Temporary Upgrade Path from Vue 5/6/7 Artist Products

E-on software are running a temporary special upgrade offer for Vue 5, Vue 6 and Vue 7 versions of Easel, Esprit, Studio or Complete users. This is available until August 15, 2012 only:

• Vue 5 & 6 Easel and Vue 5, 6 and 7 Esprit users can save $50 on Vue 10 Esprit.
• Vue 5, 6 and 7 Pro Studio users can save $170 on Vue 10 Studio.
• Vue 7 Complete users can save $300 on Vue 10 Complete.

10 free winter tree gobo materials for Vue

I've posted a collection of 10 free winter tree gobo materials for Vue on my website today. Tested in Vue 7 Pioneer and Infinite and Vue 8 Infinite. Enjoy.

Tutorial on Vue and Maya Integration

Ignis Fatuus have launched their first training video for Vue on using e-on software's Vue 7 xStream, Autodesk's Maya 2009 and After Effects. According to the blurb it covers creating the environment with Vue then using Maya for animation and rendering. It also covers using Maya dynamics to create exhaust flames, jet and missile trails that are rendered separately for compositing in After Effects.

3D World Christmas 2009

So we're almost into December and we've already had the December issue so now it's time for the Christmas 2009 issue of 3D World.  There is video tutorial for Vue 7.5 on the CD by Chris Ayling along with scene files and models from Cornucopia 3D of a boat slung under a gas bag, a flock of seagulls and a single seagull.

Chipp's CloudPeep

Chipp Walters has posted a free PDF and a supporting scene file to his web site about how the controls in the Atmosphere Editor affect a cloud's shape in Vue 7 and 8. If you want to get more out of your clouds its really worth having a read of CloudPeep.

QuadSpinner HyperTerrains and Strata Tutorials

Two new tutorials from QuadSpinner about HyperTerrains and Strata are now available at the e-on software web site.

The Mighty HyperTerrains video covers techniques that can be used in Vue 6, 7 and 8 and covers creating unimaginable rock formations right inside Vue: create alcoves, overhangs, boulders, arches, monuments and even fantastical terrains. Model breathtaking rock formations using Fractals and learn to use the new Bump and Displacement features in Vue 8.

The Beauty of Strata is a companion to QuadSpinner earlier tutorial Realistic Procedural Terrains and covers how to stratify terrains with the new Strata and Confined Strata Filters in Vue 8.

Free Terrain Reference Card and Vue 8 Training from asileFX

asileFX have a free, printable Terrain Editor Keyboard Shortcut reference cards is available for the new Vue 8 terrain editor. They also have two Vue 8 training products available: Getting Started with Vue 8 6 hours 46 minutes and What's New in Vue 8 & 7.5 6 Hours.

Vue Infinite & xStream Beta Updates (Build 46408) Now Available

A new beta update is available for Vue 7.5 and 7: Vue 7.51 Infinite,  Vue 7.51 xStream, Vue 7.41 Infinite and Vue 7.41 xStream (Build 46408) from e-on software.

 Update in Infinite 7.51:

• Improved overall compatibility with MacOS 10.6.
• Fixed locked plant reading on MacOS 10.6.
• Fixed scale mismatch when baking parametric terrains to polygons.
• Fixed glowing water issue within planet shadow.
• Fixed cumulated atmosphere quality drop each time a scene file is reloaded.
• Fixed macro issues with Metablobs.
• Improved network rendering with Hypervue.

 Updates in xStream 7.51:

• Integration plug-ins:
  • Optimzed render of region with 3ds Max 2010 when Vue GI is enabled.
  • Fixed a possible crash when launching Vue final gathering rays into the mental ray scene.
  • Fixed slower GI renders when camera aperture is set to something different than 36mm in the host application.
• Improved overall compatibility with MacOS 10.6.
• Fixed locked plant reading on MacOS 10.6.
• Fixed scale mismatch when baking parametric terrains to polygons.
• Fixed glowing water issue within planet shadow.
• Fixed cumulated atmosphere quality drop each time a scene file is reloaded.
• Fixed macro issues with Metablobs.
• Improved network rendering with Hypervue.

