Mercenaries Engineering releases Rumba 2.0
Guerilla Render developer Mercenaries Engineering has released Rumba 2.0, the latest version of its Maya-compatible character animation software for visual effects and feature animation.
It’s a sizeable update, adding a new Dynamics system for adding automatic secondary motion to body parts, and a new Sequencer for viewing and editing entire sequences of shots.
Removing the creative stumbling blocks from character animation
First released in 2020, Rumba is intended to remove creative stumbling blocks from animation.
It enables animators to pose characters directly by manipulating their geometry, rather than a control rig: a workflow traditionally associated with the in-house tools of large studios.
Animation is layer-based and non-destructive, with users able to play back complex scenes in near-real-time without waiting for previews or test renders.
Other interesting features include the Sculpt deformer, which enables animators to manipulate geometry directly, to make per-shot corrections, or to improve character silhouettes.
The software is designed to integrate with traditional Maya pipelines, with artists rigging characters in Maya, then exporting them to Rumba via the accompanying mtorba toolset.
It is also possible to import assets and export animation in Alembic and USD formats.
Rumba 2.0: new Dynamics system adds secondary motion to trailing body parts like tails
Rumba 2.0 is the first major update to the software for two years, and features changes throughout its toolset.
One major change is the new Dynamics system, which integrates a physics solver into Rumba.
It has a range of potential uses, but the most likely is to automatically generate physically plausible secondary motion for FK chains, like ropes, chains, or creatures’ tails.
New Sequencer lets animators view and edit shots in context
Another major new feature is the Sequencer, which enables animators to load and manage entire sequences of shots.
As well as simply being able to work on animations in context, users can edit the sequence, reordering, cropping or changing the speed of individual shots, or choosing new shot cameras.
The workflow is intended to improve continuity and pacing, and to improve consistency between sequences.
Other new features and workflow improvements
The update also adds a number of new animation tools, including the option to reverse keys and delete redundant keys.
Workflow improvements include the option to hide manipulators in the viewport, and the Outliner has been redesigned, making it easier to manage complex scenes.
Pipeline integration improvements
In addition, mtorba has been updated, and now supports more Maya rig nodes.
It is also now possible to import editable animation curves for cameras in FBX format, and USD import and export is faster and more stable.
Users can also now import packages of assets into Rumba’s Library as .zip files.
Pricing and system requirements
Rumba 2.0 is available for Windows 10+ and glibc 2.17+ Linux.
The software is rental-only, with Freelance licences – restricted to one per facility or project – costing €200/year (around $235/year) and Studio licences costing €1,000/year ($1,175/year).
If you want to try before you buy, Mercenaries Engineering also provides free, fully featured Enthusiast and Education licences, for non-commercial use only.
Read a full list of new features in Rumba in the online release notes
Read an overview of Rumba on the product website
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