Realsoft 3D version 4.5

** Ed Note: This article translated from German - hence is rather hard to read at times - B) **

Realsoft 3D is a complete solution for Modelling, Rendering and animation. The basic philosophy is that all usual features are integrated in the package and the purchase of additional Plugins is in most cases, unnecessary. Like that a 3D Paint program is integrated smoothly in Realsoft 3D and the standard Render engine is qualitatively far superior e.g. already most standard Render Engines of the competition.

In the year 2000 the Finnish software company, Realsoft OY released its software to Realsoft 3D version 4.0 as a successor of the all-side well-known Real 3D on the market. This version was programmed by reason on new. While material 3D was still one the Topprodukte on the market, the fairings, due to the long development cycle for version 4.0 the connection to the competitors something had lost. In addition this first version was, like also the subsequent version 4,2 of the software unfortunately quite errorpregnant. Like that one of the principal purposes were to make the software more stable. This succeeded to the software developers fully and completely. This new version of Realsoft 3D shines by outstanding stability and the connection to the competition in any case again won.

One did not naturally only work on stability. Also the Render engine was optimized and around some became faster. An almost endless list of new features makes this update of Realsoft a must for everyone for user. But not only for Realsoft users the update is interesting.

Some the out-standing innovations are:

• Global Illumination
• Multi Wavelength Raytracing for akkurate spectrally Caustics
• Render time ray traced DISPLACEMENT for the production of genuine Bumpmapping on Sds and NURBS surfaces
• Subsurface Scattering for realistic human skin
• Shadowmaps based lighting for fast generated soft shade
• Hierarchical network Rendering for unlimited use of Renderfarmen via InterNet
• New more user friendly tabbed toolbar for direct access to the Modelingtools
• HPT (Heading, Pitching and Twisting) option for Skeletons for the prevention of surface twistings
• Javascript support for adjustment to the personal Befuerfnisse via Scripting
• Context sensitive assistance to all control elements

Caustics
© Realsoft OY

Global Illumination
© Jason Saunders

Subsurface Scattering
© Boris Jahn

shadow maps and DISPLACEMENT mapping
© Michael Schmeling

Documentation:

The documentation in the previous versions was a little poor.

The user manual was revised strongly and is in the HTML format contained in the software package. A printed version will be available probably only end this yearly. A new very meaningful feature is the kontextsensitive assistance, who it makes possible for the user, while the cursor over a control element floats, to call by F1 the appropriate assistance side in the reference manual. Now also a quite extensive reference manual was provided to the user desires accordingly, which explains following, each function to the user surface.

The long desired reference manual

Utilities:

Show image.
Here a new Popup menu was integrated to let it the user made possible the Channels defined by the picture indicate.

Batch Renderer:
This behehlszeilenbasiertes batch Rendering program makes it for the user possible to leave several projects one behind the other rendern. Here one to be determined whether only one frame or an animation of the respective project can be gerendert is. A further advantage of the batch Renderers is that it stresses fewer resources than the complete Realsoft application.

GUI Based batch Renderer:
graphic user interface for the batch Renderer.

Graphic interface to the BatchRenderer

Modelling:

Realsoft has Analytics, NURBS, Metaballs and SDS.

Within the range Modeling Realsoft already set in the past versions yardsticks. Nevertheless it succeeded to train also here interesting and very meaningful improvements.

For SDS objects now the possibility exists beside already the standard Handles available for POINTS, Edges and Faces of connecting transformation and rotation Handles. This Handles makes a very precise modelling for selected Points/Edges and Face for groups possible. For me this small innovation is not to be excluded from the work everyday life no more.

Construction History:

A further new Modeling feature is the Construction History: Ojekte are modified with the assistance of other objects. The modifying objects can be changed at any time, which affects the target object immediately. One can provide different modification objects, in order to modify a target object. These modifications can be applied then to other target objects and adapted at will. Unfortunately the Construction History is not to Tools yet for all Realsoft at the disposal. This is the goal for the next versions.

Rotation and transformation of handles for selected POINTS groups

Bend Constructor

Skeletons:

Hierarchical Skeletons was almost useless in the preceding versions, which also the reason for it was, which to date hardly character animations were to be seen. The Skeletons was retreaded for version " 4.5 ". This is to be noticed also directly at their representation. Here an intuitive representation of the free movement angle was selected. For each joint the possibility exists to change the diameter of the representation size. The Skeletons is already fully into the Construction History concept integrated.

A new innovative feature is HPT (Heading, Pitching and Twisting). Hereby with the rotation of individual Bones twistings of the surface are prevented.

With the help of the Bones rotation Handles one can determine very intuitively the rotation liberty of the individual joints.

A very nice innovation is, that with simultaneous selection of a Skeletons and a Sds and/or. Nurbs object the necessary Skeleton Tools e.g. the being thing (Rigging) and Fidelity Tools are faded in immediately.

Being thing is a new function, around the Meshes to the Skeleton to briefcases. This replaces the Lattice Mapping. At each Bone the Mesh with different weighting can become gemapped.

In summary I can only say that Realsoft good work carried out. The Skeletons leaves a really useful impression and I looks forward already to the first characters animations, which with Realsoft 3D I will make.

intuitive representation of the free movement angle

Bone rotation Handles

Bone fishes and Constraints Handles

Distributed network Rendering:

The network Rendering was already in version 4.0 in a the position to let also frames of various Renderslaves compute together. However it hooked sometimes here and there. With version 4.5 the network Rendering was revised very strongly and runs very reliably.

