LOS ANGELES — Thinkbox Software (www.thinkboxsoftware.com) has released new versions of its cross-platform renderfarm management and high-volume particle rendering, manipulation and management solutions. Deadline 5.1 and Krakatoa MX 2.0 are now available as no-cost upgrades to current customers.
Deadline’s rendering toolkit offers management options for renderfarms of all sizes, and the flexibility to run the software on a range of platforms and rendering packages. Version 5.1 delivers significant performance improvements and new features including: Shotgun production management integration, for a seamless render and review data flow; native installation of Python 2.6 is bundled with Deadline — Python.NET integration allows Deadline to run native Python scripts and load CPython modules; new Thinkbox license server with built in auto-configuration; Launch/configure a number of slaves on a single machine; users can now store Deadline stats in an existing Postgres database.
Krakatoa MX provides an efficient pipeline for particle acquisition, caching, modifying, deforming, shading and rendering inside Autodesk 3DS Max; enabling artists to recreate natural phenomena and solid objects or deliver abstract images in unparalleled detail. New features in V2.0 include: Hair rendering support – Conversion of 3DS Max Hair & Fur, Hair Farm and regular Bezier splines into particles, new atmospheric effect, which allows the direct integration of voxel rendering in any renderer that supports native 3DS Max atmospherics; Chaos Group Phoenix FD particles rendering support; Faster, more powerful Magma system – Thinkbox has completely re-factored Magma for V2.0; and PRT Creator fractal designs generation – Combined with Magma, this new object generates complex particle distributions and animations procedurally.
Deadline 5.1 is available as a no-cost software update to Deadline customers on active support contracts. Deadline software is priced per slave at an MSRP of $185. Krakatoa MX 2.0 is available as a no-cost upgrade to Krakatoa customers on active support contracts.
