Holomatix releases SprayTrace 1.5
Holomatix has updated SprayTrace, its real-time mental ray preview system for Maya. The plugin provides an interactive preview of a mental ray scene, showing the result of settings changes on the fly.
New render snapshot system and override options
As well as the usual performance improvements, new features in SprayTrace 1.5 include a render snapshot buffer for generating and managing test renders and new material and lighting override options.
“Virtually all mental ray shaders” are now supported, along with those from CoreCG’s MentalCore.
SprayTrace 1.5 is available for Maya 2008+ on Windows and Mac OS X. It costs £299 (around $450) plus VAT.
PRESS RELEASE (Excerpts)
Holomatix announce the immediate availability of SprayTrace version 1.5 for Autodesk Maya on Windows and Mac OS X. The SprayTrace plug-in for Maya provides a real-time progressive preview for mental ray scenes. With a single button press, SprayTrace launches a live connection to Maya, providing users with the ability to make informed decisions throughout the materials, texturing and lighting process.
New Features in SprayTrace 1.5 include:
- Faster Render Engine
SprayTrace is even faster than before with more scene properties now updating in an instant. - Render Snapshot Buffer
Keep and compare test shots and save the stack of snapshots to disk with a single click. -
Instant Final Gathering
New smoothed final gathering provides fast high quality images at low sample levels. For example, using mental ray physical sky and sun, users get instant feedback whilst positioning the sun, including the live final gather results. - Material Overrides
Replace scene materials with clay or plastic. Material overrides help in understanding the lighting within the scene without the complication of interacting with the final scene materials. - Lighting Overrides
Override the lights to use SprayTrace as a superior viewport, to do texturing work for example, but with results that will match the final mental ray mapping.
Todd Pilger, Head of 3D Visual Development, Sony Pictures Animation says: “SprayTrace has changed the way I approach character design for the better. Because the feedback is instant I am free to explore and iterate without interrupting the design process watching the wait cursor. SprayTrace lets me see a complex image in seconds, so I can tweak the final look right in camera, simplifying my workflow and saving me hours.”
Compatibility
SprayTrace uses CPU only, no special graphics card or drivers are required. SprayTrace is compatible with Autodesk Maya versions 2008 upwards and supports virtually all mental ray and MentalCore shaders.
Pricing and Availability
SprayTrace is available immediately for £299 plus VAT. Purchase online at the SprayTrace secure web shop. Existing SprayTrace customers can download the latest installers from their store account today.