6 minute read
With apologies to all, we missed this story from Maxon at the end of March in the ongoing tsunami of NAB stories, but users are probably still digesting it all anyway. It’s a lot.
Maxon’s spring update this year has added *a lot* with a vast amount of enhancements across the entire product line including Cinema 4D, Redshift, Red Giant, ZBrush, Forger and more. Maxon calls it a massive update, and it’s not wrong.
Here’s the summary para, quickly followed by a video and then the rather long list.
Cinema 4D 2023.2 offers an improved Commander, enhancements to its Nodes system, simulation improvements and a new Thicken generator for modelling. Updates to the Red Giant toolset feature new tools and augmentations; most notably the introduction of Symbol Mapper for Universe 2023.1, anamorphic lens support for Real Lens Flares for VFX 2023.3, while Trapcode 2023.3 includes performance optimizations for Particular and a new collection of Atomic Age sprites.
Redshift 3.5.14 brings a new Sky and Sun Model, a new Flakes Shader and new Camera Backplates. The latest release of ZBrush is highlighted by two new workflow tools: Proxy Pose and Drop 3D. Forger updates include new features for lighting and previews, and the integration of ZBrush’s powerful ZRemesher. The latest additions to Capsules include new material collections, a new dynamic Swirl Modifier and a new Redshift Shaderball. And rounding all that out is an update to Cineware, focused on Unreal 5.0 and 5.1 integration.
Cinema 4D
Cinema 4D’s Commander now offers quick and easy access to Maxon Capsules as well as your own assets and presets. Easily discover and apply Capsules, add Redshift materials and utilize the power of Maxon’s Node-Based Capsules like Backdrop primitive and Spline tools.
The all-new Thicken Generator enables you to add extra dimension to all your models. Great for setting up floorplans and 3D prints, this object generates a procedural shell based on an existing mesh and preserves corners and perpendicular edges. It can be used in many ways due to its support for vertex maps and polygon selections.
Cinema 4D now offers a cleaner Node UI that will help you navigate your nodes setups with a cleaner interface that features more prominent color-coding and more and makes it easier to work with nodes and create efficient node-based capsules.
Cinema 4D’s Unified Simulation System received several improvements, with Pyro previews in Cinema 4D’s viewport now supporting color and lighting - great whether you’re setting up a sim or sharing a high-quality preview render. Emitters now include support for Maxon Noise and vertex maps, and the Destructor Force limits Pyro to the inside or outside of a box. Pyro Output generates automatically for Redshift renders and can be easily switched between Simulation Scenes. Balloon sims also now support vertex maps, allowing you to create seams and control areas of inflation.
Red Giant
Universe 2023.1 introduces Symbol Mapper, an all-new stylization tool to rebuild footage using letters, numbers, and symbols based on source brightness values. To help artists realize their creative vision with ease, this release also includes many new presets for various Universe tools.
Universe Symbol Mapper allows for great Matrix style effects or retro type-based graphics
A refreshed Dashboard and preset browser now provide access to Maxon’s Cloud Capsule Service, allowing users to leverage a growing library of assets. Thanks to the new search function, artists can find what they need from Universe’s vast collection of tools and presets, shaving time off their workflow.
Universe 2023.1 also offers 42 new cloud presets for the Electrify, Line, Long Shadow, Prism, Displacement, and RGB Separation tools.
VFX 2023.3 introduces anamorphic lens support to Real Lens Flares, allowing for a premium AAA movie production look and brings support for adjustment layers to Supercomp.
Thanks to the upgraded lens simulation engine with support for anamorphic lenses in Real Lens Flares, filmmakers doing 3D renders, shooting video or doing motion graphics work can add Real Lens Flares to their shots. At the same time, all users of Real Lens Flares can make their footage look like it was done at a triple-A studio, utilizing an unprecedented amount of artistic control while creating the most realistic looking lens flares possible.
Supercomp now supports adjustment layers. They replace displacement layers and apply their effect to anything below them in the Supercomp. Ideal for region-based color corrections, displacements and heat blur.
Trapcode 2023.3 includes performance optimization for light emitters and bug fixes for Particular along with a new collection of Atomic Age sprites.
A new collection of Atomic Age sprites, reminiscent of a mid-century design aesthetic
Light emitters in Particular received stunning performance optimization, resulting in up to 3x faster render times
Bug fixes enable support for the new curve and color presets in secondary systems, previewing model sequence animations in the Designer, and more.
