Eovia Corp. has announced the pending release of Carrara Studio 2, a major upgrade to the original Carrara Studio, its 3D modeling software. The new version is expected to begin shipping on June 5, 2002, in both Mac and Windows flavors — including Mac OS X support.
Carrara Studio is billed as a comprehensive 3D package for Web, print and video. The software features five different rendering engines, seven different modelers, multiple animation tools, a shader editor, special effects, sky environments, and more than 1,000 3D models and textures.
The US$399 package sports major new features, including Photon Maps, which Eovia bills as “the first algorithm capable of a truly global approach to image rendering.” Eovia describes Photo Maps as a combination of ray tracing and radiosity in a single rendering engine.
Bones and skinning have also been added to the new version. Bones provide the ability to modify, deform and animated objects or groups of objects in real-time in order to create more realistic characters.
Subdivision modeling is new as well — it allows users to create complex and highly detailed characters while using simplified polygonal objects that are automatically subdivided to add details.
Eovia reported that Carrara Studio 2 has been “completely ported” to Mac OS X. It still works under 9, as well, and supports multiprocessor systems under Mac OS X.
Various other enhancements, stability improvements, and interface changes have been made as well. There’s also a new Free and Volumic particle system, a new physics engine, and improve anti-aliasing.
Available in early June for US$399, Carrara Studio can be pre-ordered today. Upgrades from Carrara Studio 1 are $149; competitive upgrades from other 3D creation tools are also available. Visit the Web site for more details.
The initial release is in English, but fully localized French and German versions are expected to be released shortly after Carrara Studio 2 debuts.