Friday, November 4th, 2011 Posted by Jim Thacker

Next Limit releases Maxwell Render Suite 2.6


Simulated animal fur rendered with Maxwell Render Suite 2.6. The latest point update to Next Limit’s physically correct renderer also includes a new particle primitive.

Next Limit has released an update to Maxwell Render Suite, its standalone physically based renderer, adding new primitives for hair and particles, improved displacement and a standalone Python editor.

In fact, there’s an awful lot new in Maxwell Render Suite 2.6, given that it’s officially a point upgrade.

The two new procedural primitives greatly expand the range of scene content Maxwell can render – in the case of hair, including that from Shave and a Haircut, Ornatrix and the native systems in 3ds Max, Maya and Cinema 4D; and particles generated by Max, Maya and RealFlow.

The update also brings in a new displacement algorithm, including vector displacement; faster motion blur; and a range of workflow enhancements, including file referencing for data in Maxwell’s native MXS format.

The Maxwell Render SDK also now includes a standalone Python editor and scripting examples, facilitating pipeline integration.

Maxwell Render Suite 2.6 costs $995 for a Standard licence, including five render nodes.

Read a full list of new features in Maxwell Render Suite 2.6