Maxwell Render

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals

Cyber Monday

Tired of Black Friday queues?
Beat them all with Cyber Monday online exclusive deals!

We’ve got four big offers, something for everyone, that you won’t want to miss. Here’s what we have:

 

SketchUp

Exclusive to Monday 26th November, get 15% OFF RRP on new SketchUp Pro licenses.

Enter CYBER18SU at checkout to get the discount!

Trimble SketchUp Pro (formerly Google Sketchup Pro) is an intuitive 3D CAD software package that is both cost effective and natural to use. Built in features like Layout and third party renderers make Sketchup Pro a powerful tool.

Single licenses only, and one per purchaser only. Discount does not include the cost of maintenance and support.

Save on SketchUp >

 

Vectorworks

Exclusive to Monday 26th November, get 40% OFF RRP on new Vectorworks licenses.

Contact us now to get the discount!

Vectorworks 2019 is specialist and powerful software that is pleasantly user-friendly. It comes in five variants:

Fundamentals (the basic package, short on specialist libraries but containing all core 2D and 3D functionality)
Architect – for architecture and built environment work
Landmark – for landscape/environment design
Spotlight – for event and exhibition design
Designer – incorporates all these versions, ideal for multi-discipline practices.

If you’re looking for previz software to create unmatched experiences, you can with Vectorworks Vision, also at 40% off when purchased with a 1-year VSS membership.

Offer applies to new licenses of Vectorworks for new customers when committing to a 1-year VSS membership at full price.

Contact Us to save on Vectorworks >

 

KeyShot

Monday 26th – 30th November, get 20% OFF new KeyShot licenses.

Enter KSCYBER20 at checkout to get the discount!

KeyShot by Luxion, is a processor-driven rendering application that works equally well on Windows and Mac. It is a biased renderer meaning it accelerates rendering by estimating lighting calculations – but it does so extremely effectively. KeyShot comes as KeyShot HD or KeyShot Pro, where Pro includes a range of animation tools and additional options and features. KeyShot HD was previously limited to HD resolution but the output is now unlimited – making it even more appealing.

We’re also running 20% OFF all week long on upgrades and add-ons until November 30th! Enter KSCYBER20 at checkout to get the discount.

Offer does not apply to EDU and Maintenance products.

Save on KeyShot >

 


Starting Friday 23rd and throughout the 26th, get a huge 50% OFF RRP on Maxwell and RealFlow new licenses.

Enter CYBER18NXT at checkout to get the discount!

RealFlow is an industry-standard, out-of-the-box fluid simulation software. Fast and easy to use, it is compatible with ALL major 3D platforms.

Save on RealFlow >

Maxwell is a render engine for making perfect images, films and animations from 3D models. It is the complete solution for anyone who demands immaculate results on a deadline. Maxwell Render is also available as a plugin for a wide range of modellers including SketchUp, Rhino and Cinema 4D.

Save on Maxwell >

 

Set your reminders now to visit CAD Software Direct this Cyber Monday to save on SketchUp, Vectorworks, KeyShot, RealFlow and Maxwell.

Maxwell for 3ds Max 4.2.3 is Available Now

Maxwell V4 3ds Max

Maxwell for 3ds Max users can update for FREE from the Customer Portal:

https://portal.nextlimit.com/downloads

What’s New in 4.2.3?

Fixed:

  • Maxwell was not available as render engine in 3dsmax 2015 or older.
  • Maxwell Parameters camera panel was missing from Target and Free cameras.
  • The channels’ output formats were including HDR and BMP, which are not supported by Maxwell; it was saving the channels as EXR. Now those formats are not available.
  • Some of the channels’ output formats were not showing in their drop-down menus in Windows 7, as they didn’t fit in the box.
  • 3dsmax was crashing when the Object Properties dialogue was called and Maxwell was not the current render engine.
  • Scenes made with the previous versions of the plugin were not opening in 4.2.2. Now they will. (WARNING: please, notice that most probably the scenes saved with version 4.2.2, which was removed from downloads, won’t open in 4.2.3; the ones made with 4.2.1 and older will)
  • The interface of the new Material Preview Options in the Material Editor, was a bit misaligned and too tight on the sides.
  • 3dsmax 2019 was getting frozen when previewing Maxwell Bitmap in Material Editor in Slate mode and in some particular cases.
  • MxLight target line was disappearing from viewport as soon as the Mxlight gizmo was moved out of the viewport.
  • Some lines in MxLight Projector Gizmo were showing too big or too small depending on the units used in the scene.
  • The radius of the MxLight, Area type, with Geom set to Sphere was not changing in the render according to the radius shown in viewport.

