Marmoset releases Toolbag 5.02 in beta
Marmoset has released the first public beta of Toolbag 5.02, the latest version of its real-time rendering and look dev tool.
The update adds a number of new texturing features, including a dedicated Decal layer type, a new Smudge tool, and an interesting Tile Strip system for creating tube-like forms.
Other changes include support for low-to-low-poly texture baking, ray traced fog, and a new hotkey editor.
A real-time look dev and rendering toolkit for games, VFX and portfolio assets
A lightweight system for look dev, compositing and final rendering, Toolbag is widely used by games artists, but is also increasingly being used in other sectors of the industry.
It enables users to visualise imported models quickly, setting up PBR materials and lighting, with 2021’s Toolbag 4.0 also adding a 3D texture painting system.
Users can then either bake texture maps for export to other DCC software or game engines, or render stills or animation directly.
Texturing: dedicated new Decal layer type
The bulk of the new features in Toolbag 5.02 are in the texturing toolset.
They include a dedicated new Decal layer type, intended for creating decal elements that need to be aligned precisely to the mesh surface, like logos and mechanical parts.
The existing decal projection mode has also been extended to vector layers, making it possible to create vector shapes on a virtual plane and project them onto the mesh.
Texturing: new Tile Strip system for creating tubular forms
There is also an interesting new Tile Strip system for creating vector tube shapes.
It uses a tile strip system, so the shapes created are modular, and can have separate start, middle and end elements.
That opens it up to a wider range of use cases than you might expect: the beta release notes suggest “straps, shoe laces, snakes, feathers”.
Paint layers get a new Tube brush mode that mimics the drawing style of the vector tube mode.
Texturing: new Smudge tool and Sample Layers for Masks option
For a more conventional painting workflow, Toolbag 5.02 adds a Smudge tool, which makes it possible to smear or blend surface colors, in the same way as in 2D painting applications.
It is also now possible to turn the content of any layer into a mask.
Baking: direct support for low-to-low baking
The baking toolset gets support for low-to-low baking, making it possible to bake textures directly from a low-poly mesh.
While this was previously possible, Toolbag was geared for baking high-poly assets, so it required the user to duplicate the low-poly asset and place it in the High slot in the interface.
Rendering: ray traced fog and better ray tracing performance
Changes to the built-in renderer include support for the fog effect in Ray Tracing render mode.
The ray tracing backend has also been updated to reduce GPU RAM use on dense scenes: those with “tens or hundreds of millions” of triangles.
Several handy workflow improvements
Workflow improvements include a dedicated Hotkey editor for customizing keyboard shortcuts.
The Scene window gets a new search bar, making it easier to find objects in complex scenes; and it is now possible to multi-select scene objects and edit their settings simultaneously.
It is also now possible to create custom folders in the Library window, primarily to organize personal assets rather than the free assets Marmoset provides for Toolbag users.
Price, system requirements and release date
Toolbag 5.02 is available in beta. Existing users can opt in to access the beta features. Marmoset hasn’t announced a date for the stable release yet.
Toolbag is compatible with Windows 10 and macOS 13.5+. It supports AMD, Apple Silicon and NVIDIA GPUs.
Perpetual licenses cost $399 for individual artists, or $1,299 for studios. Subscriptions cost $18.99/month for individuals, or $49.99/month for studios.
Read a full list of new features in the Toolbag 5.02 beta in the online release notes
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