Updates in Vue Infinite 7.41:

• Improved overall compatibility with MacOS 10.6.
• Fixed locked plant reading on MacOS 10.6.
• Fixed scale mismatch when baking parametric terrains to polygons.
• Fixed cumulated atmosphere quality drop each time a scene file is reloaded.
• Fixed macro issues with Metablobs.
• Improved network rendering with Hypervue.

Updates in Vue xStream 7.41:

• Integration plug-ins:
  • Optimzed render of region with 3ds Max 2010 when Vue GI is enabled.
  • Fixed a possible crash when launching Vue final gathering rays into the mental ray scene.
  • Fixed slower GI renders when camera aperture is set to something different than 36mm in the host application.
• Improved overall compatibility with MacOS 10.6.
• Fixed locked plant reading on MacOS 10.6.
• Fixed scale mismatch when baking parametric terrains to polygons.
• Fixed cumulated atmosphere quality drop each time a scene file is reloaded.
• Fixed macro issues with Metablobs.
• Improved network rendering with Hypervue.

Known Issue: On some Mac systems, rendercows may not be updated automatically.

E-on Software Actively Developing for Mac Cocoa 64

Existing Products Already Benefit From Snow Leopard Technologies

September 30, 2009. Beaverton, Oregon: e-on software, the leader in Digital Nature solutions, today confirmed that it is actively developing Cocoa 64 bit versions of its key applications and announced that it will be releasing a Cocoa 64 bit beta version of Vue 8 in 2010.

"We are very happy with the release of Apple’s Snow Leopard. It’s a fantastic OS that already benefits our applications, even in 32 bit mode", said Nicholas Phelps, president of e-on software. "We are currently putting the finishing touches to our Cocoa 64 bit implementation of Vue, and are excited by the prospect of offering true 64 bit processing power to our Mac users! "

Vue 8 Infinite and Vue 8 xStream, the highly anticipated new versions of e-on software’s flagship solutions for the creation, animation and rendering of professional 3D environments, are scheduled for release during Q4, 2009.

Apple and e-on software’s engineers are working together to port and optimize Vue 8 for Cocoa 64 bit. E-on software will offer a beta version of Vue 8 for Cocoa 64 bit to all registered users of Vue 8 Infinite and xStream. Cocoa 64 bit beta versions of e-on’s products for 3D Artists (Vue 8 Esprit, Vue 8 Studio and Vue 8 Complete) will also be made available shortly thereafter.

E-on expects to release these beta versions end 2009/early 2010, shortly after the Vue 8 product line is released for Mac 32 bit and Windows. However, exact date of availability is undisclosed at this point.

Versions 7 and 7.5 of Vue are currently available for Snow Leopard as 32 bit only applications. Even in 32 bit mode, multi-processor performance is already greatly enhanced by this new OS. To maximize compatibility, e-on software has released service packs available at no charge for all registered users.

Announcing the asileFX Matte Painting and Compositing Series

7 hours 53 minutes of training and lecture for Vue, Photoshop, Cinema 4D, and general 3D applications.
Instructed by Nicholas Pellegrino.

The asileFX Matte Painting and Compositing Series includes:

Texture Mattes and Camera Projection Methods

Run Time: 156 Minutes

Learn to create material maps from multi-pass renders, improving render speed and system performance. Render one frame, then apply materials to converted low-res terrain objects, for high quality, fully 3D digital mattes.

Learn to use Vue's normal pass to create unconstrained lighting situations from the original matte render; leaving you free to change lighting at any time, without the need to re-render the original scene. (Technique presented in Cinema4D and xStream, will work will any 3D application supporting normal maps. Will work with any version of Vue that saves a normal pass of the geometry in the scene.)

These techniques allows you to render an entire animation in the time it normally takes to render one frame, by removing all procedural and geometry calculations from the render. This also allows the usage of lower anti-aliasing settings and eliminates any potential terrain flickering during animation.

