Press Releases

Pixar Releases RenderMan Pro Server 14.0

Includes New Interactive Rendering Technology

EMERYVILLE, CA - (September 17th, 2008) Pixar Animation Studios today released version 14.0 of its Academy Award® winning RenderMan Pro Server software. Significant performance enhancements include accelerated ray-tracing, faster processing of large polygon datasets, optimized hair performance, faster AOV's, and enhanced threading scalability. New core features facilitating the development of custom tools include a re-rendering mode for accelerated interactive shading and lighting, a new SDK for easy linking, a Python binding for simplified integration, user-defined structures in the RenderMan shading language, (RSL 2.0) an API for reading brick maps, and a new format for point clouds. RenderMan Pro Server 14.0 also offers full compatibility with 64-bit Windows Vista desktop and 64-bit Windows HPC Server 2008, increasing the choice of available render-farm pipeline configurations.

"RenderMan's image quality is fantastic, and its flexibility allows us to create any creature or visual effect required, be it a furry mouse bathing in milk or a 30 story monster destroying Manhattan," said Phil Tippett, Creative Founder of Tippett Studio.

"RenderMan has helped visual effects artists bring some of the most memorable images of the last twenty years to movie audiences around the globe," said Jeff Barnes, Chair of the Visual Effects Society. "This has contributed to the amazing success and exponential growth of the worldwide visual effects industry and raised the standards of our craft's technological aspects in every area."

Availability
RenderMan Pro Server 14.0 is compatible with Mac OS X, Linux 32-bit and 64-bit, Windows XP, Windows Vista 64-bit, and Windows 64-bit HPC Server 2008. Upgrade pricing from RenderMan Pro Server 13.5 is available on request. Pixar's maintenance program benefits customers with access to ongoing support and upgrades for an annual fee. For more information please visit www.pixar.com or contact rendermansales@pixar.com.

About Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is an Academy Award®-winning film studio with world-renowned technical, creative and production capabilities in the art of computer animation. Creator of some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time, including Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, and most recently, WALLoE. The Northern California studio has won 21 Academy Awards® and its nine films have grossed more than $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office to date. The next film release from DisneyoPixar is UP (May 29, 2009).

Pixar & RenderMan are registered trademarks of Pixar Animation Studios.
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