PSOFT releases Pencil+ 4 Line for Blender
Thursday, April twentieth, 2023 | Posted by Jim Thacker
Japanese developer P Softhouse – higher often called PSOFT – has launched Pencil+ 4 Line for Blender, a brand new add-on for the open-source software program based mostly on its well-liked Pencil+ non-photorealistic rendering toolset.
It generates rendered outlines round 3D objects, making it potential to emulate the road type of conventional anime in a 3D workflow, and may change knowledge with the 3ds Max, Maya and Unity editions of Pencil+.
The add-on itself is free, however is designed for use with PSOFT’s industrial Pencil+ Render software program.
A non-photorealistic rendering toolset utilized in manufacturing on main Japanese animations
Already out there for 3ds Max, Maya and Unity, PSOFT’s Pencil+ toolset is extensively used within the Japanese animation trade, by studios together with Toei Animation, Shirogumi and Marza Animation Planet.
The 3ds Max and Maya editions are extra basic non-photorealistic rendering toolkits; the Unity and new Blender editions are targeted particularly on define rendering.
Mimic the look of hand-drawn outlines in actual time within the Blender viewport
Pencil+ 4 Line for Blender generates outlines round 3D objects mimicking the look of hand-drawn traces.
Customers can management line properties like width, color, brush angle, opacity and mix mode through parameter settings within the UI, or – for extra management – from Blender’s Node Editor.
The outcomes might be previewed within the viewport in actual time, both overlaid on 3D geometry, or in isolation.
The plugin itself is open-source, however PSOFT’s new standalone software Pencil+ Render is required to really render the traces, so it’s successfully a part of a industrial product.
A nonetheless from Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. Studio Khara used the beta model of Pencil+ 4 Line for Blender in manufacturing of the bonus options for the Blu-ray and DVD launch of the epic sci-fi anime.
Extra management over line type than Blender’s native instruments?
Though Blender has its personal native NPR instruments, within the form of the FreeStyle renderer and Grease Pencil toolset, the promoting level of Pencil+ 4 Line is prone to be the management it gives over the traces generated.
Equally considerably, PSOFT has additionally launched Pencil+ 4 Bridge for Blender, a free add-on that can be utilized to switch Pencil+ 4 line settings between Blender and the 3ds Max, Maya and Unity editions of Pencil+.
The latter ought to make it simpler for animation studios with present Pencil+ pipelines to modify to Blender from different DCC functions, or to include Blender into their pipelines.
The brand new add-on was developed in partnership with one such studio, Studio Khara, which used it in manufacturing on Blu-ray extras for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
Pricing and availability
Pencil+ 4 Line for Blender is appropriate with Blender 3.0+ working on Home windows 10+ solely. It’s a free obtain. The supply code is offered below a GNU Public Licence.
Pencil+ Render is offered for Home windows 10+. It prices ¥63,800 (round $474) for a standalone licence, ¥95,700 (round $711) for a community licence.
Learn extra about Pencil+ 4 Line for Blender on PSOFT’s web site
Obtain Pencil+ 4 Line for Blender from GitHub
Tags: 3ds max, animation, anime, Blender, obtain, free, GPL, Marza Animation Planet, Maya, Node Editor, non-photorealistic rendering, NPR, open supply, define rendering, P Softhouse, pencil, Pencil+ 4, Pencil+ 4 Bridge for Blender, Pencil+ 4 Line for Blender, Pencil+ Line, Pencil+ Render, value, PSOFT, rendered define, Shirogumi, Studio Khara, system necessities, Toei Animation, Unity
