e-on software has released PlantFactory 2016 R6, the latest version of its plant-generation software, adding a new lower-polygon diamond mode for leaves, and new advanced flower controls.

The company has also released Vue 2016 R6, a performance-focused update to its environment creation software. Both are free updates for existing users of the 2016 editions, hence the unusual version numbering.

New in PlantFactory 2016 R6: new diamond leaf mode, advanced flower controls
In terms of new features, PlantFactory 2016 R6 is the more substantial update, adding a new diamond leaves mode intended to reduce polygon count for vegetation that will only be seen at a distance.

There are subdivision boost, mid rib angle and curvature parameters to adjust the look of the leaves; and the option to use either regular texture maps or a dedicated new diamond UV mode.

The higher-end editions of the software – Designer, Studio and Producer – get a new 2D profile filter editor, designed to help create more complex flower geometry, such as the trumpet form shown in the video above.

There is also a new gravitropism parameter to mimic the effects of gravity on flower growth.

Finally, users of the Producer edition get a new seasonal material editor, designed for use with sister tool LumenRT, when creating real-time visualisations.

New in Vue 2016 R6: performance and workflow improvements
Vue 2016 R6 is largely a performance update: most notably, e-on claims that EcoSystem cache generation is now up to 6x faster, and that “very large” EcoSystem populations render 10% faster.

UI speed and responsiveness has also been “vastly improved”, although the press material doesn’t put a figure on that one; and there is a new multi-object selection display.

New features include importance sampling when using image-based lighting with atmospheric effects, generating better visual quality for a given computation time; and gamma correction for environment maps.

If you’re using Vue xStream, the top-of-the-range edition, you can now populate EcoSystems onto native instances in three of the DCC applications it integrates with: 3ds Max, Cinema 4D and Maya.

Vue xStream can also now load scenes created with Carbon Scatter, Vue’s now-defunct sister plugin, as EcoSystem populations.

Pricing and availability
Vue 2016 R6 is available now for Windows 7+ and Mac OS X 10.7+. The update is free to existing users.

New licences of Vue Infinite cost $1,295; new licences of Vue xStream, which integrates Vue with 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, LightWave, Maya and Softimage, cost $1,695. Prices for lower-end editions can be found here.

PlantFactory 2016 R6 is available for Windows XP+ and Mac OS X 10.7+. Again, the update is free to registered users, while new licences of the software cost between $199 and $1,995, depending on edition.

 
Read a full list of new features in Vue 2016 R6 and PlantFactory 2016 R6 in e-on’s press release

Visit e-on software’s temporary website
(Orders and support requests are still being processed manually following a cyber-attack last year)

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