Magic Bullet 2023.2 improves the Magic Bullet Looks Strength slider and includes numerous enhancements across platforms.
New strength sliders for every individual tool make it easier to get better control of your look.
A new set of presets for Looks will take full advantage of our ACES handling.
Various Bug Fixes with a particular emphasis on Resolve users.
Redshift
Redshift 3.5.14 brings a fantastic new Sky and Sun Model, Flakes Shader and new Camera Backplates in addition to workflow improvements and stability enhancements.
The new PRG Clear Sky model allows artists to simulate gorgeous sunsets with Redshift’s improved Sun and Sky. It provides the most accurate simulation of sky radiance and color, offering rich red sunsets as the sun dips just below the horizon.
The new Flakes shader is great for rendering everything from metallic car paints to glitter-filled superballs. This 3D shader generates Voronoi- or dot- shaped flakes at random angles and surface depth to add the perfect detail and shine to your renders.
Custom Backplates are now available in Redshift for C4D, offering amazing compositing control. Artists can choose whether background footage is incorporated into the render or added before and after post effects. Renders can be matched to an existing backplate thanks to the Post-Composite mode.
Cinema 4D 2023.2’s updated Node UI makes it a joy to craft Redshift materials. The UI is much cleaner, with new commands to select upstream and downstream nodes. Use C4D’s Preset system to easily apply your favorite node settings and build networks quickly with a new option to keep wire connections while duplicating a node. New pop-out panels make it easy to browse and add nodes as well as edit node attributes.
The Redshift Camera is now available in Houdini, offering simple physical controls to modify exposure, focus distance, motion blur and bokeh.
ZBrush
The latest release of ZBrush features two new tools never before introduced in 3D sculpting workflows.
The new Proxy Pose feature provides a dynamic method for modifying the topology of models quickly. Implementing Proxy Pose instantly reduces polygon density, allowing artists to quickly and efficiently manipulate their ZBrush models and then convert back to a high-density mesh.
The new Drop 3D function combines the technology of Sculptris Pro with the 2.5D functionality of the ZBrush canvas to produce a new workflow that allows for enhanced creativity. Using Drop 3D, you can increase local mesh density in order to maintain high-resolution details where needed. Drop 3D inspires creativity by fusing the elements of both 2D and 3D design. With Drop 3D, you can explore design concepts aligned with illustration techniques, surface detailing and 3D modeling.
Forger
The latest release of Forger includes new features for lighting, effects for more realism, and the integration of ZBrush’s powerful ZRemesher.
Lights: This release adds the ability to create multiple custom lights, including directional lights, point lights, and spotlights. These lights can be enabled to cast shadows as well.
Viewport VFX: For even greater control over the look of your sculpt, Forger has added Viewport FX, which includes effects like Ambient Occlusion, Depth of Field, Bloom, Chromatic Aberration, Grain, and Vignetting. All of these effects work in real time as you model and sculpt, without the need to render.
ZRemesher: Finally, borrowing technology from ZBrush, Maxon’s desktop sculpting tool, the powerful ZRemesher has now been brought into Forger. With this, you can manually direct the new topology using guides, or by painting density maps.
Capsules
The latest additions to Capsules include:
A new Swirl Modifier created by Rocket Lasso. This dynamic Capsule acts like a deformer to create twisted effects on any mesh or spline. This offers a wide range of possibilities for creating and art directing objects from ice cream cones to spinning vortexes.
16 Redshift carpet materials created by visualization experts Fuchs and Vogel.
24 ceramic materials.
A new Redshift Shaderball look development scene, so artists can create gorgeous material previews.
Cineware
Rounding out this enormous release is an update to Cineware, focused on Unreal 5.0 and 5.1 - part of Maxon’s dedication to making sure our products work seamlessly with the tools you count on in your production pipeline.
Importing Cinema 4D files straight into Unreal Engine using Cineware has become more intuitive and smoother, incorporating animated characters and cameras, and embedding it as part of a larger cinematic sequence in your Unreal project.
Cineware now allows you to make distinct Level Sequences for Geometry Caches or insert them into a main Level Sequence seamlessly.
When a Cinema 4D Viewport camera is imported into Unreal Engine, it is immediately identically configured, no further modifications or camera settings necessary.
Animated Render Visibility allows you to decide which components in your Cinema 4D scene are turned on or off in Unreal Engine after import.
A new Geometry Cache option allows you to import not only static meshes from Cinema 4D, but also morphing topology and animated MoGraph Cloner setups.
Tags: Post & VFX
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