Arion 2.70 is barely out of the door, but Random Control has already announced the next update to the physically based hybrid CPU/GPU renderer, launching Arion for 3ds Max 3 in open beta.

Support for rendering hair
The new features are being announced on the new Arion 3 website – and made available in the beta builds – in dribs and drabs, so the only one announced so far is support for rendering hair and fur.

That includes hair created with Max’s native Hair & Fur modifier, and with ephere’s Ornatrix plugin,

The system uses the same BSDF used to model every other material in the Arion Core, handling effects like SSS, S5 and coatings; and supports animation and motion blur.

Availability
Beta builds of Arion for 3ds Max 3 are available free to existing users of Arion 3ds Max 2.x until version 3 officially ships. New users can buy Arion for 3ds Max 2.70 and get a free, non-expiring licence of version 3.

Read more about Arion 3 on the product’s website
(Not much extra information yet: check back for new features)

Tags: 3ds max, Arion, Arion for 3ds Max 3, CPU, free, fur, GPU, hair, hybrid, new features, open beta, Ornatrix, physically based, RandomControl, renderer