Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 Posted by Jim Thacker

HDR Labs ships sIBL_GUI 4.0


HDR Labs’ quickstart guide for sIBL_GUI. Version 4.0 of the software has just been released.

Christian Bloch and Thomas Mansencal – also known as HDR Labs – have released an updated version of sIBL_GUI, their software tool for packaging HDR files in optimised ‘Smart IBL’ set-ups.

Each Smart IBL set comprises an ultra-high-res panoramic image, for use as a backdrop in a scene; a high-res HDR, for use in calculating specular reflection components; and a blurred low-res HDR for use in diffuse environment lighting.

The system reduces calculation time and artefacting when rendering with HDRI.

What’s new?
New features in sIBL_GUI 4.0 include a new ‘dark’ UI more similar to other 3D applications; the option to browse image collections using larger previews; 64-bit support; and a new script editor.

There has been a lot of under-the-hood tweaking to make the application launch and run faster, and the 3ds Max, Maya and Softimage helper scripts required to use the software have also been streamlined and updated.

sIBL_GUI 4.0 is available now as a free download for Windows, Mac OS X and Linus. HDR Labs also provides dedicated loader scripts for Cinema 4D, LightWave and modo, independent of sIBL_GUI.

Thomas Mansencal has also commented on CGTalk that the duo are with the incorporation of the Cycles render engine in Blender 2.61, the duo are considering a Blender version.

Read an overview of the new features on the HDR Labs forum

Read the full documentation for sIBL_GUI 4

Download sIBL_GUI 4.0 or the helper scripts