Thursday, March 15th, 2012 Posted by Jim Thacker

The Foundry releases Mari 1.4v3

The Foundry has released a free update to Mari, adding new customisation options to the 3D paint package.

Despite the arcane version numbering, Mari 1.4v3 is a pretty substantial update. Presets that mimic the control layouts of Nuke, Maya and Houdini will probably be the first thing most people use, but there are also new options for replicating texture data automatically across patches, and a new Tint and Stencil mode.

In addition (not mentioned in the blurb below, but you can see full details via the link to the release notes at the foot of the story), there are new keyboard shortcuts for rotating the UV view; a lot of new Ptex features – including new version-handling options and an Apply to All Objects button for automating repetitive tasks; and some performance boosts – The Foundry reports shader baking and paint projection are now 2-5 times faster.

Mari 1.4v3 is available now for 64-bit Windows 7 or Linux. Price remains unchanged at $1,980.

PRESS RELEASE (Excerpts)
Leading visual effects software developer, The Foundry, has today released the latest update of MARI – its cutting edge paint tool for 3D artists. MARI has been designed from the ground up to meet the needs of the most demanding VFX texture and matte painting artists. It is capable of handling vast numbers of pixels, and outperforms all other paint tools in speed, flexibility and processing capabilities. The latest release gives users more control than ever before.

Mari 1.4v3
This release features countless fixes and tweaks and includes a host of substantial upgrades that current users have requested. Many of the changes are designed to help artists truly immerse themselves in the creative painting process without being held back by unfamiliar surroundings and monotonous manual tasks.

Spend more time painting
A number of additional functions are now included to remove unnecessary manual work and free up more time for artists to focus on their craft. These include Linked Patches that allow users to easily replicate texture data across patches without having to cut and paste, and Cancel Functionality that lets artists undo long running operations at the touch of a button.

Customise
Customisation settings have also been expanded in MARI 1.4v3. Preset navigation modes now allow users to replicate the feel of other familiar packages including Autodesk® Maya®, Side Effects Houdini as well as The Foundry’s NUKE. This addition improves interoperability and is designed to help users that are accustomed to the interface of a specific package.

Get creative
Brand new Tint and Stencil options in the MARI Paint Through mode have also been introduced, giving artists even more flexibility in their creative approaches.

Read the full release notes for Mari 1.4v3

Visit the Mari product website