RenderHeads News

Vertex Chameleon Case Study: Invincible Tiger

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:37:22 -0700

We interviewed Blitz Arcade about how they integrated our Maya plugin Vertex Chameleon into their art pipeline during the creation of their new game Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao.

Included in the interview are some cool behind-the-scenes screenshots showing the level artwork in Maya and a video of the finished game.

Have a read.

Maya Plugins Updated

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:28:25 -0700

Both of our Maya plugins have received minor updates:

Vertex Chameleon has been updated to version 1.4.2. The only change is fixed compatability issues for older versions of Maya.

UVAutoRatio Pro has been updated to version 2.4.2. It features the ability to now load and save ratio presets to file and fixed compatility issues for older versions of Maya.

Vertex Chameleon 1.4.0 Released

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 11:49:30 -0700

Our Vertex Chameleon has just been updated! New things:

Gradient Tool now has multi-colour ramp option:
Gradient Tool now also works on vertex-faces, faces and edges instead of just vertices. It is also significantly faster.
3D Texture Tool now works with vertex-faces
Can swap and copy colour channels between different colour sets now
Wireframe state is now restored when the UI is closed
Added a saturate channels filter
Attribute Map dialog shortcut added
Erode and Dilate now also work in alpha channel
Better Maya version detection code
Installer now installs for all versions of Maya automatically
Added command parameters to documentation

UVAutoRatio Pro 2.4 Released

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:54:15 -0800

The first update to UVAutoRatio Pro for 2009!

What's new:

Ratio Presets:

By popular demand from our users, save ratios with friendly names as presets.
More Options for Fixing Overlapping UV Shells:

More power when fixing overlapping UV shells.
The tool for fixing UV Shell overlaps now works with multiple objects too
Added a Normalise UV tool that works across multiple objects
Multi-Language Support
We've moved all the text strings into .res.mel files to use Maya's localisation system. Now anyone can translate the plugin into their own language. Look out for information about our translator-reward system.
Improved UI for faster workflow:

We've moved some of the UI on the main panel around to help workflow.
Other improvements and bug fixes:
1. Progress bar updates better and gives better indication of progress
2. When cancelling the operation the logging of skipped shells now only happens when Verbose Output is enabled
3. Cancelling during overlap fixing is much more responsive
4. Added option for showing internal timings (for profiling)
5. Better Maya version detection
6. Installer now installs for all versions of Maya automatically
7. Fixed bug where UV Editor didn't hide when fixing overlapping shells
8. Fixing overlapping UVs now also obeys Verbose Output setting

Vertex Chameleon 1.3.7 Released

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:05:26 -0700

This release of Vertex Chameleon brings it bang up to date with support for Maya 2009! We've also fixed a few minor issues. Changes include:

Maya 2009 support
Bug fixed in texture baking where it would only bake the first material assigned to a mesh
Improved the way layers work when you only have a single colorSet. This is especially helpful for flattening
Bug fixed where sometimes the plugin wouldn't load and would report an error in the script

UVAutoRatio Pro 2.3.1 Released

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:05:03 -0700

Our UV scaling Maya plugin UVAutoRatio Pro has been updated to include support for Maya 2009!

Vertex Chameleon 1.3.5 Released

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:39:22 -0700

We're pleased to bring you another update for the Maya plugin Vertex Chameleon. In this release we've fixed a lot of bugs and UI issues, especially with the layers.

Added Layer reordering
Added lighting only baking
Greatly improved layers stability:

Created a workaround for a bug in Maya where renaming a layer to a previously deleted layer would delete all layers
Fixed a bug where in vertex-face mode with a vertex selection the plugin would read from the wrong layer
Made Layers window more responsive to selection changes
Fixed bug where having no layers would render random colours
Fixed Mac OS X UI bug where layer visibility icon didn't update

3D Texure UI improved:

Scale and RSeed sliders update texture preview in realtime
Added button to delete the temporary texture
More compact UI

Fixed endian bug for Mac OS X PPC processors in licensing system
Fixed file load/save bug in the colour swatches for Maya 7.0 and below

Vertex Chameleon 1.3 Released

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:07:44 -0700

It hasn't been long since the last updated but we thought we'd release these new features now instead of batching them up :) What's new:

As well as Windows and Mac OS X, Vertex Chameleon now also runs on Linux! We have support for 32-bit and 64-bit Linux running Maya 8.0, 8.5 and 2008. It looks something like this:
We've also added support for PPC Apple Macs as previously it only ran on Intel processors.
There is a new master RGBA channel masker which lets you work on just the channels you want to without altering the others:
Added alpha blending to Layers system
Fixed an ambient occlusion baking bug that happened with Maya 7.0
Fixed crash bug when rebooting UI
Fixed 0..255 to 0..1 colour range values bug

UVAutoRatio Pro 2.3 Updated

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:21:11 -0700

We're pleased to announce that the Linux version of UVAutoRatio Pro v2.3 has been released.

