Chaos Corona 8 for 3ds Max and Cinema 4D adds many powerful tools to allow artists to create their 3D worlds faster and with more detail than ever.
Below is a quick overview of just some of the biggest new features:
For more information or to purchase Chaos Corona please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our sales team or visit our product page below.
To purchase visit the product page here.
Call us on +353 (0)1 526 6717 or email sales@bluegfx.eu
Focused on workflow efficiency, easy-to-use texturing and rendering tools, and offering a safe and secure workspace environment, 3ds Max now has new rendering capabilities added to Arnold, a new Bake to Texture functionality, and enhanced features to popular modelling tools.
Security:
In 3ds Max 2022, users are notified when a new version of the Scene security Tools is available on the Autodesk App Store.
Smart Extrude:
When performing an inward or outward Smart Extrusion (Shift+ LM B drag operation on an Edit Poly or Editable Poly), complete intersections of these results will now add, unify, or completely cut-through and remove faces of the operand result with your mesh geometry. This new Smart Extrude enhancement enables artists to freely construct unified mesh geometry, enhancing the poly modelling experience in 3ds Max.
Slice Modifier:
3ds Max includes performance enhancements to the Slice modifier and new modelling features based on user feedback. These enhancements and new features are powerful complements to 3ds Max workflows, as they reduce data processing operations for Autodesk Retopology Tools in 3ds Max.
Extrude Modifier:
The Extrude Modifier, one of the most frequently used modifiers in 3ds Max, offers significant performance improvements to the speed of the initial extrude calculation, and to the responsiveness of the output when adjusting the amount parameter. This allows complex splines, which used to take minutes to be processed, to be operated on in a matter of seconds. Artistes can achieve a desired look faster and more interactively.
Symmetry Modifier:
The symmetry modifier, a commonly used modelling modifier in 3ds Max, includes new features and enhancements that benefit modelling and retopology workflows in 3ds Max. Symmetry can now produce faster results, and offers a more interactive experience in the viewport.
AutoSmooth:
AutoSmooth operations, which are used to improve the visual quality of mesh data throughout 3ds Max, have ben updated to generate new smoothing data faster, regardless of whether you are smoothing thousands or millions of faces. This update helps artists when adjusting smoothing data on objects like Mesh, Poly or Spline. It also benefits other modifiers such as Smooth, Chamfer, Edit Mesh, Edit Poly, ProOptimize, and many more.
Relax Modifier:
3ds Max now includes a ‘volume preserve’ option which has been added to the Relax modifier. When active, the Relax algorithm will perform additional calculations to reduce small detail and noise out from models, all while retaining the shape and definition of the overall mesh that the modifier has been applied to.
This functionality is especially useful when working with data containing a large amount of unwanted small or micro surface detail, as seen with Scan and Sculpt data. Reducing this small ‘noisy’ data with Relax can improve the processing time of the Autodesk Reptopology Tools for 3ds Max.
Rendering:
Arnold:
Bake to Texture:
Bake to Texture now includes a few utility maps, such as Rounded Corners and Material ID maps, as examples of what previously required a complex material setup workflow prior to baking. These utility maps now achieve the same outcome in only a few clicks.
Viewports:
Call us on +353 (0)1 526 6717 or email sales@bluegfx.eu
This release includes support for Python 3, developer-focused improvements and workflow enhancements to help improve daily work for animators and developers.
Python 3 is now available for MotionBuilder providing performance, security, and dev-centric language enhancements, while support for PIP delivers instant access to the latest libraries and tools. Python 3 is the new default on Windows and Linux, but Motion Builder can still be launched in Python 2 mode by setting an environment variable or with a command line flag.
More powerful MotionBuilder Command Line:
The Motion Builder Python Command Line tool has been significantly improved. mobupy.exe can be used to call the MotionBuilder Python SOK. This opens the door to new capabilities like file processing and rendering from the Command Line.
Python/ APT:
The Motion Builder API has been expanded and improved to include additional capabilities based on common feedback from developers.
Python Editor Updates:
The Python Editor now displays an ‘X’ button on each script tab, providing a quick way to close scripts and allowing users to manage multiple script tabs more efficiently.
