Product: Bionatics Releases natFX 3 For Maya 8

Bionatics, developer of 3D plant modeling and simulation tools for the CG industry, has announced the release of version 3.0 of its natFX modeling software for Autodesk Maya version 8. natFX for Maya 8 includes several new features, including new real-time animation capacities for heavy vegetation datasets and normal mapping on bark textures. The software, which Bionatics notes is especially designed for next generation console development, allows developers to generate highly realistic vegetation that would take weeks to design otherwise. The 3D plant modeling software, which is available for download as a fully functioning demo version from the Bionatics website, also includes a multiple Level of Detail (LOD) generator that allows for rapid creation of several LODs from a high resolution tree. Trees can also be fine tuned automatically based on constraints such as: frame-rate, size, distance display, texture memory, etc. “The continuous compatibility of our natFX line of products with the up-to-date versions of Maya has always been a main concern at Bionatics”, explains Stephan Gourgout, Vice President and Sales Director. “It is essential for our customers coming from the 3D animation and Video Game industry who decided to upgrade to Maya 8 to be able to rapidly retrieve the same efficient workflow.”