New open source shading model, OpenPBR, now available on GitHub

The Academy Software Foundation has announced that the OpenPBR repository is now publicly available on GitHub.

The OpenPBR repository, which stands for Open Physically-Based Rendering, was made public recently, as a collaborative effort by Autodesk and Adobe, under the guidance of MaterialX. First unveiled in August during the Academy Software Foundation’s Open Source Days, OpenPBR is an extension of MaterialX, designed to offer a more artist-friendly shading model. It promises to streamline the process of transferring materials and look development content by providing a consistent look across different renderers and platforms.

It is poised to replace Autodesk Standard Surface and Adobe Standard Material, with both corporations shifting their developmental focus to enhance OpenPBR. It builds upon MaterialX by allowing artists to interact more intuitively with the physical properties of surfaces, facilitating smoother data transfer between assets.

The current release is labeled as pre-production, aimed at inviting feedback and testing from the global community. With a version 1.0 launch targeted for 2024, the OpenPBR team aims to integrate a reference implementation within MaterialX, simplifying the adaptation process for existing MaterialX supporters. The project champions open collaboration, urging users to voice their experiences and suggestions via the #OpenPBR Slack channel hosted by the Academy Software Foundation.

Interested parties can get a greater insight into the project by viewing the recording of the MaterialX Virtual Town Hall held during the Open Source Days. Additionally, details on an upcoming December webinar dedicated to OpenPBR will be released soon, providing a further platform for education and discussion within the creative community.

Find out more on the ASWF website