Insydium ships Fused 2023.3
Insydium has released Fused 2023.3, the latest update to its collection of Cinema 4D add-ons.
The update includes new versions of particle and multiphysics systems NeXus and X-Particles, plant generator Taiao, terrain generator TerraformFX, and procedural modelling toolset MeshTools.
NeXus gets the option to use particle properties to drive parameter values, new modifiers for object avoidance, flocking and generating cellular growth patterns, and a new simulation up-resing system.
X-Particles gets the option to generate new particle effects from particle caches.
In addition, all of the products are availble as perpetual licences via Insydium’s Fused Complete product bundle, as well as via subscription.
NeXus: data mapping lets artists use particle properties to drive parameter values
As the newest plugin in the Fused collection, the largest update is to NeXus, Insydium’s GPU-accelerated particle and multiphysics simulation toolset.
Key changes include support for data mapping, making it possible to map the parameter values of any NeXus modifier to particle data, driving dynamic changes during simulations.
It is possible to use 18 different particle properties to control parameters, including age, colour, mass, radius and speed; and to control the relationship between them with a range mapping curve.
nxQuestion triggers simulation updates based on particle properties
The update also introduces nxQuestion, for controlling particle systems using a series of layered ‘questions’.
It enables users to query the current state of a particle, then trigger changes based on that state.
As well as controlling the standard NeXus particle properties, users can write and trigger custom GLSL scripts within nxQuestion to create bespoke effects.
New avoidance, flocking and growth modifiers, plus a new simulation upresing system
NeXus also gets several new modifiers, including nxAvoid for object avoidance, nxFlock for flocking behaviours, and nxInfectio for replicating infection and cellular growth patterns.
Upscaling modifier nxUpres interpolates the properties of source particles to destination particles, making it possible to run a low-res test simulation, then transfer the results to a high-res final-quality simulation.
X-Particles: generate live particles from caches to add new effects to simulations
X-Particles, Insydium’s original, non-GPU-accelerated particle and multiphysics system, gets the option to generate live particle effects from cached particles.
The change makes it possible to spawn new particles from simulation caches: for example, to add foam or spray to an existing liquid simulation.
Other changes include multi-instance support in xpGenerator and xpShatter, and a new meshing option for particle trails.
Taiao: new systems for generating leaves and flowers
Taiao, Insydium’s new procedural plant generator, gets a “significant overhaul”, adding new procedural leaf- and flower-generation systems toLeaf and toFlower.
Each part of the plant can be controlled individually, with the modifier stack now supporting multiple layers per modifier, and fields, for finer control.
New modifiers include Aim, which makes it possible to grow any part towards an object in the scene; and Profile, for using custom splines to control the profiles of trunks and branches.
It is also now possible to use texture maps to distribute branches and leaves, and to displace the surfaces of the plant meshes generated, via the new Texture and Displace modifiers.
TerraformFX: rew river-generation and terrain-colouring systems
Terrain-generation system TerraformFX, which Insydium acquired in 2021, gets a range of new tools for designing, texturing, lighting and rendering terrain.
New operators include tfRiver, for generating procedural river systems, and tfFormula, for generating terrains based on mathemetical formulae.
Other changes include the option to randomise terrain, to map colour gradients to the terrain surface, and to incorporate scene geometry into the terrain’s height field using ray tracing.
There are also new terrain presets for mountains, valleys, islands, canyons and rivers.
MeshTools: new tools for generating splines
Procedural modelling toolset MeshTools gets two new tools.
mtRayline uses ray casting to generate splines radiating out through a scene from a chosen starting point, colliding with scene objects, as shown in the video above.
mtSplineFX generates connections between the start and end points of polygonal, spline and xpEmitter objects, and is intended for creating effects ranging from cabling to electrical arcs.
No update to Cycles 4D
The Cycles 4D renderer, also included in Fused, has not been updated this time around.
Perpetual licences now available for all of the Fused plugins
Since we last covered Fused, Insydium has changed its licensing policy, with perpetual software licences now available for all of the plugins, not just X-Particles.
Whereas a perpetual licence of X-Particles and 90-day trials of the other plugins used to cost $715, the new $1,336.50 Fused Complete option provides a full set of perpetual licences.
The price of 12 months’ maintenance has fallen by $20, to $337.50, while the price of an annual subscription has risen by just over $28/year, to $526.50/year.
Pricing and system requirements
The Fused plugins are compatible with Cinema 4D R19+, running on Windows 7+ and macOS 10.13+, with the exception of TerraformFX, which requires Cinema 4D R20+.
Fused Complete costs $1,336.50 and includes perpetual licences of all of the software, while 12 months’ maintenance costs $337.50. Fused subscriptions cost $526.50/year. Prices exclude tax.
Read an overview of the new features in the Fused 2023.3 update on Insydium’s blog
Find more details of the new features in Fused on Insydium’s website