Atlux λ puts a virtual photo studio in Unreal Engine
Originally posted on 23 February 2024, and updated with news of the Atlux λ 1.1 update.
Vinzi has launched Atlux λ, a new version of its plugin that recreates a real-world photo studio inside Unreal Engine.
Formerly known as MetaShoot, the add-on streamlines the process of creating photorealistic renders of imported 3D models in the game engine, for visualization work or portfolio material.
New features include a Light Paint system for intuitively positioning lights, new tools for building animations, and the option to randomize studio set-ups to generate lighting variations.
Recreate a real-world photo studio inside Unreal Engine
Originally released in 2023, Atlux λ streamlines the process of generating photorealistic renders of imported 3D models inside Unreal Engine.
Developed by industrial designer and former Weta Workshop senior 3D modeller Jorge Valle Hurtado, the plugin is intended to provide a workflow for setting up and rendering a scene more familiar to artists without a dedicated games background.
Suggested use cases range from product and architectural visualization to motion graphics and generating renders of models for portfolio material.
The add-on creates a virtual photo studio inside Unreal Engine, complete with lights, softboxes and cyclorama backgrops, making it possible to recreate real-world studio lighting effects.
The current release has 12 readymade studio layouts, built up from 14 base assets.
Users can render stills or image sequences from the model, including turntable views, using Unreal Engine’s Lumen global illumination, hardware ray tracing, or full path tracing.
New in Atlux λ: Light Painting, studio randomization, and camera Rig Rail presets
Aside from the change of name, key changes in Atlux λ include the new Light Painting feature.
Like the similarly named LightPaint system in HDR Light Studio, it is intended to provide an intuitive way to place lights in a 3D scene.
Selecting a light type and positioning the cursor on top of a 3D model causes Atlux λ to place the light in the scene at a position where it illuminates that part of the model’s surface.
Other new features include AI Studio Randomizer, which generates randomized studio set-ups, providing a quick way to explore variant lighting for a render.
For creating camera animations, there are new Rig Rail presets mimicking common camera moves, including dolly, truck, orbit and even a rollercoaster path.
Updated 12 March 2024: Vinzi has released Atlux λ 1.1.
The update adds three new studio layouts, with an infinite background, a custom image backplate, and a transparent background, including a shadow catcher with an alpha channel.
Other new features include a light blocker asset and new lighting and detail lighting AOVs.
Now available as an experimental browser-based version
In addition, Atlux λ is available as a web app as well as the Unreal Engine plugin.
The web app, which provides a simplified version of the plugin’s feature set, is currently available free in beta, although it will eventually become a feature for paying users only.
Price and system requirements
Atlux λ is compatible with Unreal Engine 5.1+ on Windows only. A macOS version is due “soon”.
For individual artists, a perpetual license has a MSRP of $349.50, up $100 since the original release of MetaShoot. Rental costs $29.50/month.
For studios with revenue over $5 million/year, a perpetual license has a MSRP of $699.50; rental costs $69.50/month. Find more pricing options on the product website.
Read a full list of new features in Atlux λ on the product’s Discord server
Read more about Atlux λ on the product website
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