Customizable Splash Screen:
Tool developers can now modify the MotionBuilder splash screen with custom imagery, defined by a new environment variable named MOTIONBUILDER_ICON_PATH. This enables artists and studios to customize the startup experience to differentiate between different projects or tool versions.
Quaternions in the FCurve Editor:
Animators can now visualize real Quaternion Rotation properties within the FCurve Editor that match evaluation values, instead of displaying them as normal FCurves. “Real Quaternion Rotations”, a new checkable menu item, is now available in the contextual menu of the FCurve Editor. “Showing Real Quaternion Rotations” is now displayed in the FCurve Editor to help users know if the mode is enabled or not.
Character Extension Improvements:
The new “Add to Body Part” property enables artists to key a character extension when selecting the body part containing a reference object of that character extension. This simplifies the key framing process for character extensions by allowing users to animate them in conjunction with an associated body part.
Auxiliary Effector Usability:
When working with Character Controls, animators can control whether the auxiliary pivots/effectors should be automatically shown or not by using “Automatically Expand Auxiliaries”, a new preference added in the Character section. This saves time for animators by reducing the number of actions required to expand IK auxiliaries each time they select individual effectors in the Character Controls.
Relation Constraint Updates:
Artists can include relation constraints in an animation layer, while also controlling layer weight, improving the visibility of the layer relationships within the Navigator. Users can add an animation layer in a relation constraint to control the weight of the layer. The layers are now shown and parented to their respective takes in the Navigator.
Camera Plate Offset and Scale:
Users now have more precise control over the transformation of camera plates. New Offset X/Y and Scale X/Y options have been added to the camera back and front plates. These new options are enabled when the “Fit” option is unchecked and work in conjunction with the existing “Center” and “Maintain Ratio” settings. When the “Maintain Ratio” option is enabled, the new Scale Y value/animation is ignored, and Scale Xis used for both.
Group/ Set Enhancements:
New options in the Groups/Sets Tool are available to preserve the Show/Pick/Trs state of Groups/Sets when toggling a parent node. If toggling on the Group while the option is enabled, all nested groups will be turned on. If toggling on the Group while the option is disabled, only the nested groups that are already checked will be checked again.
Heads Up Display Enhancements:
The Navigator now supports drag and drop parenting of HUDs. The resulting HUD hierarchies can then be easily attached to cameras and rendered in the Viewer, making it easier to associate things like HUD style rig control setups with cameras.
Better Audio Display:
Similar to the FCurve Editor, the Camera Switcher now has the ability to display an audio waveform from an audio clip or a Story audio track, allowing animators to stay in context while using audio in the Camera Switcher. Previously, they would have to switch back to the FCurve Editor to see the audio waveform.
New Undo Window:
A new Undo window has been added to enable display and modification of a detailed view of the command history. This new feature allows users to see and update the current level within the undo stack.
Faster Image Loading:
When loading a scene file, images contained in the file can be now be loaded in parallel to speed up the loading process, giving users a significant speed boost when opening files with numerous, large images. This is especially important when working with scenes with image-based reference footage.
C3D Import Improvements:
The new “Up Axis Used” in File option allows users to specify that the up-axis embedded in the C3D file should be used on import, giving them more control over which axis is up in relation to HIK. In previous versions, users did not have access to the up-axis setting stored in a C3D file.
Viewport Selection Accuracy:
Several updates have been made to improve selection accuracy for objects in the Viewport allowing users to interactively select objects such as cameras and locators more predictably in the Viewport.
Story Tool Improvements:
Animators will experience workflow improvements and increased stability when working in the Story tool, based on feedback from power users.
Buy MotionBuilder here.
Call us on +353 (0)1 526 6717 or email sales@bluegfx.eu
With recent technical developments, compounded by the covid pandemic, the industry is now shifting more than ever to different working methods.
With many studios evolving and adopting various remote working scenarios, hardware and software management has become more of a logistical problem.
This can leave some uncertainties for many to manage and resolve.
How many of the workforce will return to the office full time? How many want more flexible options? How to manage distribution and deployment of hardware and software, and maintain a working pipeline? Can I use my existing in-house technology to operate a hybrid workflow?
For existing facilities wondering whether the workforce should and could return to the office and in which kind of timeframe, is now the time to adopt new working practices or introduce additional capabilities, while retaining the benefits of existing tools, until they near their end of life?
The solutions?
