they are targeting their products.

10.0 v1 is the first of the new system and is aimed squarely at the interactive market, so if you are on the lookout for a solid 3D app for your VR work or game content then this is the one you want. It hasn’t quite been released at the time of writing but it’s just around the corner and will be followed later by 10.1 and 10.2 which will each have their own focus.

02. NVIDIA Iray VR and Iray VR Lite

Rendering power is steadily moving to the GPU and Iray VR looks set to a strong contender

Most artists will usually have thoughts of graphics cards when you mention the name NVIDIA but they are also software developers and one of their main applications of recent years is Iray, now with additional versions for VR. Iray VR has many uses but the obvious benefits are for engineers and architects, where they will be able visualize not just form and function but also lighting interaction.

If you are into architectural visualization and want a step up then look at Iray VR, as it will let you light your spaces on the fly without the process of having to wait for test renders. Imagine taking the power of your GPU to run interactive demos to clients, showing them how their desgins will look in any situation. VR looks to be having a resurgence and Iray wants in on the party.

03. Forest Pack 5 and Railclone 2.6

These two heavy hitting max plugins are well respected and rightly so

Possibly the best known plugins for 3ds Max is this pairing from iToo. Well regarded even amongst non-Max users, the software’s abilities in rapidly populating a scene in an organic yet controllable way has always been a huge benefit but they’ve announced their newest version which promises to add even more features.

There are a few new features for both apps but the main ones are expression support, so all you maths tweakers can use expressions to control your clones and their placements. Second up and one that will please many is support for V-Ray 3.3 including motion blur.

Check the website for a full list of new options as there are many new render options and a bunch of GUI options which make for more efficient working.

04. popVideo 3

The popVideo keying tools allow easy background removal, with a single colour picker

If you work in VFX it’s pretty likely you will have to work with green or blue screen footage. That’s okay and working with different keying solutions is getting easier but there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Reallusion has announced its latest version of popVideo, which includes some simple to use keying options that have sophisticated uses.

Using popVideo you aren’t limited to the tradition blue or green screen studios but can effectively remove any colour background. The possibilities this opens up are enormous, from basic paper rolls that can bought from any photo supplies shop to working with sky removals or annoying artefacts. The tools is operated with a colour picker meaning traditional chroma values aren’t a limitation.

05. Pixel lab NAB sale

The pixel lab packs are winners for quality and price

If you are a Cinema 4D artist and need plugins, materials and models then look no further. Joren Kandel has a huge range which is growing steadily, month by month. The news here is that he is currently running an NAB sale where you can save over $1000 on the complete set of products. Sales like this don’t come around that often and, although this isn’t about a specific product, it’s well worth sharing.

Many of the items are After Effects compatible too, so check it out. Even out of sale these packs are heavily discounted and well worth investigating.