Pixar may now form part of the Disney empire, but development of its commercially available tool continues, with RenderMan 19 taking the software in some radical new directions. In fact, RenderMan 19 isn't so much an upgrade as a brand new piece of software, with everything rebuilt from the ground up to embrace something called the RenderMan Integrator System (RIS). As well as handling the heavy demands of ray-traced global illumination with unprecedented speed, RIS also supports multiple methods of simulating light transport. Utilising a new node-style system based around plug-in integrators, artists can quickly access a variety of tracing methods, including uni-directional path tracing and bi-directional path tracing with photons. Everything in RIS is effectively a plugin, with Pixar supplying source code so that users can also develop their own integrators. The aim is to clearly foster a global community of plugin sharing and open-source tools development, with the free-to-use non-commercial version of RenderMan 19 helping to lay the foundations at the student/beginner level. RenderMan 19 also boasts something called Progressive Rendering, which allows artists to incrementally refine the detail in a scene, and to interactively adjust materials and lighting setups with direct feedback via a live rendering. Other key features include advanced ray-traced subsurface scattering (for better rendering of semi-opaque materials such as skin and wax), Global Light Sampling, improvements to Pixar's classic REYES scanline rendering mode, close integration with Maya and Katana, plus an extensive in-built library of physically accurate shaders. Upgrades are also available for other users.
A single RenderMan licence currently costs $495 plus $200 annually for maintenance. Originally planned to be available at launch, the first ever non-commercial version of the software (itself a reflection of the fact it's easier to use than earlier versions of RenderMan) will now arrive in early 2015, with Pixar using the extra time to author additional training and support materials.
Visit for more information.Pixar has decided to release its flagship animation software known as RenderMan for free. As part of the company's long-term commitment to foster the future growth of the production industries, Pixar will make the software used to create classics like Toy Story and Wall-E free to non-commercial users. Professional users will have to fork over $495 for RenderMan, but software licenses for the purposes of evaluation, education, personal training/experimentation, and research will be completely free of charge. Developers interested in building applications and tools for RenderMan can also grab the animation software for nothing.
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