Improved:

  • The falloff and highlight cones of the MxLight Spot type won’t show in the viewport when the light is not selected (so the viewport is cleaner and ligther).

Interested in trying Maxwell? Download the trial here:

http://www.nextlimit.com/maxwell/try/

 

Maxwell Render is available for purchase at CAD Software Direct.

Maxwell Render Now Compatible with ArchiCAD 22

Maxwell ArchiCAD 22

Maxwell V4 users can update for free from the customer portal.

If you haven’t tried Maxwell Render yet, you really should! Download the trial at http://www.nextlimit.com/maxwell/try/

You can also buy Maxwell Render at CAD Software Direct. Remember, we’ve also got the Summer Price Drop until August 31st – so now is a great time to get Maxwell Render!

RealFlow and Maxwell Render Summer Price Drop

Next Limit Discount

From now until August 31st 2018, we’ve got big discounts on all Next Limit products including RealFlow and Maxwell Render!

 

Maxwell Render

Maxwell Render

Maxwell Render is 3D rendering software for architects and designers. Legendary for its quality and realism, Maxwell delivers great results via a simple setup which lets you focus on the lighting.

Maxwell Render is also available as a plugin for all major modelling platforms – find yours below:

Maxwell for SketchUp, Maxwell for Rhino, Maxwell for Maya, Maxwell for 3ds Max, Maxwell for Cinema 4D, Maxwell for ArchiCAD, Maxwell for Revit,  Maxwell for formZ, Maxwell for MODO and Maxwell for Rhino Mac.

 

RealFlow

RealFlow

RealFlow is an industry-standard, out-of-the-box fluid simulation software. Fast and easy to use, it is compatible with ALL major 3D platforms. You can use RealFlow for small to large scale simulations, ocean surfaces, body dynamics and much more.

As well as a standalone renderer compatible with all major 3D platforms, RealFlow for Maya and RealFlow for Cinema 4D allow you to work directly within your modeller without breaking your workflow.

 

Next Limit 20% OFF RealFlow and Maxwell Render Now Extended

RealFlow Maxwell Render Offer

We’re already celebrating the World Cup with 20% OFF RealFlow and Maxwell Render – but it gets better.

20% OFF RealFlow and Maxwell Render now applies to new licenses AND all upgrades and crossgrades!

Select the products you’d like to buy and add them to your cart at cadsoftwaredirect.com.

In the checkout, simply enter promo code WORLDCUP20, and the discount will be applied straight away.

20% OFF RealFlow & Maxwell Render to celebrate the World Cup

Next Limit Offer - World Cup

To celebrate the World Cup 2018 kick-off, we’re offering 20% all new licenses for RealFlow and Maxwell Render at CAD Software Direct.

Just add the products you want to buy to your cart, and enter the promo code WORLDCUP20 for instant savings!

RealFlow – Industry-Standard Fluid Simulation Software

RealFlow lets you create high quality fluid sims and is compatible with all major 3D applications.

Dyverso

Take your simulations to the next level with the astonishing quality of DYVERSO. Thanks to the powerful new DY-SPH and DY-PBD solvers and the addition of GPU acceleration, your simulations will be lightning fast. Exceed your expectations and build smooth layered meshes, making your simulations more realistic than ever.

Hybrido 2

For large-scale simulations, such as floods or oceans with breaking waves, RealFlow’s cutting-edge HyFLIP solver, Hybrido2, provides you with endless possibilities.

RealFlow’s grid fluid solver, also called “Hybrido” (hybrid large dimension liquid solver), is a sophisticated method of simulating medium and large-scale fluids. This technology also includes the automatic creation of secondary splash and foam particles, as well as mist. With Hybrido it is possible to simulate everything from floods to ocean scenes – scenes that are hard to create with RealFlow’s traditional particle emitters.

 

Maxwell – Professional Rendering & Animation Software

Maxwell Render is a go-to application for convincing 3D visualisation across a range of platforms.

Photo-Realistic Architectural Visualisation & Rendering

Maxwell Render is a standard in architectural visualisation and is built on an unbiased render engine that provides accurate-to-life lighting results.

Industrial & Product Design

With fluid integrations within applications like Rhino and 3DS Max, Maxwell provides users with an effective and convincing alternative to prototyping and photography.

