New Versions of RenderMan Studio and RenderMan for Maya
Some late news from SIGGRAPH:
Pixar’s RenderMan at SIGGRAPH 2010
Announcing new versions of RenderMan Studio and RenderMan for Maya
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.
Note: This image is from RenderMan for Maya 3.0
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 Animation Studios
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).