SideFX has released their 2016 showreel featuring outstanding work by Houdini customers. Watch it on Vimeo.

London based matte painting artist Jacek Pilarski is offering a free (or pay-what-you-like) pack of 140 panoramic sky images. Images are in TIFF format from RAWs in resolutions between 10k to 28k. More on Gumroad.

The Arnold renderer goes back to its roots: Solid Angle has announced the release of MAXtoA, a new plugin that provides a bridge to Arnold renderer using the standard 3DS Max interface. Arnold was originally developed for 3DS Max by Marcos Fajardo in the late 1990s (check out some archaeological references on Martínez Lara's website and Marcos Fajardo's pages). The integration plugin is a preview release compatible with Max 2017 and includes the following features: (more...)

Mackevision has released a breakdown video for their visual effects work on Game of Thrones season 6. Watch it on Vimeo.

Thinkbox Software has announced a new version of Sequoia, its cross-platform tool for converting particle and point cloud data to geometry. Version 1.1 nearly doubles performance, adds Linux support, introduces workflows capable of maintaining georeferenced data precision, makes exporting textured mesh data to 3D applications and game engines easier, and allows the baking of high-resolution point colors to texture maps. More on Thinkbox Software's website.

Allegorithmic announced at Substance Days 2016 that from 4 August 2016 students will be able to obtain free licenses of Substance Designer and Substance Painter. These versions will have identical features to the full editions and will be eligible for free upgrades for a year. You can see the full keynote presentation and a few other workshops on Livestream (student licensing announcement at 40 minute mark).

Maxon has announced Cinema 4D R18, the latest version of its flagship 3D application. New features include: (more...)

Rising Sun Pictures has released a breakdown of the work they did for the Game of Thrones season 6 finale. Watch it on YouTube.