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:
Also the post office Effects were strongly
optimized and provided with new modules:
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:
DISPLACEMENT Mapping:
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:
Shadow maps:
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:
With a price of 700, - - USS/Euro (net) Realsoft
rather in the lower price structure for 3D
software appears 3D. In addition the obliging
license politics Realsofts come: Licenses
are not assigned per user per computer. That
is, that an individual user the software on
as many as desired PCS may install so far
it these used. Thus also no restrictions exist
regarding the use and the number of Renderslaves.
In addition the license is platform independent.
There is the possibility thus without reservation,
without changing auxiliary costs e.g. from
Windows to Linux. 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:
Realsoft is very customer orientated. Thus
the developers observe very attentively the
procedures on the Realsoft
3D mailing list and answer there already
times or other question. The mailing list
is " must " for each Realsoft user.
Here a very family oriented Community has
existed for several years, which is endeavored
to answer every question. 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:
http://www.realsoft3d.com
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:
http://www.realsoft.fi/lists/user.html
IRC:
Quakenet: # realsoft3d Review by
Boris Jahn
Pictures:
Boris Jahn , http://www.3ddart.com
Jason Saunders , http://www.pixelperfect.co.uk
Michael Schmeling ,
http://www.schmeling
consulting.de
Realsoft OY , http://www.realsoft3d.com |