JangaFX ships EmberGen 1.0
JangaFX has shipped EmberGen 1.0, the much-anticipated first official production-ready release of its real-time gaseous fluid simulator for game development, visual effects and motion graphics.
As well as moving the software out of beta, EmberGen 1.0 revamps the software’s GPU particle system, adding emission of flames and smoke from particles, particle trails, and better particle lighting.
The release also reworks the export system, making it possible to export particles to other DCC applications in Alembic format; and adds a new built-in flipbook and sequence playback system.
EmberGen is also now available for Linux as well as Windows.
JangaFX’s launch stream for EmberGen 1.0
Rewritten GPU particle system can inject fire and smoke into simulations
JangaFX has already previewed one of the key changes in EmberGen 1.0: the rewrite of the GPU particle system, used to add fine detail to the software’s voxel-based simulations.
The overhauled version in EmberGen 1.0 provides much greater control over how GPU particles are emitted, how they are affected by forces, and how they are lit and rendered.
New features include new injection controls in particle emitters, making it possible to emit flames or smoke.
The update also introduces a new Particles Manager node that can be wired to a particle emitter to control particle grouping, making it possible to set up motion trails.
Other new features include ‘force masking’: the option to apply forces to individual channels – Velocity, Temperature or Smoke – of a particle system, to create more subtle effects.
Better particle lighting and rendering
In addition, EmberGen 1.0 supports “proper lit particles”, with illumination updating in real time as lights move through particle systems; while particles can themselves be emissive, making it possible to light smoke.
And while EmberGen previously had a hybrid render mode for rendering smoke and particles together, the update introduces “proper sorting” of particles, with those occluded by the smoke no longer being rendered.
Export particles to other DCC apps and game engines in Alembic format
In addition, EmberGen 1.0 can export particles in Alembic format.
The functionality – originally scheduled for 2020 – will make it possible to render EmberGen particles in other DCC applications or game engines, rather than with EmberGen’s built-in renderer.
The change is part of a wider overhaul of EmberGen’s import and export system, intended to simplify the process of getting assets into or out of the software.
As well as grouping all of the export settings together into a single interface, artists can save settings as export presets and reuse them across other projects.
Other changes include the option to export layered EXR files, and to import multiple models simultaneously.
Other new features: better simulation upscaling, velocity visualisation, built-in flipbook viewer
The simulation solver has also been optimised, and there have been “massive improvements” to simulation upscaling: according to JangaFX, simulations can now be upscaled to a billion voxels.
It is also now possible to visualise the velocity field for a simulation, as either a 2D or 3D grid.
Rendering improvements in EmberGen 1.0 include raymarch sharpening for “crisp, high-detail renders”.
The release also introduces a built-in flipbook viewer and sequence playback system, for playing back rendered output, with the option to view only selected render channels.
Workflow improvements include an incremental save system for developing scenes iteratively.
The software’s preset scenes have been rewritten, and a lot of new presets added, including game-ready presets for common use cases like muzzle flashes, fire and explosions.
Pricing and system requirements
EmberGen 1.0 is available for Windows 10+ and – as of the 1.0 release – for Linux. It requires a Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU or better, or AMD equivalent.
Indie subscriptions, for artists with revenue under $1 million/year, cost $19.99/month, with users qualifying for a perpetual licence after 18 months, up from 12 months during the beta releases.
A new indie perpetual licence now costs $299.99, up from $199.99.
Studio subscriptions, for studios with revenue up to $100 million/year, cost $149.99/month per node-locked licence, and $239.99/month per floating licence.
Read a full list of new features in EmberGen 1.0 in the online release notes