A quick look at Arnold 5 in Maya 2018.5 and how it handles normal maps with its own ainormalmap shader utility. Get next update of Autodesk Maya 2018.5 for Windows and MacOS x64Make it with Maya computer animation software. Maya® 3D animation, modeling, simulation, and rendering software provides an integrated, powerful toolset. Use it for animation, environments, motion graphics, virtual reality,. Bridge 2018.5 ships with major features to further improve the way you manage, import, and export your content. This release comes with an arsenal of Live Links to make your exports faster. Brand new plugins for Autodesk 3ds Max, SideFX Houdini, Marmoset Toolbag, and improvements to our Live Link for Autodesk Maya and Unity are available today. The 3DS isn't slowing down just yet, and there are a handful of great games coming to the portable system in 2018, including three JRPG's.

Originally posted on 17 May 2018. Scroll down for news of the Quixel Bridge 2018.5 update.

Quixel has released Megascans Bridge 2018, the latest version of its app for converting and exporting assets from its Megascans online library of 3D scan data to game engines and DCC tools.

Described as “the biggest update to the app yet”, the 2018 release introduces new live link plugins for Unreal Engine and Unity, plus the option to batch-download and batch-export materials.

Automatically convert Megascans data for use in UE4, Unity, 3ds Max, Maya and Marmoset Toolbag
A free content-management tool for the Megascans library, Bridge is designed for browsing, previewing, downloading, organising and exporting scanned 3D assets.

Users can choose the format in which to download materials – there are presets for UE4, Unity and offline, including a choice of metalness and specular workflows – plus the resolution and file format of texture maps.

Geometry can be downloaded in OBJ or FBX format at a range of LODs. How to open pdg.

Bridge can then convert assets into a format suitable for use in Unreal Engine or Unity and the DCC applications 3ds Max, Maya and Marmoset Toolbag, including presets for common third-party renderers.

Export does not require an internet connection, and the process is customisable via Python scripting.

New in Megascans Bridge 2018: batch processing, live link plugins for UE4 and Unity
To that, Bridge 2018 adds the option to batch-download and batch-export assets, plus new live link plugins for Unreal Engine (shown above) and Unity (shown in this video).

The plugins automatically export assets to the appropriate directories in an appropriate format for each game engine: there are even presets for individual versions of the engines.

There are also a number of workflow improvements, including the option to pin the Bridge on top of other windows to monitor download progress, and to customise the number of assets displayed in a preview.

Updated 11 September 2018: Quixel has released a 2018.4 update to the software.

It seems to have undergone a minor change of name: in both the blog post and accompanying screenshots, it is now referred to simply as ‘Quixel Bridge 2018.4’.

Changes include an alternative, more compact layout, minimising screen space occupied by the Bridge.

According to Quixel, downloads are now “up to 3.5x” faster, and the software now saves download progress, making it possible to resume from where you left off if your internet connection drops out.

The firm has also released a new live link plugin for Maya (shown above), with support for the Arnold, V-Ray and Redshift renderers, and updated the Unreal Engine and Unity plugins.

Updated 8 November 2018: Quixel has released Quixel Bridge 2018.5, adding further live link plugins for 3ds Max, Houdini and Marmoset Toolbag.

The update also adds support for channel packing, enabling multiple textures to be packed into the RGBA channels of an image to reduce asset file sizes and memory usage during export.

In addition, Bridge can now import custom assets, making it possible to sort and search assets not originally downloaded from Megascans inside the software.

Pricing and availability
Quixel Bridge 2018.5 is available as part of a Megascans subscription. With the 2018 update, the software is available for Linux as well as Windows and macOS.

Correction: This story originally stated that Quixel Bridge can be used for free without a Megascans subscription. It can be installed without one, but export is disabled unless you’re logged into your account.

Read a full list of new features in Bridge 2018.5 on Quixel’s blog

Read more about Bridge on the product website
(Includes download link for the current build)

Tags: 3D scan, 3D scan data, 3ds max, asset browser, batch conversion, batch processing, download, free, Houdini, live link, Marmoset Toolbag, material conversion, materials, Maya, Megascans, Megascans Bridge, Megascans Bridge 2018, Megascans Bridge 2018.4, PBR, plugin, Python, Quixel, Quixel Bridge, Quixel Bridge 2018.4, Quixel Bridge 2018.5, system requirements, UE4, Unity, Unreal Engine

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