This is the first alpha release of v3
We split the release notes into two posts: This one, which provides the download links and information specific to this particular release and a features post describing and discussing the new features and changes of 3.00. The features post will be continuously updated until we reach the stable version 3.00. But first let's go through some important things first:
Alpha and beta version disclaimer
In contrast to v2 we want to do the alpha and beta testing publicly, to get more feedback earlier and to have changes tested more thoroughly. The plan is to let all users with a valid v2 license use the v3 alpha and beta versions until we decide that the beta period has ended and we release the first stable v3. After that you will have to upgrade to v3 or will not be able to use any v3 versions (including alpha and beta versions) anymore. We don't know yet, when that will be, but we will give you a warning a few weeks in advance so you can prepare.
Since there is a higher likelihood of severe bugs in alpha and beta versions you shouldn't use them for production work. It would be nice if you could test some production scenes with the alpha and beta versions, but you should definitely not rely on the stability of those versions to finish your projects.
In the Standalone you should be able to load v3 scenes in v2, losing only features provided in v3 and maybe some converted settings (like the new "mid level" in displacement nodes). With the plugins this isn't necessarily the case, which means that you should not create any plugin projects with v3 alpha/beta if you are not 100% sure that you want to upgrade to v3 or that you don't mind losing these projects when the beta period ends.
Manual
We don't have an updated manual for v3 yet. That's partially due to the fact that we are currently overhauling the documentation web site, which needs to be finished until we can publish an updated manual for v3. We will let you know when the v3 manual is available until then, please refer to the v3 new features thread and its discussion.
CUDA requirements
We switched to CUDA 7, which means on Windows and Linux you may need to update your NVIDIA graphics driver to a current version which supports at least CUDA 7.0. On Mac OSX you may have to update the CUDA driver for Mac to a current version supporting at least CUDA 7.0.
Changes since 2.24.2
For details please read the separate new features thread, but here is a quick list of the major changes between the last v2 and the first v3 alpha:
- Complete re-write of the integration kernels to provide the foundation for major 3.x features like OpenSL and OpenCL
- Added volume rendering.
- Added deep pixel rendering.
- Added an environment medium.
- Added animated texture frame support.
- Moved the film buffer to the system memory to limit the memory usage on the GPUs and to solve various longstanding issues.
- Implemented tiled rendering for all kernels except PMC.
- Overhauled network rendering work distribution and result transmission to make it work with the new render films.
- Implemented a Photoshop workflow plugin and the generation of compositing files used by this plugin.
- Added login and delta syncing to the Octane Render Cloud (ORC). Please be aware that you can't create an ORC account yet, but this will be possible soon.
- Added raw/filter beauty passes.
- Implemented motion blur for panoramic cameras.
- Added rotation around the camera position to the Standalone.
- Made static noise as static as possible.
- Added "neutral response" option to the camera imager node.
- Added tangent normal and opacity info passes.
- Added support for 2nd and 3rd UV set in displacement textures.
- Replaced the "shift" parameter of the displacement node with "mid level", which is normalized to the [0, 1] range of the displacement texture.
Known issues
Region rendering is still broken and we are working to bring it back as soon as possible. Unfortunately it requires a total rewrite due to the film buffer changes.
Also render priority is currently not implemented due to the kernel overhaul. Actually, since we are now launching much smaller kernels more often, we don't see the need for this functionality anymore and want to remove it, but aren't sure if there are still cases where we would need a throttling of the kernel calls. Please let us know, in case you run into issues like a blocked/laggy UI.
Near future roadmap
The plan is to have new alpha / beta releases as soon as new features are implemented or important changes are made. The next major feature will be texture baking which will be in alpha 2, hopefully arriving next week. And there are some more features planned for the very near future - including removing the mesh size limit and saving and resuming renders offline.
OSL is going to be the next big change coming in beta 1, after all of the above features are tested and stable.
OctaneRender Standalone downloads
Windows
- 64-bit commercial version (installer)
- 64-bit commercial version (ZIP archive)
Mac OS X
- 64-bit commercial version (DMG image)
Linux
- 64-bit commercial version (ZIP archive)
Photoshop workflow plugin download
Eventually we plan to provide the plugin via the Adobe Exchange platform. To allow you to test it in its current form, we provide the plugin as package which you can manually install (see the new features post for details).
UPDATE: The plugin can now be installed via the Adobe Exchange website.
Windows and Mac OS X
- Photoshop extension (ZXP archive)
Happy rendering,
Your OTOY NZ Team