Isotropix ships Clarisse iFX 3.6 SP7
Originally posted on 11 January 2018. Scroll down for news of the SP7 update.
Isotropix has released Clarisse 3.6, the latest version of its look dev and rendering system, adding support for outline rendering, a shadow catcher for live-action compositing, and a new shading variable system.
The update also makes it possible to remove the watermark from the free non-commercial PLE edition.
New outline shader for non-photorealistic output, shadow catcher for realistic work
Clarisse 3.6 adds a new outline shader, shown in the video above, for rendering non-photorealistic images, including cel-shaded and blueprint-type effects, directly within the software.
At the opposite extreme of its output, the update also adds a shadow catcher to mimic the shadows cast by CG objects onto background plates, simplifying live-action compositing.
To support the shadow catcher, the Light Path Expression system introduced in Clarisse 3.5 has also been updated for greater control over shadow passes.
New shading variable system and support for Alembic bundles
More structural changes include a new shading variable system, enabling users to share material templates across objects within a scene without the need to duplicate entire material networks.
Shading variable values can be defined at shading group, geometry or shading layer levels.
The update also adds support for Alembic bundles: a new geometry type that allows user to bring in an entire Alembic archive into Clarisse as a single item.
Bundles do not create objects inside Clarisse, and automatically de-duplicate geometry, reducing loading times and memory use in most scenes, although they are slower for scenes with many animated objects.
PLE edition no longer watermarks output, although restrictions remain
The free non-commercial PLE edition of the software, intended for educational use, no longer watermarks output, although you can only generate three such renders per 24 hours, via an online token system.
Renders are also limited to 2,560 x 1,440px resolution, and the PLE edition retains all of its other limitations, including not being able to write standard Clarisse project files or export geometry.
Updated 21 December 2018: Isotropix has released Service Pack 7, the latest update to Clarisse, which – following the release of Clarisse Builder in July – has now officially reverted to its old name, Clarisse iFX.
The update makes Clarisse iFX the latest 3D application to implement Disney’s principled shader model.
It also introduces a new metallic/roughness PBR workflow based on the material, for better compatibility with tools like Substance Painter, as shown in the video above.
It’s the seventh such service pack update to Clarisse iFX since our original story: the next major version, Clarisse iFX 4.0, was originally due before the end of 2018, but we assume that’s unlikely now.
Pricing and availability
Clarisse iFX 3.6 SP7 is available for Windows 7+, RHEL and CentOS 6+ Linux and Mac OS X 10.9+. The update is free to existing users with active maintenance plans.
The software costs $999 for a single node-locked ‘Clarisse for Indies’ licence, or $2,899 per floating licence. Prices include one year’s maintenance. See more pricing and rental options here.
Read a full list of new features in Clarisse iFX 3.6 on Isotropix’s website
Download the free PLE edition of Clarisse iFX (Registration required)