Key Topics:

• Learn to incorporate objects into animations and create separate compositing passes.
• Optimize terrains and material layers.
• Setup camera projected texture maps.
• Edit multi-pass render layers and masks.
• Use the multi-pass to create material maps and projected mattes.
• Increase render speed.
• Optimize terrain exports and explore the available export methods.
• Separate terrain anti-aliasing from ecosystem anti-aliasing.

ZDepth Scene Control, Editing, and Operations

Run Time: 50 Minutes

Explore the many image format options for managing zdepth. Learn how to extract the most definition and detail. Which formats work best for animation and still composites. Learn how you can use the zdepth render pass to create fog, haze, and dof post process effects.

Key Topics:

• The importance and differences of Z-Depth image file formats.
• Format comparison and usage.
• Multi-pass and G-Buffer options.
• Multi-pass Zdepth vs Common Zdepth passes.
• Edit zdepth renders.
• Optimize file sizes and properly convert formats.

In Photoshop use the zdepth to create:

• Fog and haze
• Dof (Depth of field) effects

Spectral Cloud ZDepth and Masks

Run Time: 74 Minutes

Currently vue does not create zdepth for atmospheres, this can make it difficult to modify HDRI images and scene composites. In this section of the training, you will learn to quickly modify scenes to create a fast rendering ZDepth pass, with an unlimited amount of cloud layers.

These techniques are compatible with any spectral cloud scene, as well as spherical, panoramic, and standard aspect cameras. Camera may be placed anywhere in the scene, including in cloud layers.
Learn to use lights to cut holes in cloud layers. Setup a color based cloud layer setup, and create a multi-use cloud mask where individual layers are easily extracted and defined.

The cloud mask render pass was added to Vue in version 7.5. If you need more control of the cloud mask output, or you are using a version of Vue between 6 - 7.4, with the knowledge gained from this training, you can gain the benefit of this extremely useful render output.

Displacement Map Exporting and Material Baking

Run Time: 88 Minutes

Learn to create displacement maps of procedural terrain elevations. Customize render settings and create perfectly matching displacement maps of your procedural terrains.

Learn techniques to render displacement map images up to 8k in less than a minute. The method is currently the fastest way to export a procedural terrain, it is also the only way to export a procedural terrain without having to bake the terrain to a memory hungry polygonal object. The process of baking a terrain is limited to a single core and will often cause the application to become unresponsive if trying to achieve an image result higher than 2048 x 2048.

Learn to create displacement map variations to create unique "roughness" details. These displacement maps are also an extremely useful solution for terrain export and generating normal maps. This technique can be used with any function, and is not limited to terrain generation or origin.

Learn to bake layered vue materials, creating both color and bump image maps. The maps can then be easily used and edited for painted mattes, export operations, openGL reference, or remapped directly back to the object.

This method frees up system resources and eliminated potential ecosystem, material scaling, and material flickering issues. Additionally it allows the easy separation of ecosystem render settings from intensely complex materials. This makes it easier to create composite render outputs and define anti-alias settings specific to the output. Since ecosystem vegetation is primarily alpha and transparency map rendering, which can require higher anti-alias settings on texture maps and fine geometry, you will be able to define terrain and ecosystem render settings independently.

Designing Brushes from Functions

Run Time: 30 Minutes

Key Topics:

• Learn to edit fractals and create create brushes for any painting application.
• Setup numeric filters.
• Control function number outputs.
• Creating fast pure fractal renders.
• Edit renders for smooth edge brushes.
• Use photoshop masks and blending modes to customize brush creations.
• Import the image into ZBrush for use as an alpha brush.

Matte Painting Workflow and Techniques

Run Time: 75 Minutes

Learn matte painting techniques that any vue user can benefit from. Explore the process and techniques used to create the image shown on the right.

Mix and blend shadows, composite multi-pass elements, adjust material lighting, simplify ecosystems (painted and generated, global and material).

Learn how advanced masking techniques and projected camera setups can be used to create 3D matte paintings ready for animation.