 

Enter promo code WORLDCUP20 before July 15th to save on RealFlow and Maxwell render!

Maxwell | Modo & Maxwell | Solidworks Discontinued

Next Limit have announced that the Maxwell | Solidworks and Maxwell | MODO integration will be discontinued due to decreasing demand for the plugin.

There are no plans for further development for:

  • Maxwell | Solidworks, version 4.2.1 for Maxwell 4.2.0.3
  • Maxwell | MODO, version 4.1.2 for Maxwell 4.1.1.1

What to do now?

There are 3 options available:

  1. Keep using  Maxwell | Solidworks or Maxwell | MODO plugin with all compatible versions
  2.  FREE crossgrade to Maxwell | Studio
  3.  FREE crossgrade to another integration

FREE crossgrades will be available via the Next Limit Portal until the end of 2018.

3D Art Challenge – Survival Car

3D art challenge for the best car in Post-Apocalyptic style. You can choose any related topic from zombie survival vehicles to the Mad Max universe – there is no limit to your creative ideas. Participation in the contest is open to all comers, whose works comply with the rules.

Everything is as usual: you have to create a car 3d model, put it into 3D environment and make a beautiful render. Primarily the judges will pay attention to the visual component of your works, but this is not all that you need to win. The idea of the work is also very important, as well as its presentation, complicacy (both of the model and of the scene) and quality of performance.

The contest is supported by the best companies of the 3D world and so the prizes for the first places look amazing. Also, everyone has an opportunity to receive an additional prizes.

Renderers supporting the competition include KeyShot, Maxwell Render and Corona.

Your work can be submitted from March 13th to May 29th 2018 – submissions end at 15:00 (GMT)

Further information on the competition and it’s prizes can be found here.

Rules

General rules:

  • Create a 3D model of any vehicle (car, truck, airplane, boat etc) in Post-Apocalyptic style, add 3D environment (you can create more than one vehicle in the scene), textures. Then create a beautiful 3D rendering of it (or them). Think creative.
  • Environment should be made in 3D; the use of HDRi for sky and some parts of landscape is premitted.
  • The work must not have been previously published anywhere, neither online or offline (including models with ready-made textures or easily recognisable scenes).
  • To win the competition the quality and idea of the work are important. You need to think about the story behind the image. Make sure everything supports your message – composition, lighting, colours etc. Make a greater emotional impact.
  • You can submit only one work.
  • You are free to make WIP on any website, including the forum, either before or after you submit the work and it’s published in the gallery.
  • Please provide your work with a short story.
  • Add the link to the competition or name of the competition in one of the image corners on your own (so that you can control the quality of the saved work).
  • Attach one wireframe or clay render at your choice to your work – we will place it below your work.

Demands for your render:

  • The render should be at least 1000 pixels wide if the work is horizontal.
  • Render size should not exceed 2 mb.
  • Work can be in any style you like (low-poly, cartoon, futuristic etc), with using post production.
  • Renders with solid background (one colour: black, white etc, test renders, screenshots) and models laid on wallpapers will not be admitted to take part in the competition. As well as works with adult content.

 Other possibilities

  • The work can be updated during the competition if the author noticed a mistake or made use of community advice. The only condition – you can not change the idea of the work, or modify it drastically. Only reasonable changes allowed.
  • You can correct the description and the list of tools after the work was submitted – just get in touch.
  • After your work is published on the competition page, you are free to share your work on other websites.
  • You can see previous competitions here and “Hall of fame” here.

Join the Pimp My Tree CG Challenge with Next Limit!

To count down the last days until Christmas, Next Limit invite you to participate in their brand-new CG challenge! If you are a Maxwell or RealFlow user, put your talent into making this dreary Christmas tree into a merrier one for the jolliest of holidays.

How it works

  1. Download the FREE scene Next Limit have prepared for you.
  2. Make it yours! Pimp up the Christmas tree with either Maxwell, RealFlow or RealFlow | Cinema 4D.
  3. Let your creativity flow using the software and make sure you meet the requirements.
  4. Fill in the form here and send Next Limit a link to your pimped-up video by December 25th, 2017.
  5. The winners will be announced on January 1st, 2018.

