Mudbox 2009 Announced at SIGGRAPH

Mudbox is Autodesk’s organic brush-based 3D modeling, digital sculpting and texture painting solution.

Mudbox 2009 NEW FEATURES

Texture Painting
A new, production-focused texture paint workflow simplifies the process of painting multiple diffuse, bump, specular, and reflection textures across multiple high-resolution maps. Paint directly on 3D models to add detail precisely where it’s required, regardless of UV distortion or surface complexity. Paint reference images onto the model from screen space using the new Projection brush. You can also paint multiple maps on multiple meshes simultaneously and assign multiple UV tiles on a single mesh for maximum productivity.

Performance Enhancements
Significantly improved camera manipulation and brush speed, enabling you to work interactively with 3D models that are fully subdivided into tens of millions of polygons.

On-Target Display
New display technologies leverage the power of the OpenGL API and today’s powerful graphics cards to offer an accurate, on-target environment for real-time evaluation as the asset is manipulated, and for enhanced interactive presentations to clients and art directors.

Multiple Maps, Textures, and Materials
Advanced real-time GPU rendering technology has the power to display multiple maps and texture channels (including bump and reflection) per mesh, and multiple materials in the scene, while still delivering interactive sculpting and painting performance on complex, high-resolution models.

Multiple Fast and Accurate Shadows
The ability to accurately cast shadows from multiple light sources means that artists can validate the effectiveness of their model’s form, for example, making sure that a character’s eyes are not perpetually shadowed by an overly prominent brow or that an environment is convincing from all viewpoints.

High Dynamic Range Image Lighting
HDR (high dynamic range) images can be used as light sources, enabling users to evaluate both the form and the color of their models in the context of the target environment’s lighting conditions.

Viewport Filters
More realistic interactive presentations are now possible, thanks to the inclusion of a number of viewport filters, including those for ambient occlusion, depth of field, and tone mapping.

Maximized Work Area
Option to hide user interface elements while working, and by employing standard hotkeys to control the camera, enables artists to maximize their workspace to fill virtually the entire screen.

Improved Interoperability with Maya and 3ds Max
Enhanced interoperability with Maya and 3ds Max software through improved matching of Maya and 3ds Max normal maps. Additionally, Mudbox employs by default the same keyboard shortcuts as Maya for camera manipulation.

Artist-Friendly User Interface
A highly intuitive user interface that gives you complete creative freedom. Whether you’re looking to explore forms for product design or create highly detailed characters for film and game projects, Mudbox allows you to forget about technical details and focus purely on the art of 3D modeling.