More compatibility for Firewalls. The Renderserver uses now directly the desired haven without a new Socket to open. The Firewall must one only communicate, which haven is to be opened (default is 10050). The hierarchical network Rendering system makes possible to connect by the InterNet networks and by these too rendern.
An innovation very much succeeded is the Texture Proxy integrated again for the network Rendering. During the first Render all will transfer used textures in the project to the Slaves taken part in the Rendering and here on the non removable disk get cached.
This has substantial advantages: No drive assemblies must be released.
With the following Renders only new or changed textures are distributed via net. This brings both in the local network and with the Rendering via InterNet large speed improvements.

Hierarchical Rendernetwork

Post office Effects:

Multiple post office processing:

Multiple post office processing configurations are now supported: Thus one can combine and implement at the same time let various post office Effects in the post office processing phase at will, ever after like one configured this.

Post office image scaling:

This makes possible to leave and in the post office Effects phase to standard size reduce let the spent picture in double dissolution rendern, which improves the Antialiasing e.g. for LINE effects much. There is also the possibility the picture in normal size too rendern of doubling and of reducing after adding the post office Effects the picture on standard size again the dissolution for the post office Effects.

LINE Effects:

The Outline Rendering was extended by various options as mini and maximum LINE Width, Drawing and Triggering channel

Light Glow Effects:

This new Effect is based on the Lense Effects which entails that the effect always appears before the objects however around some fast rendert than the standard Glow. This effect analyzes the picture and adds the effect all bright ranges of the picture.

Glow Effects faster:

The Glow Effects is now substantially faster computed.

light glow and VSL material glow
Renderingzeit 4:12 min.
Binarily Athlon 1.33 GHz
© Boris Jahn

Outline Rendering
© Realsoft OY

VSL:

Global Illumination:

Global the Illumination system is very variable. A VSL global Illumination Shader is assigned to the finished scene. These one can assign to the entire scene or also only ausgewaelten objects. Different adjustment possibilities, like contrast, Raycount, GI reflection and GI Bounce give to optimize possibilities the scene in quality and Renderzeit. Compared with other programs fared Realsoft 3D well: http://www.winosi.onlinehome.de/Comp1.htm

Subsurface Scattering:

Into the Samples Photorealistic Skin one finds a new Skin Shader well hidden. This is based Subsurface Scattering and brings exzellente results with the attempt realistic human skin to represent. Here different options are available e.g. depth of the Translucency, strength of the veins, height and size of the Bumps. It can of course be varied also with provided textures.

Bleed:

The Bleed option gives to leave the possibility the edges of a Shader to overrun.

Global Illumination test scene:
Render timet 3:28 min.
Dual Athlon 1.4 GHz with GI and Caustics
© Realsoft OY

Subsurface Scattering
Renderingingzeit 3:16 min.
Binarily Athlon 1.33 GHz
© Boris Jahn

Rendering:

NURBS and SDS of objects support now DISPLACEMENT Mapping. The feature is expressed simple to handle. One must communicate in the object characteristics only that DISPLACEMENT Mapping is to be used for the object. All the object assigned VSL textures those the Bump Height are assigned, now with genuine Bumps are generated.
DISPLACEMENT Mapping can be able to be achieved also individual NURBS curves to be assigned with which interesting effects.

Caustics:

De Luxe variant of Caustics offers Realsoft.
Caustics can be mithineingerendert in Illumination map or be gerendert as part of the Raytracingprozesses.
By VSL Shadern even the physically correct rendition of spectrally Caustics succeeds

Scene Cache:

The Scene Cache stores complex geometry. This function saves some at pre-calculations after the first Rendering.

DISPLACEMENT Mapping
© Realsoft OY

DISPLACEMENT Mapping
© Realsoft OY

Spectrally Caustics
© Realsoft OY

Lighting:

For Light POINTS and Spots this option is available. One must change in the characteristics of the lamps only from Raytraced the Shadows to Mapped Shadows. Here different options are available. So one can determine the size of the source of light. The larger the source of light is the more softly becomes the shade. In addition one can determine the dissolution of the Shadow maps. The higher the dissolution of the Shadow maps is this and the more inaccuracies and Pixelisation is prevented the more exactly.

Price:

Who without the Windows version to do knows and only on UNIX based systems (Linux and IRIX to become supported) needs even only 300 USS/Euro to berappen.

Also program transferred is made to Realsoft concerning the price tasty from another 3D. Here the full version strikes then with 450 USS/Euro

Educational licenses cost 50% of the standard price.

Community and service:

Naturally also the possibility exists to come closer via Mail directly to Realsoft the responsible persons, who worry usually quickly, about the Problems their users.

Also is the IRC there are one Realsoft 3D Channel in which one in real-time its questions by experienced Realsoft users answered gets. To find in the Quakenet. # realsoft3d

On its Web operational readiness level should work Realsoft more. Thus it occurs again and again that here for weeks nothing at all does not happen.

Website:

Email:

General of issues: info@realsoft.com
Business contacts: business@realsoft.com
Bugs to report: bugs@realsoft.com
Development related matters: development@realsoft.com
Sales: sales@realsoft.com

Mailing list:

IRC:

Review by Boris Jahn

Pictures: