Octane X graphics renderer launches on Mac App Store with special offers

Posted:
in Mac Software
Otoy has launched its Octane X graphics rendering engine on the Mac App Store with support for all Macs running macOS Big Sur, including M1 models.

Credit: Otoy
Credit: Otoy


First debuted at WWDC 2019, Octane X is an update on Otoy's OctaneRender that has been rewritten in Metal as part of a collaboration with Apple. A public preview was made available in 2020.

Octane X features a new mesh geometry engine with near perfect linear scaling of rendering speed in multiple GPU configurations, including external Thunderbolt 3 eGPUs. It's also available with distributed rendering platform RNDR, which lets graphic artists use a network for decentralized eGPUs for rendering tasks.

Along with those features, Octane X also supports ACES, OpenColorIO, and deep pixel EXR rendering. It features a node-based material, shader, and scene editor and an advanced AI Denoising system.

"For the past decade, OctaneRender has been democratizing visual effects, leveraging the power of GPU rendering to enable anyone with a creative vision to realize their imagination," said Otoy CEO Jules Urbach. "With Octane, we have seen our users create remarkable films, design new products, publish everyday renders that have transformed the social media landscape, and now, build careers creating blockchain digital art through the RNDR cloud service, which for the first time, will be offered for free to all artists using Octane X on pro Mac systems."

In addition to the launch on the App Store, Otoy is also unveiling two new exclusive subscription offers for Mac users. MacBook Pro, iMac Pro, and Mac Pro users will be able to get a free year of Octane X Enterprise, which has access to RNDR. All other Macs, including M1 devices, will have access to a free year of Octane X Prime.

The app requires that a Mac is running macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later and has the latest AMD or Intel integrated graphics.

"Apple has always had a special place in our hearts as the company that made personal and mobile computing widely accessible. We are thrilled to usher in the next generation of creativity with Octane X now available for free for millions of artists across the Apple ecosystem," Urbach said.

The app is available from the Mac App Store for free. More information can be found on Otoy's website.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,664member
    Whoa? 

    Blender killer? 

    Can’t wait to learn this! 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 9
    j2fusionj2fusion Posts: 153member
    Could this replace Fortnight’s unreal engine?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 9
    j2fusion said:
    Could this replace Fortnight’s unreal engine?
    I think it would be unlikely since Epic owns Unreal Engine and Fortnite.  Also I think I read somewhere that Octane Render was integrated into Unreal Engine.
  • Reply 4 of 9
    neoncatneoncat Posts: 145member
    j2fusion said:
    Could this replace Fortnight’s unreal engine?
    That's a bit like asking "Could broccoli replace an orange?" They're not the same thing. Octane is a set of 3D rendering tools, not unlike Blender. Unreal Engine is a set of code libraries and tools specifically for creating games and game graphics. One is a piece of end-user software, the other is for developers.
    edited March 2021 fastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 9
    AniMillAniMill Posts: 155member
    And I just got RedShift! 😖
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 9
    aderutteraderutter Posts: 604member
    as Neoncat intimated, Octane Render is a renderer, no game creation, no modelling, just rendering of things created in other software.
    Unity is a game creation engine and can use Octane Render as can Cinema 4D, Blender etc. 
    It’s cool that you get a free year with a MBP :) Just give me an M1X MBP already! 
    fastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 9
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    Whoa? 

    Blender killer? 

    Can’t wait to learn this! 
    j2fusion said:
    Could this replace Fortnight’s unreal engine?

    No. Octane is a render engine, it's not a 3D design/modeling/sculpting/animation/game engine. You can use it as an engine within Blender, or any number of other 3D design apps (Cinema 4D, Maya, Nuke, Houdini, SketchUp, Unreal Engine, Unity, etc etc etc).

    j2fusion said:
    Could this replace Fortnight’s unreal engine?
    I think it would be unlikely since Epic owns Unreal Engine and Fortnite.  Also I think I read somewhere that Octane Render was integrated into Unreal Engine.
    There is a OctaneRender for Unreal plugin.

    neoncat said:
    j2fusion said:
    Could this replace Fortnight’s unreal engine?
    That's a bit like asking "Could broccoli replace an orange?" They're not the same thing. Octane is a set of 3D rendering tools, not unlike Blender. Unreal Engine is a set of code libraries and tools specifically for creating games and game graphics. One is a piece of end-user software, the other is for developers.

    Started off solid... but it's nothing like Blender — you'd use this from *within* blender as a render engine. Octane does not itself include any modeling/animation tools.

    https://home.otoy.com/render/octane-render/features/


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 9
    j2fusion said:
    Could this replace Fortnight’s unreal engine?
    I think it would be unlikely since Epic owns Unreal Engine and Fortnite.  Also I think I read somewhere that Octane Render was integrated into Unreal Engine.
    Octane is a very good ray traced renderer. It isn’t a game engine. It is used to render cut scenes, backgrounds, or architectural walkthroughs in Unreal Engine. It used to be NVidia only, but Apple recently helped them port it to Metal.

    otoys work on light field rendering is very intriguing. Octane will likely support it at some point. Light fields let you play back video you can walk around in. It is the next step beyond 360 video. It may be a big deal for VR/AR headsets in the coming years.
    edited March 2021 fastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 9
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    neoncat said:
    Unreal Engine is a set of code libraries and tools specifically for creating games and game graphics. One is a piece of end-user software, the other is for developers.
    I don't know a ton about it yet, but I'd challenge that just in the sense that I've attended webinars on getting GIS data into Unreal Engine, and know it is getting popular for architectural visualization, etc. My hunch, is that it would be more accurate to say that Unreal Engine is a 3D tool that is popular (and best known) as a game-engine.

    That said, the world of what all these tools do and how they can interact or be used together is getting very complicated.
    watto_cobra
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