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Here you can find information on how to install, license, and use RenderMan and the various integration options like Maya, Houdini, Blender, and Katana. You can use the links on the left Contents Bar to navigate. For further support you can visit us on the Answers forums!

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Pixar's new commitment to users continues with the introduction of more examples, tutorials, and enhanced documentation for users of all levels that will continue to grow.

RenderMan 24 - Advanced Tools for Production

RenderMan version 24 redefines look-development workflows with RenderMan XPU™, Pixar's hybrid CPU + GPU renderer, as well as battle tested shading technology from Industrial Light & Magic and Pixar, while bringing new visual possibilities with the all new Stylized Looks rendering toolset. These are the major areas of improvement:

24 is a significant release, bringing our latest developments to you, including the initial release of RenderMan XPU.

RenderMan XPU –  RenderMan XPU is a completely new way to render, making use of your GPU and CPU to generate images. The GPU modes improve interactivity over CPU rendering only while providing lightning speed for artists working in modeling and lookdev. Assets can then be rendered in shots using RenderMan RIS on your existing farms for identical looks and final frames.

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Stylized Looks – Users can now take advantage of non-photorealistic or stylized rendering in RenderMan RIS, producing images that look like they were hand drawn or painted. This rendering effect is extremely flexible and allows control down to individual custom texture usage and profile line tweaks or blurring.
USD – Further improvements to USD mean better and easier results from sharing assets and rendering in RenderMan. Systems like Houdini's Solaris see improved support and increased options.

Interactive Diagnostics – Watch your rendering resource usage live, thanks to a completely redesigned statistics system with focus on interactivity and extensibility.

OpenColorIO – Robust support for the industry standard ACES color management system and other color spaces in all bridge products, including the interactive RenderMan Image Tool.

Selected highlights of RenderMan are:

Bump2Roughness — The Pixar technique in Cars 3 for rendering fine details such as swirl marks on car paint are now available to users of RenderMan – Innovative system developed at Pixar Animation for rendering micro details such as scratches efficiently and automatically, without expensive sampling.

Blender Returns — A new plugin for Blender is now available for users with modernized workflows and support for more Blender options such as the Grease Pencil.

USD – Further improvements to USD mean better and easier results from sharing assets and rendering in RenderMan. Systems like Houdini's Solaris see improved support and increased options.

OSL – All patterns can now be rendered natively in OSL, improving interoperability in shading pipelines and enabling the hybrid architecture of RenderMan XPU™.

New Patterns – Extend your look-dev toolset with Phasor Noise, Hex Tiling, and more, including a better and more efficient way for layering and rendering Bump Maps.

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