We've also updated the Mac OS X version to support machines with PPC processors as the previous release only supported Intel chips.

UVAutoRatio Pro 2.3 Released

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:17:27 -0700

Yes finally we have support for Mac OS X in UVAutoRatio Pro! Right now it's only for Maya 8.5 and 2008 but we'll be working on the others in the coming weeks.

Pretty eh?

We also have a snazzy new update notification system so you're informed as soon as a new version of the plugin is available. Of course there is an option to turn this off if you want.

We've also improved a few other minor things in the UI including:

Improved license entry mechanism (a new system to receive 15-day trial keys)
Windows installer now warns if maya.exe is running to prevent failure to override files that Maya is using.
Added scripting info to documentation

Vertex Chameleon 1.2 Released

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:59:07 -0700

Hooray! Mac OSX support is finally here for Vertex Chameleon:) Right now it's just for Maya 8.5 and 2008 as it's proving a little trickier with the older versions of Maya, but we should have those done in the coming weeks.

We also have a snazzy new automatic update notification system which will inform you of a new version as soon as it's released! Of course you can turn this off if you don't want to use it :)

Other goodness includes:

Changing view mode now retains selection - woohoo, this could get annoying - another win for workflow!
Added HSV channels to clamping - just in case you need to
Changed normals -> colours to be unsigned
Improved license entry mechanism
Windows installer now warns if maya.exe is running

Vertex Chameleon 1.1 Released

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:52:57 -0700

Vertex Chameleon v1.1 is now available for download here:

http://www.renderheads.com/portfolio/VertexChameleon/#Download

Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions which made it into this release.

What's new:

Added synchronisation of the Apply Colour colour to Maya's Vertex Colour Paint Tool
Added Mental Ray vertex baking options
Integrated into the Layers system (bakes to the correct colour set)
Ambient Occlusion with the most common options
Texture-only bake
Added Ambient Occlusion shortcut
Fixed bug: operations like duplicating a layer with a component selection would fail
Fixed bug: undoing with Layers didn't restore the correct colour set
Fixed bug: renaming layers could cause Maya to crash
Improved speed of Layers UI when toggling active layer

Personal Licenses Now Available

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:07:47 -0700

We want to make our plugins accessable to a wide range of users, so we've introduced another price range for the uvAutoRatio Pro and Vertex Chameleon plugin.

The Professional license allows commercial use of the plugin, costs �30.0 each and discounts are given for bulk orders.
The Personal license is for non-commerical use, and it only costs �10.0

Both include all future version updates up to the next major version.

We hope the new pricing scheme will allow more people to enjoy using our plugins :)

Vertex Chameleon 1.0 Launched

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:47:36 -0700

Finally, after months of development the first offical version of Vertex Chameleon has been released!

In case you don't know: Vertex Chameleon is the ultimate vertex colour toolset for Autodesk Maya! :)

Check it out here: http://www.renderheads.com/portfolio/VertexChameleon/

There is a free 15-day trial, and if you like it you can buy it:

The Professional license costs �30 per copy, and we offer bulk discounts. The Personal license costs �10 and is for non-commericial use only.

We have a ton of ideas we plan to add to the plugin in the future. Some in particular we're very excited about. Sadly there wasn't enough time for them to make it into v1.0 but they should be in there soon. If you have any ideas please let us know so we can continue to improve this tool and make it truely ultimate! Thanks to everyone who's been involved in the beta testing of the plugin.

UVAutoRatio Pro 2.1.1 Released

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:10:59 -0700

This minor update includes these changes:

UV Shell Finder displays the shells with much more useful and friendly information
Frames Remember their Collapsed State
License Type Displayed
Improved Documentation

Get it here:

http://www.renderheads.com/portfolio/UVAutoRatio/#Downloads

Don't forget to post your suggestions for future versions to the forum :)

New Product Launched: UVAutoRatio 2.0 Pro

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:22:56 -0700

Teleford, U.K. - RenderHeads Ltd. has released UVAutoRatio 2.0 Pro, a UV-mapping plug-in for Autodesk Maya. (4/2/2008)

Artists in the film and games industry spend hours manually scaling the texture coordinates of models to get them in the right proportion. The new plug-in automates this process.

