Foundry unveils Mari 4.0

[ #Mari #Texture ]Foundry has unveiled Mari version 4.0. This latest update of its 3D painting software has some cool features included

>> See Also: Baking and PBR texturing in MARI

Quicker start-up and export
Mari 4.0 allows artists to get projects up-and-running straight away, with a new startup mechanism that automatically performs the steps previously completed manually by the user. Shaders are automatically built, with channels connected to them as defined by the channel presets in the startup dialog. The user also now gets the choice of initial lighting and shading setup. The new Export Manager configures the batch exporting of Channels and Bake Point Nodes. Artists can create and manage multiple export targets from the same source, as well as perform format conversions during export. This allows for far more control and flexibility when passing Mari's texture maps down the pipeline.

Better navigation
A number of changes have been made to make it much easier to navigate around the toolset. A new Palettes Toolbar containing all Mari’s palettes offers easy access and visibility to everything Mari can do. It’s now easier to expand a Palette to fullscreen - simply hit the spacebar while your mouse is hovered over it. Tools of similar function have been grouped under a single button in the Tools toolbar, taking up less space and allowing the user to better focus on the Canvas. And we’ve merged various Palettes together, removing duplication and simplifying the UI, making Mari both easier to learn and use.

Improved UI
The Colors Palette is now scalable for better precision, and the component sliders have been improved to show the resulting color at each point along the control. Users can now fine tune their procedural operations with precision keyboard stepping functionality brought into Mari's numeric controls. The HUD has been redesigned so it no longer draws over the paint subject, allowing the user to better focus on their painting and work more effectively. Basic Node Graph mode has been removed: Advanced is now the default. For everyone learning Mari, the Non-Commercial version now has full Node Graph access.

Enhanced workflows
We’ve brought a number of key workflow improvements to Mari 4.0. A drag-and-drop fill mechanism allows users to fill paint across their selections in a far more intuitive manner, reducing time and increasing efficiency. The Brush Editor has been merged into the Tool Properties Palette, with the brush being used now clearly displayed. It’s easy to browse and load sets of texture files into Mari, with a new Palette for browsing texture sets. The Layers Palette is now more intuitive when working with Group layers, allowing users to achieve the setups they desire with less steps. And users now have a shader in Mari that previews and works with the channels that match their final 3D program/shader: the Principled BRDF, based on the 2012 paper from Brent Burley of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Core
We’ve upgraded to OpenSubdiv 3.1.x and introduced the features into our UI, enabling users to better match the behavior of mesh subdivision that they get in software renderers. Mari's user preference files are now saved with the application version embedded in the file names - meaning artists can work between different versions of Mari without the danger of corrupting their UI or preferences. Many preferences have had their groups, labels and tooltips modified to be easier to understand. And we've upgraded all the 3rd party libraries to match those specified by the VFX Reference Platform 2017.


Project Start-up
The New Project dialog layout has been refreshed with new tabs for setting up the initial project lighting. When using channel presets, Mari now automatically builds a shader and connects the
created channels to the corresponding Node Graph shader inputs.

Export Manager
A new Export Manager dialog for managing the batch exporting of channels and Bake Point nodes has been introduced. You can now configure and manage multiple export targets from the same source, as well as perform format conversions during export.

Palettes Toolbar
A new Palettes toolbar that contains a button for each of Mari's palettes has been introduced. This allows for quick and easy access to your palettes.

Tool Grouping
With so many tools stacked in a toolbar, on some systems they would not all fit on screen. Mari's

Node Graph's Advanced Mode
Having the full Node Graph locked away behind a preference was an obstacle. So the Basic Node Graph mode has been removed and the Advanced mode is now standard. This unlocks the full NodeGraph in Non-Commercial too.

Texture Sets Palette
There is now a palette for managing texture sets inside of Mari. You can drag-and-drop to load multiple related images, texture sets, into the Image Manager in a single action. The first supported texture sets are from Megascans with a dedicated tab that can browse through the keywords and tags that come with each downloaded library item.

UI Declutter
The HUD has been updated to match Modo’s style. Various control palettes have been merged and tools have been grouped together to declutter the UI. The Projection palette has been merged with the Painting palette and the Brush Editor palette has been removed. To create custom brushes in Mari 4.0, adjust the brush properties in the Tool Properties palette. Then drag the new brush preview from the toolbar to your shelf for later use.

Drag and Drop Fill Mechanism
A drag-and-drop triggered mechanism can now be used to fill your current item selection with the color being dropped. The fill works across all selection modes (Object, Patch, and Face). When using the Marquee Select tool, dragging a color to the canvas fills the selected area of the paint buffer.

Color and Control Precision
The Colors palette is now scalable for better precision, and the component sliders have been improved to show the resulting color at each point along the control. You can now adjust numerical values with your keyboard and mouse wheel as you would in Nuke.

Group Layer Workflow
The Layers palette is now more intuitive when working with Group layers. Creating new Group layers, with layers selected, now groups those layers inside the new Group Layer. Creating new layers when a Group Layer is selected, adds those new layers to the selected Group Layer.

Curve Editor
A curve attribute now displays as a grayscale gradient in Mari's properties panels and a separate, scalable curve editor window displays to allow for precise editing.

Principled BRDF
Mari now contains a new shader, which is based on the 2012 paper from Brent Burley of Walt Disney Animation Studios, describing a BRDF shader that follows a set of principles to make BRDF shader control more intuitive, less complex, and artist friendly.

OpenSubdiv 3.1
The latest features from OpenSubdiv, including scheme choice, geometry, and UV boundary interpolation methods have been added. Mari now matches renderer mesh subdivision more closely, increasing efficiency when painting.

VFX Platform 2017
All libraries present in the VFX reference platform have been upgraded to the versions stated in the 2017 edition (http://www.vfxplatform.com).

Extended Source Grade
The Source Grade mechanism has been extended to match the grading controls available in thegrade adjustment layer.

Palette Expansion
You can now maximize/minimize any palette by pressing the spacebar while the pointer is hovered over the palette. This allows you to easily focus on a single palette.

More detail can be found here
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