Maxon, developers of professional software solutions for editors, filmmakers, motion designers, visual effects artists and creators of all types, today announced significant updates to several products included in the company's Maxon One subscription offering: Redshift now allows for easier randomization thanks to the new Jitter Node, introduces a new MatCap Shader Node for creating stylized materials, makes better use of multiple CPU cores and adds support for Maya 2024 on Mac systems. Trapcode power users benefit from substantially expanded creative possibilities thanks to new child inheritance options that allow the type, size and opacity values of child particles to be driven by the attributes of their parent particle. Three new gradient interpolation models enable motion graphics artists to explore different styles and leave a lasting impact on their audience. Additionally, a new Bounce Ground Plane makes it easier than ever for VFX and motion graphics artists to set up an infinite bounce surface with height and rotation controls. The latest update to Forger introduces a well-rounded set of new tools for modeling circular details, drawing pipe-like sweeps or turning profiles using a lathe and adds a complete lighting toolset that now includes Area and IES lights. And the latest Capsules drop continues to add value for subscribers of Maxon One and Cinema 4D, with a selection of realistic Redshift glass materials and another pack of high-quality Laubwerk plant assets.
This latest release includes:
Redshift
Redshift 3.5.17 allows for easier randomization of materials, takes the first step towards non-photo-real materials and improves performance when using Redshift CPU mode and continues to extend DCC support.
-
The new Jitter Node lets you automatically apply color variation across a large number of objects with the same material applied. Great for creating foliage, rocks, a mason jar full of gumballs or a crate of delicious avocados of varying degrees of ripeness. The Jitter Node is currently available for most DCCs (Cinema 4D, ZBrush, 3ds Max, Maya, Houdini, Katana).
-
The new MatCap Shader Node allows you to quickly create simple stylized materials by mapping an image onto a mesh relative to the render camera. This lays the foundation for non-photo-real materials in Redshift.
-
Redshift is now available for the latest version of Maya on macOS systems.
-
Redshift CPU rendering performance now scales better with additional CPU cores or even multiple CPUs in one system, resulting in faster render times for users of Redshift CPU.
-
Texture Memory Optimizations provide overall performance improvements when handling textures in Redshift.
Trapcode 2023.4
Trapcode 2023.4 is all about enabling you to focus on the art you’re creating rather than the levers you have to pull to get there. This release aims to ease your workflow, provide new possibilities and get you to your creative destination faster.
-
The new built-in Bounce Ground Plane serves as an additional bounce surface with its own height and rotation controls. It allows VFX and motion graphics artists to easily set up an infinite bounce plane with just a couple of clicks. This new Bounce plane comes with several pre-designed setups and allows you to create and save your own Bounce presets.
-
Child systems can now inherit the Particle Type, Size and Opacity values from their parent system at the time of their birth. This drastically expands the creative possibilities of parent child setups and allows you to create stunning effects with each child particle exactly matching the attributes of their parent particle.
-
Trapcode now features three new gradient interpolation models in addition to the existing RGB model. This allows for a wider array of creative choices and possibilities for crafting captivating transitions.
-
Thanks to the new Curve Mirror Mode, you can create perfectly symmetrical curves. Just click “Mirror” in the menu and enjoy perfectly mirrored curves along the horizontal axis. No more fussing to mirror any curve by hand!
-
To offer a consistent user experience across systems and software packages, Particular Designer now calls the After Effects color picker instead of the operating system’s default color picker.
-
3D Stroke and Sound Keys now benefit from the same color and curve UI updates previously implemented in Particular.
Forger
The latest update to Forger will make you unfold your creativity like never before with a well-rounded set of new tools. The Sketch Sculpt Brush allows you to easily create new shapes, new Area and IES Lights complement the existing types of lights, and the new Action Point camera navigation makes it more intuitive to rotate your camera around the area of interest.
-
Easily create shapes with the stroke of an Apple pencil using the new Sketch Sculpt brush.
-
Put your Forger creations in the best light to accurately model details or share your works with the new Lighting toolset that now includes Area and IES lights.
-
New Sweep and Lathe tools add new modeling capabilities to Forger: Use the Sweep tool to create pipes or horns or turn a complex profile using the Lathe tool.
-
Set Flow is the ideal tool for rounding out harsh bevels by adjusting the curvature on a selection of edges based on surrounding geometry.
-
The Fit Circle tool allows you to easily model round details. Simply select a group of polygons and use interactive handles to adjust the size of the circle. Thanks to the flatten option, the surface can be averaged at the same time.
-
Forger now offers complete hierarchy support, making it easy to organize your creations, group elements and manipulate groups together.
Capsules
The latest additions to Capsules, Maxon’s collection of tailor-made assets to enhance artists projects, include a collection of Redshift materials created by visualization experts Fuchs & Vogel and a new set of Laubwerk plants:
-
26 new Redshift glass materials perfect for architectural visualization, product shots and motion graphics. These materials include a collection of condensation materials that make it easy to add rain on windows or water droplets on ice cold beverages. In addition to basic “perfect” glass we’ve included a collection of smoked, distorted, dirty and smudged variations perfect for visualizing downtown lofts or creating VFX shots. Half of these materials are available to customers with active Cinema 4D subscriptions while the other half are an exclusive benefit for Maxon One subscribers.
-
In addition, Maxon unveils the second pack of Laubwerk plants, featuring 51 high-quality plant models perfect for architectural visualization, visual effects shots and illustration. Bring a natural touch to any scene by scattering lifelike Rosemary plants, Pine, Birch and Willow trees, each offering a variety of ages, seasons and shape variants to make them unique in your render. All of these plant assets are available to susbcribers with a Cinema 4D or Maxon One subscription.
Users are encouraged to update immediately through the Maxon App.
Image Artist Credit: Roland Hartmann