Virtualisation can be the fix for all these concerns in one simple, scalable package.
More people in the community have become aware of and are using cloud services such as rendering, virtual workstations, storage and archiving. However, this is but a tiny part of what is available, with not everyone realising there is a lot more on offer that can really benefit studios of any size.
However, there are many different options available and not all of them will work for every company, depending on your existing set up, your current working practices and what investment you want or can afford to put in. So, let’s look at some of the various options available for virtualisation and how a hybrid environment could work for you.
Setting up a fully virtual working environment is possible, and AWS recently introduced Nimble Studio, an all-in-one solution providing access to virtual workstations, high-speed storage, and scalable rendering across AWS’s global infrastructure.
This demonstrates the perfect example of what virtualisation can do for you. It makes it easy to set up your team, with the tools they need, all with scalability, controlled by an easy-to-use front end. Aligning these new intuitive tools helps to generate increased capabilities for your output, without the need to move premises, meaning existing infrastructure and hardware can remain providing a great hybrid solution.
If, when existing hardware nears its upgrade time, you decide to switch to full virtualisation, then the change of scale is a simple thing to do. If you decide that a physical premise, with the benefits that entails, is still an integral part of how you see the future, you can dovetail the two for as long as it needs, with virtualisation taking up the challenge on an ‘as needed’ basis.
Let’s use an example of a studio with 50 creatives of various disciplines, all needing workstation access, and the software they need to complete their work.
What about those who are fully remote or are only in the studio on certain days of the week? When the workforce becomes spread out, as is increasingly the case, the management of assets is infinitely more of a challenge.
What if a creative could log on to a virtualised workstation environment using a simple, cost-effective front end, that they can manage themselves, which is centrally monitored by the HQ, providing usage data and budget control.
The virtual workstations would have all the software people needed, all controlled with specific images to suit the role and requirement, that could be easily updated and deployed with Nimble Studio.
If some people needed to change work and tools, Nimble can handle this too. Nimble can efficiently deploy new tools to the virtual workstations, delivering access to the right tools at the right time, with processing power scaled to keep them creative, eliminating the need for swapping out GPUs, or installing extra RAM or storage.
Of course, the physical and cost benefits of virtualisation are clear and easily quantified but there are other elements to keep in mind. Virtualisation opens a business up to a global talent pool.
Not only are there opportunities to work with the best workforce available but you save on associated overheads like relocation packages and for some, a change of location might not be a possibility. Virtualisation instantly negates those hurdles.
An added benefit of this type of environment is that it not only helps you manage your current setup, but it can also scale up your requirements, allowing you to access additional resources when required.
These different perspectives on working practice need not be an either-or situation, as they can work seamlessly together, with part of the team being in the studio, other team members working remotely or on location using a virtual workstation, all sharing cloud-based file storage, retaining ease of project management and the collaborative nature that is paramount in the creative industry.
Similarly, all your data is secure in the cloud, perhaps even more so than your current in-house set-up.
What about the final image?
Rendering is a computationally-intensive process and while the render farms out there are gaining in traction, many studios prefer to use their own and while this gives ultimate control it comes at the cost of inevitable upgrades and associated costs.
Using virtual processing eliminates the need for all of this. Just scale the virtual tools for the shot at hand. No cooling issues, power fluctuation problems, or bottlenecks caused by files hitting the farm at once.
AWS Deadline allows for this with ease. You choose the tools, control access, and get the shots back. It’s a fantastic solution for managing render projects, no matter which field you are in, from creative to engineering.
But what about my files?
The growing demand for higher quality content combined with the adoption of deep images and compositing has resulted in increased file sizes and challenging demands for storage.
Using cloud services such as Nimble or SimpleCloud is the best way to stay on top of this. Many of us are used to the cloud, with our photo apps on our phones, or lower-level options like Dropbox but where services such as Simplecloud excels is scalability and suitability for your projects.
There’s no need to buy hardware storage that is futureproofed anymore. In fact, with the rate of development currently seen, you’d need mystical levels or prophetic vision to know what will be required in even a year or two.
Cloud based systems leave the guesswork behind. Simplecloud, for example, scales as needed, maintaining suitable overheads for the needs of the day. On top of that is total control over deployment and access for the workforce.
You dictate who can access what, even to the extent that you define who can save files locally or who works totally virtually.