Vue 7 Pro Studio Sale

E-on software are running a sale Vue 7 Pro Studio until September 15th 2009.  The sale price is $199 instead of the usual $399 a saving of 50%.

Mazak's Road Video and Free Terrain (Car not Included)

Mazak has made a new Video with Vue 7.5 Infinite and is generously give away the scene file of the terrain which he created with GeoControl2 and imported into Vue (Car not Included). He's also included all the texture maps including the road stripes texture map (made with Corel Draw) and the camera animation (Road Run Camera).

3D World - October 2009 and Vue

The latest 3D World (Issue 121 October 2009) includes a two page review of Vue 7.5 xStream.  The positive review of Vue 7.5 xStream ends with a line I felt I had to quote "With a constantly growing set of unique and inspiring features, Vue 7.5 xStream is unequivocally the best natural scenery generation software you can buy".  They've changed how they score products doing away with the old scores of Range of Features, Value for Money and Overall which often didn't make sense especially when you compared the values given to different packages.  Now there are just two scores - one for upgrades and one for new purchases.  Vue gets 8 for upgrades and 9 for new purchase which isn't bad going.

Other than that I've not spotted any Vue specific content in this issue.

Riverside Tutorials from Geekatplay Studio

Geekatplay studio has 3 new video tutorials for Vue

• Creating riverside terrain
• Materials customisation
• Creating custom plants
• Controling the EcoSystem
• Setup plants arrangment
• Setup atmosphere
• Lighting the scene
• Rendering the scene

Urban Jungle 4 for Vue

Jacob Charles Dietz has a new set of Urban Jungle signs available at Cornucopia 3D.

Vue Python Scripts

I've been updating the Vue Python script section on my impworks web site so scripts that were previously only available from the impworks blog now have pages all of their own. There are also a few new python scripts following requests.

Three new scripts for working with Vue’s Bump Mapping: one to make the mapping negative, one to make it positive and one to invert it on selected objects. A second new set of scripts make it easy to switch between the four different image mapping modes in materials on more than one object and material at once.

Vue Render Settings Tutorial

Silverblade has posted a new Vue tutorial on Render Settings.

3D Artist Issue 5 and Vue

3D Artist Issue 5 includes a full page Vue advert on the inside cover. Inside there are reviews of Ozone 4 and Vue 7.5 xStream. Vue 7.5 xStream gets a high praise and a rating of 9/10 while Ozone also does well getting a score of 8/10.

Vue 7 Infinite 7.4 (Build 43993) Beta

A new beta update for Vue 7.4 (Build 43993) is now available. The following is a list of bug fixes and improvements included in this update:

• Improved Dynamic ecosystem population and scaling.
• Improved rendering speed of Dynamic Ecosystems in HyperVue.
• Fixed a possible crash when populating a metablob.
• Improved OpenGL cloud texture calculations.
• Fixed corrupted preview of plant species.
• Improved 3DConnexion support.
• Improved align tool (backup support).
• Improved Poser support(especally for dynamic hair and on Vista).
• Fixed preview color reset to green when adding an existing material.
• Improved tiles in animation.
• Fixed wrong bump mapping onto UV-mapped mesh objects.
• Improved use of resume render data when launching an external render.
• Improved license server support for Hypervue.
• Automatic output files renaming is enabled only for external rendering modes.
• Fixed a possible crash on exit on MacOS.
• Fixed a possible reset of picture & animation output paths when reloading scene files on Mac computers.
• Fixed scale issues when using DEM file.
• Collada objects are now scaled according to their internal unit and the internal unit of Vue.
• Collada objects can now be automatically resized.
• Fixed bad scaling of objects when using the Gizmos in the object properties.
• Added Affinity/Repulsion setting in the form of a percentage.
• Fixed a possible crash when hiding sun from render while rendering spectral clouds.
• Fixed a possible issue with recomputation of pivot coordinates when replacing an object in a group.
• Fixed reset material modifications when editing a sub-material from the basic material editor.

Vue 7.5 Video from e-on software

My first video tutorial has nothing on e-on's most recent video though...