Leading up to SIGGRAPH 2017, Autodesk released a series of updates for its media and entertainment tools, including Autodesk Media and Entertainment collection, Autodesk Maya, Shotgun, Arnold, Autodesk 3ds Max, and Autodesk Flame. Engineered to streamline and accelerate production on films, TV shows, games and immersive experiences, the new releases include improvements and user-requested enhancements that connect creative workflows and teams, helping them bring engaging stories to life for a worldwide audience.
“The continued growth of AR and VR and steady flow of new productions from Netflix, Amazon and others, mean animation and VFX houses are in more demand than ever. We are focused on helping our customers create, connect and compute faster and more efficiently so that they can balance their increasing project loads with tighter schedules and budgets,” shared Autodesk senior vice-president media and entertainment Chris Bradshaw. “Everything we are showing at SIGGRAPH streamlines production and equips artists with the tools to handle nearly any creative scenario.”
Autodesk Media and Entertainment Collection to build on the value, flexibility and simplicity the collection provides customers, new subscription benefits will be added including Cloud Rights and SketchBook for Enterprise. Additionally, Media and Entertainment Collection subscribers can take advantage of an Arnold 5-Pack promotion.
Arnold Packs – Immediate access to rendering power. Starting on 7 September, 2017, new Media & Entertainment collection subscribers will get an Arnold 5-Pack promotion at no additional cost.
Cloud Rights – Subscribers can take advantage of on-demand computer resources on the cloud and easily scale their rendering pipelines.
SketchBook for Enterprise – Autodesk’s popular drawing tool, SketchBook for Enterprise, moves into the collection and provides artists with more options and flexibility for content creation. Autodesk also provides recent updates on a few more tools and softwares.
Maya 2018
Maya 2018 offers additional character creation, motion graphics, and rendering functionality. Improvements have made character creation easier, faster and fun. The motion graphics toolset now includes dynamics and new instancing capabilities. Maya 2018 is available with the latest version of Arnold, including new features and core architecture improvements. These Maya 2018 updates empower artists to create content and to tell compelling stories through lifelike characters and environments and dynamic motion graphics.
Shotgun
Continuing the commitment of making media collaboration easier, faster, and more secure for studios of all sizes, Shotgun has introduced features to simplify workflows, make it easier to integrate creation tools with Shotgun, and strengthen security. Shotgun 7.2 introduced plug-and-play integrations to accelerate artist workflows; updates to RV; and new single sign-on. The latest updates in Shotgun 7.3 continue to build on Shotgun’s secure and reliable foundation for studios by adding improvements that make it easier for site administrators to run and manage Shotgun. Shotgun 7.3 features include smart data retention for improved site performance and community-driven enhancements including improved action menu items (AMIs) and the ability to restart your own site.
Arnold v5.0.1
Arnold 5.0.1 builds on the strengths of the recent 5.0 release, and includes new functionality like AOV shaders for cryptomatte workflows, thin film for standard surface shader and additional updates and optimizations. Arnold 5.0.1 is available with the latest versions of Maya and 3ds Max or as a plugin for additional DCC applications. Arnold is now available for free to educational institutions through the Autodesk Education Portal.
3ds Max 2018.1
The newest update to 3ds Max adds VR authoring tools for design visualization artists and generalists; 3ds Max interactive, a VR engine that simplifies the creation of immersive and interactive architectural visualizations; and additional UX and UV unwrap improvements. It will be available to check out in a 3ds Max to VR Workflow demo at the Autodesk booth.
Flame Family 2018.2
Flame Family 2018.2 introduces new creative tools that enhance artist productivity and expand pipeline integration possibilities. Some new features in Flame 2018.2 are Pybox, a python scriptable software handler for processing images via external renderers; projector functionality, map inputs and a contextual menu in action; smart merge for the connected conform workflow; and the ability to drive the batch environment via scriptable commands.