To get the most out of textures, they need to be mapped in proportion to the size of the geometry. Not doing so means that different parts of the scene will have different texture distribution, resulting in some textures appearing blurrier than others while some will be overly sharp, making the scene appear inconsistent and strange. Those objects with too much texture mapped to them waste memory and cause aliasing (flickering) due to the overly high frequency of texels.

UVAutoRatio 2.0 Pro has been designed by artists for artists. This new version is an improvement over the first release and it�s thanks to the support and ideas of all the users. The most requested feature, support for UV shells, is now included, allowing the tool to operate across multiple objects and multiple UV shells.

The new faster algorithm means even high polygon scenes can be processed within seconds. The compact user interface keeps the artist in control, while providing a smooth and intuitive workflow.

The plug-in supports Microsoft Windows Versions of Autodesk Maya Versions 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, and 2008 (including Extension 1.0 & 2.0) for 32-bit machines, and 8.5 and 2008 for 64-bit machines.

UVAutoRatio 2.0 Pro is available for download now from www.uvautoratio.com. The plug-in requires a license key for activation.

License keys cost �30 GBP per user and are available for purchase electronically from the online shop. The shop uses secure Google Checkout for payment and users will receive their key within minutes of making their purchase. License keys are valid indefinitely and include free access to all minor version updates up until Version 3.0.

Portfolio Updated

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:04:14 -0700

Our portfolio section has been updated with details on a commercial project we completed at the end of 2007. The motion-tracked playback software was designed to play through stories constructed from multiple content formats based on the position of a display that moves along a large horizontal track. The software has already been used at The International Petroleum Technology Conference in Dubai and World Energy Congress in Rome.

BIMA 2007 Awards

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:03:26 -0800

Once again congratulations are due to Imagination and all those involved in the Ford VJ experience, which won the B2C (Business to Customer) category at the 2007 BIMA (British Interactive Media) Awards. It was also shortlisted in the Innovation category. Extra thanks to Imagination for graciously inviting us to the awards ceremony! We are proud to have written the interactive VJ software MediaStation which was a key component of the stand.

MediaStation Awards

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 06:03:07 -0700

Congratulations to Imagination for recently receiving a whole slew of awards for their work on the Ford VJ stand. They won the Gold award at the Event Awards 2007 for Best Exhibition Feature Area, and had three wins at the AV Awards 2007 for: AV Project of the Year, Interactive Media Project of the Year and AV/IT Project of the Year. We are proud to have written the interactive VJ software MediaStation which was a key component of the stand. We'd like to thank and congratulate everyone involved in the project!

VJ Olga Mink MediaStation Video

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:02:51 -0700

I just found a cool video of VJ Olga Mink demoing the MediaStation software we wrote on a 65" plasma touchscreen at the AutoRAI motor show in Amsterdam. She explains nicely what the software does and gives a demo of some of it's features. Thanks to FreshCreation.nl for making the video.

SD_PolyColorPerVertex Updated

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:02:32 -0700

I'd almost completely forgotten about our vertex colour tool for Maya ; until I got an email today asking for a version for Maya 8.5. So here you go, for your vertex colouring pleasure I've recompiled the code so now it supports Maya 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 8.0 and 8.5. Enjoy.

Real-time Fluid Tech Demo Released

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:02:19 -0700

Why not slosh some liquids around in our real-time fluid simulation tech demo. Alternatively you could watch the video or learn more about the technique in the technical details section.

Encroach Game Released

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:02:00 -0700

Over the last 3 weeks we've been busy making an XNA game for Microsofts 'Dream Build Play' competition. The game is called 'Encroach' and features simple addictive gameplay for up to 4 players on the Xbox 360 or Windows. Download it and have a play here.

UVAutoRatio Users Group Launched

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 06:01:45 -0700

We've just launched a discussion group; for users of the UVAutoRatio plugin. It's a place where you can post your opinions, make feature requests, report bugs, show off ways you've used the plugin, test beta versions and interact with the developers directly. Since launching the plugin, we've had a lot of feedback (thanks!), and we think it would be great for everyone to bring these discussions to an open forum.

UVAutoRatio 1.0 Released

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 05:56:05 -0700

We're excited to announce the release of version 1.0 of a new plugin for Maya called UVAutoRatio! The plugin is made to turn a truly mind-numbing and lengthy task into one that is easy, quick and even a little fun (especially if you know the alternative process). What does it do? Well, the plugin will automatically scale the UVs of polygon meshes to give a consistent ratio between surface area and UV area across several meshes! We worked with an artist from the games industry to help make this plugin more intuitive and friendly for artists, and to make sure it contained the right features. Have a play and let us know what you think.