Available info about Vue 7
E-on Software demoed a beta version of Vue 7 at Siggraph 2008. Though they only provided scarce info up to now, people that have visited their booth detailed more features. Here is a summary of what I could find from the different sources of information.
E-on Software Press release
E-on Software issued two press releases during Siggraph that hinted at the new features of Vue 7. The second one had a preview image of Vue 7 XStream integration in 3DS Max.The first press release indeed insisted on More Robust, Seamless Integration with the Leading DCC Solutions. Vue assets will be directly accessible from within the host application’s interface.
There is only one phrase about the new features of Vue 7 on these press releases. It announces:
- 3rd generation ecosystem technology
- A new version of spectral atmosphere
- HD versions of plants, through a new SolidGrowth implementation
- A new indoor radiosity engine
Details gathered from Siggraph 2008 visitors
A few visitors of the show that stopped at the E-on Software booth reported what they saw, on the CGSociety and Renderosity forums. The first thing that seemed obvious to them is that Vue 7 was in early beta. The functions demoed were thus only showing the development choices of E-on, not the final product. From these comments, here are the novelties:
- Terrains are now mostly generated procedurally.They can be infinite, just like infinite planes. Ecosystems can be applied to them.
- Ecosystems are now only applied to areas the camera can see. This is probably a consequence of the above and will be a very handy feature to save resources.
- New water object with options to generate foam automatically where water meets a terrain surface. It also supports displacement and makes the creation of deep waves very easy.
- Faster preview renders and faster renders overall. The render engine may have been entirely rewritten and use bucket based rendering. This is consistant with the announce of faster renders by E-On.
- Improved radiosity rendering, especially for interior scenes. From the samples that were displayed, Vue 7 is able to produce nice noise-free images .
- The spectral 2 atmosphere introduces new parameters for clouds: sharpness and feathering. Clouds are apparently very realistic in this new version, appearing like real objects and interacting with light very nicely. A function editor enables a complete control of their shape, pattern.
- HD (high detail?) vegetation. Displacement available for leaves, maybe to avoid the "flat pannel" look
Consequences of these improvements
Looking at the above features, it seems that E-On really reinforced the high end features of Vue and tries to make it both more poweful and versatile :
- The infinite terrains will make flythroughs and motion shots easier
- The local ecosystems will make it easier to design scenes with a large number of items. Along with the new spectral atmosphere and water object, this should make Vue 7 a killer app to make matte paintings
- The new radiosity engine will improve inside shots and make it more useable for architecture renders.
