EMERYVILLE, CA - Pixar has released RenderMan 22, the highly anticipated new version of the Academy Award-winning 3D rendering software for animation and visual effects. This major release is focused on artist productivity, improved data management, and advanced new features. With version 22, RenderMan redefines production rendering by delivering photorealism with a huge palette of artistic controls, enhanced interactivity, and epic scalability for feature film.
Major updates to the core architecture allow RenderMan to support “live rendering” at every stage of the pipeline, providing fluid feedback for fast artist iteration. These dramatic improvements to interactive workflows enable new kinds of collaboration throughout the filmmaking process, and will transform traditional pipelines. The latest release also includes advanced lighting technology used on Pixar’s own animated feature films, including Finding Dory,
Cars 3,
Coco, and
Incredibles 2. Pixar research and development also provided important new features for producing superior imagery faster, as well as groundwork for better studio pipeline management with Pixar’s USD (Universal Scene Description).
RenderMan artist interfaces for Autodesk’s Maya, Foundry’s Katana, and SideFX Houdini have all been comprehensively updated for version 22. Interactive shading and lighting are faster and more robust, while entirely new kinds of interactive edits are now possible, including modeling, animation, grooming, LPE authoring, and more. Additionally RenderMan’s Preset Browser and library of materials is now supported in all three applications. New Maya and Katana interfaces are available immediately, with Houdini integration available shortly.