Pixar has announced the release of RenderMan version 25. The new features are designed to enhance various aspects of the rendering process.
- A groundbreaking denoising technology developed by Disney Research using machine learning.
- Enhanced convergence and interactivity through the XPU renderer.
- XPU outputs now fully support LPEs and arbitrary AOVs, providing greater flexibility.
- Improved stylization tools, including enhanced toon shading, hatching, line distortion, and a better user experience.
- Progressive Pixels offer fractional first iteration display for improved image feedback with XPU, especially for complex models or volumes.
- A New Texture Cache improves GPU performance when out-of-core texture lookups are needed or memory is constrained.
- Camera Controls – XPU now supports many controls of Pixar Camera, including depth of field and lens aberration.
- USD Improvements – Houdini Solaris support has been enhanced with advancements in MaterialX, camera controls, motion blur, and more.
- New Patterns extend look development with new color and bump nodes.
- Better Convergence – XPU supports Russian Roulette, Ray Depth, and more increasing the speed of renders.
- Bridge Updates now support Houdini 19.5 and Katana 6.
- Deformation Motion Blur enables studios to use XPU to generate fast quality control renders.
- MaterialX Lama Improvements including a new iridescence material response and improved physical accuracy.
- Preset Browser – Native QT support in Blender.
- New Presets provide new collections for various effects, including fur, hair, stylization, and diverse skin.
- Light Baking – Improved global illumination baking by up to 2x, including additional controls for resolution control.
- VFX Reference Platform has been updated to the 2021 standard.
These upgrades demonstrate Pixar’s commitment to advancing rendering technology, providing artists with more powerful tools to bring their creative visions to life.
Source: Pixar