Frozen, The Hobbit, Toy Story, Wall-E, Jurassic Park...
these are just a handful of the blockbuster movies over the years that have
utilized Pixar's award-winning VFX software, RenderMan. In fact, RenderMan has
been around since 1984 - used to render computer graphics in Star Trek: The
Wrath of Khan. Now you have the chance to own the software yourself - for free!
You read that right - FREE! You can register today for a non-commercial
licensed download of the latest version set to be released sometime around
August following the SIGGRAPH 2014 time frame.
Wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait - non-commercial? What's that all about?
It's pretty simple. You can use the same full-featured
software that commercial licensees are receiving; you just can't make money with
what you create. More specifically, Pixar explains non-commercial to mean,
"Any usage of RenderMan that does not involve direct
commercial use to generate profits. Examples of non-commercial use-cases
include evaluations, personal learning and familiarization, student usage, any
type of experimentation, research, and the development of tools and plug-ins
that compliment the RenderMan and new RIS framework."
What if I want to use
non-commercial RenderMan for commercial work?
This is the best part: if you rendered something amazing
you're able to use in a commercial way, you simply have to contact them at
rendermansales@pixar.com to get a custom commercial package put together for
you. That is a pretty sweet deal for an initial investment of zilch.
With a completely new price restructuring (a commercial
license is down to $495 with an annual maintenance fee of $200), Pixar seems to
be looking to get their software in a lot more animator's hands. With the
complete functionality of the commercially licensed version, getting a copy to
play with is a no-brainer for anyone involved in computer animation. Don't
understand why they'd just give the software away? Pixar elaborates:
"This is a strategic and long-term commitment by Disney
/ Pixar to the advancement and dissemination of the production industries most
advanced rendering technologies and the interchange of assets in common
formats. First, RenderMan going forwards will be the conduit through which
applicable rendering technologies developed within Disney / Pixar research will
be channeled into the public domain to establish a common platform for
production, research and development, trials and experimentation, learning, and
other applications. Second, it is Pixar’s belief that limitations on software
access have become a brake on the development of the production industry, and
that universal access and a set of common standards and practices can only
stimulate greater growth and development. Third, existing trial and evaluation
methods of providing access through watermarked or time-expiry licenses are
unsatisfying for proper evaluation. The resources and technology now being
invested in RenderMan are of superior quality and will continue to anticipate
the needs of film production imagery as Pixar has over the past 25-years.
Providing RenderMan free for non-commercial usage represents the commitment of
Disney / Pixar that RenderMan is the long-term film rendering standard.
No comments:
Post a Comment