NEWS • SEPTEMBER 22 , 2000
Maxon Brings Out 3D Painter, Network Renderer
Cinema 4D also gets OS X, enhanced multiprocessor support

by David Nagel
Executive Producer
[email protected]

Maxon today announced several developments in its Macintosh software program. First off, the company said it will add OS X support to its flagship 3D modeling, rendering and animation package, Cinema 4D XL. The new version, to be released concurrent with Mac OS X, will also add enhanced multiprocessor support. Cinema 4D has supported multiprocessing on the Mac for some time (back in the Daystar days) and continues to support it on the latest generation of dual-procesor G4s, but the new implementation will go beyond rendering speed boosts to add speedier processing throughout the application.

Network renderer
The company has also announced a new network renderer for Cinema 4D XL 6.1. Cinema 4D Net spreads render jobs across an existing TCP/IP network so that each machine can be used to reduce production times. This includes mixed environments for networks running Windows and Macintosh systems—whether the rendering takes place on a LAN, a WAN or across the entire Internet.

For administration, Cinema 4D Net uses a Web interface that can be controlled from anywhere, including a palm device. It also includes dynamic load balancing and built-in safe recovery technology, which protects a render job even if a client or server crashes.

The upgrade price is about $50, while the full three-client runs about $315.

3D painting
Finally, the company has launched a brand new 3D program, BodyPaint 3D, a Macintosh application that allows artists to paint directly onto 3D models. The program lets users paint light and shadows, as well as color, bump, specular, diffusion and a number of other parameters on any 3D object.

BodyPaint 3D's Raybrush technology enables users to paint onto 3D objects in final render quality, using any or all material channels, including reflections, transparencies and refractions with instant onscreen results: realtime painting on objects regardless of the number of polygons, according to Maxon.

The software is designed to integrate with Cinema 4D, but it also operates independently as a stand-alone paint program. BodyPaint is expected to ship in the fourth quarter for about $700.

For more information, visit http://www.maxoncomputer.com.

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