LogInThe release introduces a new GPU solver, Attachment Stretch Visualization, and a couple of bug fixes.
Unity has released Ziva VFX 2.2, an upgraded version of the company's soft-tissue simulation plug-in for Maya developed by Ziva Dynamics and acquired by Unity last year alongside its developer. The release introduces a new GPU solver, Attachment Stretch Visualization, and a couple of bug fixes.
The highlight of the release is the addition of the new GPU solver, powered by CUDA, NVIDIA's proprietary and closed-source parallel computing platform and application programming interface that allows software to use certain types of graphics processing units for general-purpose processing.
Requiring an NVIDIA graphics card that is equivalent to or newer than Turing Architecture, the novel solver works best with large and complex assets, while with light assets, the GPU solver will be less performant. You can select the GPU solver on the zSolver node.
Another notable addition is the new Attachment Stretch Visualization feature that allows one to dynamically color attachments in the Maya viewport to show how much they are being stretched. This stretch is directly proportional to the force the attachment will apply, so the distribution of forces can be visualized with a user-defined color scheme. This allows for quick identification of areas in the simulation where attachments are under large stress.
The release also features:
- Fixed: Maya crash when setting zTissue material type to Anisotropic.
- Fixed: zCache save command with start frame greater than end frame causes Ziva VFX to hang.
- Robust mirror operation is added.
- The Maya deformer builder (which supports Blendshape, DeltaMush, Wrap and SKinCluster) is revived.
Image Credit: Ziva Dynamics
See the full list of changes here and purchase Ziva VFX for Maya over here.
Earlier, Unity released Ziva Real-Time 2.0, the latest version of the great AI tool for creating real-time 3D characters and realistic creature rigs. With this release, the team overhauled the whole documentation and added two new packages: one containing sample assets with their training data and one with just the documentation.
At SIGGRAPH 2023, the company also announced the launch of a new Unity Wētā Tools division, formed following the acquisitions of SpeedTree, Ziva Dynamics, and Wētā Digital, designed to craft solutions for artists to collaborate and create 2D and 3D content.
Less than a week since its creation, the newly-formed division has already released two new add-ons for Nuke – Deep Compositing, a comprehensive toolset for, you guessed it, deep compositing, and Eddy 3.0, an updated version of the gaseous fluids simulating tool, originally developed by VortechsFX and purchased by Unity alongside Wētā.
Don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Threads, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.