Is it secure?
Absolutely yes. In some ways, a virtual studio is more secure than having your own studio. Not only are there multiple redundancies to keep your files accessible but your files are safe from local risks like fire and flood damage and even theft.
Protecting your assets and IP are fundamental requirements and Simplecloud and AWS allow you to control this easily and from anywhere.
How do you use a virtual workstation?
This is possibly the best bit of all. Because this is a web-based system, anybody you offer access to can use any client machine that suits both your and their needs, in fact, an existing home computer or a tablet would both do the trick.
You can even have them working on a machine with one operating system but have the virtual workstation running another, which makes for exceptional additional opportunities for the established studio.
If a creative needs to work elsewhere, say on set or at a different facility, all their familiar tools will be available to them, just as if they were sitting at their usual desk on premises.
On top of this, it is a fantastic method of managing boosted news of your business at peak times. Let’s go back to our 50 strong workforce.
Say they were working on a movie, and all was going well when the VFX supervisor offered you another set of shots to produce.
If your studio is at physical capacity, it’s very easy to simply add extra team members virtually, just for the length of time needed for the work to be delivered. No need to buy in hardware that may lie dormant for much of the time.
In a nutshell?
Virtualisation is all about giving you the power to manage a scalable workforce that runs securely, efficiently and in concert with the needs of your business, reducing inactivity and offering you the power to move with the times.
You can maintain your existing setup for as long as you need but secure in the knowledge that you can stay agile, adapting to a changing industry and confident that you can scale to meet new opportunities.
We suggest:
Call us on +353 (0)1 526 6717 or email sales@bluegfx.eu
This is the time of year when much of the population takes stock, often deciding to make big changes to their lives, work or passions. In visual effects this is no different, so trying to find new, better, or just different ways of working is pretty common.
On top of that, there is the age-old debate around whether it is better to specialise or generalise. No matter what side of the coin you land on, the resulting actions are the same. It’s time to look at your existing skills to see what you need to learn next. This is the same if you are looking to supplement your current skill set, or change tack and discover new pipelines to fit into.
The problem here is knowing where to start.
Do you need to go back to school?
Buy a few books, or subscribe to an online course?
Well, BlueGFX can help out there. As well as the excellent products they also have in-house product specialists, whose years of experience in the industry can help and guide any upskilling needs you may have.
Rather than presenting a list of options here, we thought it might be more interesting and helpful to talk to one of the team’s veterans themselves, to get their take on the industry, skill sets and how to increase your expertise, so we sat down with Graham Bell, who shares his thoughts, followed by some free resources, to whet your appetite:
Tell us a bit about yourself, where did you start in CG and what’s been your journey?
I started as a traditional illustrator for a small studio in Bromley. We started using CG in the mid-90s just as it seemed to be taking off. I then moved into video games by joining Psygnosis where I cut my teeth in games, before eventually joining EA/Bullfrog. At EA I did a lot of mocap work and took those skills into VFX at MPC in London. Went back into games briefly at Codemasters and Climax until eventually joined Softimage and then Autodesk. That was followed by a spell in automotive visualisation, then back at MPC, and now with Bluegfx.
Are there any key projects that have shaped the way you think about CG? What were they and how have they helped you evolve?
Hard to call out anything in particular. But when I started in games in the PS1 era, there wasn’t much room to play with in terms of model and textures budget, so I had to be creative at times to make things work and be disciplined. These attributes and approaches are something that I’ve perhaps subconsciously carried forwards into other projects.
Technology and software now is incredible, and capable of many things but some aspects can make you lazy, and it can be too easy to overcomplicate things. So being simple to begin with can be a good starting point.
Where do you stand on software elitism? Every package has its followers and fanboys but is there any benefit to that, or should you go for a more holistic approach?
People will always be passionate or protective about a software package. It could be the first one they learnt, or they just feel more comfortable using it. I’ve used many different softwares, some I like, some I don’t. It can be hard to break out of this mindset, but it’s important to be objective.
Everything has its strengths and weaknesses, and you should be open and willing to adapt and change. I know it’s a cliché, but the software is only one tool from a toolbox.
And it’s not those tools that make us good but rather how we employ them. And if we fail, it’s too easy to simply blame the tool used rather than how they were employed.
