Now not exclusively GPU-powered, the new renderer enables running on CPU, introduces Redshift Standard Material, and offers AMD GPU support for Windows and Linux.
Maxon launched Redshift 3.5 – an update to its GPU-accelerated renderer. Previously GPU-only, the new version's Redshift CPU and Redshift XPU now allow rendering on the CPU or the CPU and GPU at the same time.
Maxon said that CPU support "opens up doors for Redshift to work on CPU render farms, small or large studios to leverage their CPU farms, and rendering very complex scenes which were not possible before due to GPU VRAM constraints."
Redshift CPU has the same features like the GPU option except for Round Corners, which will be addressed later. This is the first release of Redshift CPU, and, as Maxon mentioned, there is room for improvement, so you might find Redshift CPU and the hybrid version slower than the original if you have a high-end GPU.
Another addition to Redshift is the introduction of Redshift Standard Surface Material Uber Shader inspired by Autodesk Standard Surface. Redshift Standard Material is a layered material capable of approximating a wide variety of surface types and can simulate dynamic reflected light.
Other changes include new thin-film BRDF models and diffuse roughness. Additionally, Redshift 3.5 offers to "pump up Microfacet BRDF results for rough surfaces to emulate multiple scatter Microfacet Roughness and counteract typical energy loss."
Finally, Maxon announced support for AMD GPUs coming soon in beta for Windows and Linux.
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