For people wanting to start 3D do you think they should take a general approach or specialise?
Good question and one that perhaps doesn’t have a definitive answer. I’ve heard points for both. Being a generalist gives you a broad set of skills, but you could be a jack of all trades and a master of none. And I think it’s very hard to be good at everything.
Starting out, having general skills is a good starting point, but with time you will naturally gravitate towards one particular area and that will help you focus. In a studio environment, you will have to collaborate with different areas and disciplines, so it’s important to have some understanding.
People learn in different ways but can you suggest a surefire way to kickstart the process?
Be patient. With so much stuff out there, I can see how many, especially those just starting out, are keen to get moving quickly.
Though people can let their impatience with the lack of progress get the better of them and they try and dive straight into something.
However, they quickly get stuck and then maybe start to lose heart. So, the key is to be more diligent in your learning and consider being more pragmatic in your approach to improve your understanding.
Can you recommend a good launch point for people at the beginning of their CG journey?
There are so many resources available to people, it can be hard to know where to start. I would always start with the software vendors themselves. It’s easy to overlook the official resources, documentation and tutorials they provide.
Granted there’s a mixture of quality but it’s a good place to start before moving on. If a vendor can’t always provide materials, they will use their user communities.
More recently I’ve seen vendors sponsor known users to create tutorials on certain topics. There’s some very good stuff out there, so it’s worth checking out.
Some of these resources can be found below and make a fantastic start to the journey of complementing your existing skillset, allowing you to increase your knowledge base, for either enhancing your existing workflow or transitioning to a new one.
Resources to help learn graphic design:
Exploring the best settings that reduce Maya from crashing and also improve your workflow.
Bluegfx and Autodesk are delighted to give you the opportunity to see how Shotgun can help you improve efficiencies within your game development workflow. Some of the leading games studios are already relying on Shotgun to securely unify their pipeline right across production. Its gives them the flexibility to schedule, track and review the creative process, automatically providing globally visible data. Simple and effective tools connect internal and external teams, integrating complex workflows so that everyone from artist to developer is fully in control of production.
Bluegfx provides 3D software and content creation tools to some of the most exciting creative studios in the entertainment industry. Join us and learn how Shotgun can immediately help you collaborate better and work faster.
Call us on +353 (0)1 526 6717 or email sales@bluegfx.eu
On 20th July we held our VR in Architecture Event at the Coin Street Centre, and are thrilled with the turn out and feedback that we’ve had.
VR is undoubtedly changing the way we approach visualisation and experiential marketing, and naturally lends itself to architecture where a fully immersive experience is key to properly understanding the building or space.
We invited some industry wizards – including VR specialists and experts in creating interactive architectural presentations – to come and share some knowledge with a like-minded audience. We had VR headsets to play with and technology demonstrations for 3ds Max and games engine Stingray.
We were overwhelmed with the response we had – not only the amount of people who registered, but the genuine level of energy at the event (despite it being the hottest day of the year!). So here’s a roundup of talks, general going’s on, and the all-important product links.
An overview of the afternoon. If you have any questions about the event please don’t hesitate to email info@bluegfx.com.
REWIND is a creative agency and digital production studio who specialise in VR and the creative production behind unforgettable experiential events. Oliver chats about VR, 3ds Max and REWIND’s great relationship with bluegfx.
Stingray is Autodesk’s 3D game engine and real-time rendering software. Use the Stingray engine to create 3D games, real-time design visualizations, and stunning virtual reality experiences. Stingray connects directly to Autodesk 3D animation tools.
REWIND have worked on VR production projects for a number of high-profile clients, including a virtual tour for Savills, giving users a guided tour of a multi-million pound mansion with an additional option to explore the property for themselves.
Neutral Digital bring together 2D, 3D and advanced VR elements to create engaging experiences across different media – from immersive 360º videos for architects to user interfaces for the world’s leading airlines.
Buy 3D modelling, rendering and animation software 3ds Max
Buy lighting, shading, and rendering toolkit V-Ray for 3ds Max
A huge thank you to our sponsors: Autodesk, Chaos Group and AMD.
Call us on +353 (0)1 526 6717 or email sales@bluegfx.eu
Got a project in mind?
Call us for a chat today
on +353 (0)1 526 6717 or email
to find out how we can help!
Contact our Support Team