Things to keep in mind

  • Option 1: Use a Maxwell integration or Maxwell | Studio in combination with any other program you like. Make a Multilight™ animation and save your scene as an MXS.
  • Option 2: Use RealFlow or RealFlow | Cinema 4D in combination with any other program you like. Create your simulation and save your scene as an OBJ.
  • If you don’t have a Maxwell license, you can request a temporary one for the duration of the challenge.
  • If you don’t have a RealFlow license, you can use the FREE demo.
  • There will be two winners – the best Maxwell and RealFlow entries.
  • Only video entries will be accepted. Maximum duration: five seconds.
  • Resolution required: between 960×540 and 1920×1080. Aspect ratio: 16:9.
  • Take at least 3 screenshots of the process when using Maxwell or RealFlow.
  • When you download the free scene, inside you will find a couple of cubes that represent the location of the camera and camera target in case you have problems to import the camera into your app. These should not be rendered. You can render the tree with or without leaves.
  • Do not change the camera angle! The camera should have a focal length of 35mm.
  • Send Next Limit a link to your festive tree (Vimeo, YouTube, WeTransfer, Google Drive, it’s up to you).

Prizes

The best entries will each be rewarded with a 1500€ Next limit voucher and a Christmas surprise in a box.

 

DOWNLOAD SCENE

Maxwell Render – the Making-of: Dendrobium Hypercar CGI By EPTA Design

This week on the Maxwell blog they had a special guest – EPTA Design. The London-based design studio does amazing automotive CGI with Maxwell that we are excited to share with you.

EPTA Design Studio cover all the phases of the preliminary design process (research, styling, virtual modelling, 3D rendering, animation). Their wide-ranging experience combined with a compact studio setting allows them to work in a highly-lean and quality-oriented way, focusing on designs that lead to quality, innovative, and feasible outcomes.

Read the full case study below:

• Software used: Adobe Photoshop, Rhinoceros, Maxwell.
• Project credits: EPTA Design for WFRIC / Dendrobium motor

The Project

In 2015 at EPTA Design we were asked to develop the style and design of a Hypercar. The project was commissioned by Singapore’s Wong Fong Research and Innovative Center (WFRIC). The first request by the client was to create a “spaceship with wheels”. They were looking for something eye-catching, as well as a reminder of the “key aspects” associated with the company: Singapore balance between technology and nature, flower and machine, a woman‘s shape and sharp line.

“The goal was to achieve a distinctive design different from any other Hypercar.”

It was not a project for production, but rather an open-sculptural one. So, it’s a Hypercar not designed to be driven, just to be admired. Only several months after the presentation of a first-scale model of the final car to the Dendrobium Electric Hypercar SZIDF 2015, the WFRIC created dendrobiummotors.com

Concept and Creative Process

The client was clear about the name from the very beginning of the project: Dendrobim. This is the name of an Orchid in the Singapore area, a beauty symbol that amazes.

The creative process as a style study, always goes through a research / synthesis phase that takes keywords provided by the client and converts them into images. The moodboard table serves this task! Images from other sectors are used: fashion, architecture, industrial production, design, film, and art in general. With these images hung on the center-style wall, we started to draw.

Greatest Challenge

The most critical part of the project was time. We had little time to present the design, and deliver the 3D file. After a month or so, we mailed the model to Shenzen China. That was followed by a first round of CAD images, approval, and delivery. The final rendering was done later, when we had enough time to refine the model and achieve rendering quality.

Work with Maxwell

EPTA Design deals with design for rather niche sectors, and not for large-scale production. This project is positioned right at the edge, so the goal was to make high-quality realistic renders that look unbelievable.

“The quality had to be exquisite, and Maxwell is the perfect tool to achieve this goal.”

 

 

Materials

As an agency EPTA Design also offers the rendering service, but usually, we can sell this service only in conjunction with the design of the product, so we have total control over the graphic choices (materials, colors and surface finishes). We use a lot of Maxwell’s materials available in the Material Gallery. Over time, we have enriched it with some free materials downloaded from the official site and we change them slightly according to the needs of the project.

Lighting

We always present the project in two lighting sets: a photographic and a natural one (natural lighting).

For outside renders, we used the potential of the Sun plus Maxwell’s PhysicalSky combined with an HDRI.  In the photographic set, instead of the sky (Sky+Sun) we used only an HDRI (for lighting, color, and reflection) but we added some strategic plans and we assigned the lights from Maxwell’s internal library.

“In both cases, the Multilight system is crucial to light testing and comparison in real time. In addition to communicating forms and materials, it creates a certain degree of emotion to the final image.”

Postproduction

Usually all our renders undergo a post-production process. For example, in the set-up, you have to explain as well as possible the context, while when rendering we try to enhance the object itself.

Specifically, for outdoor renders, most of the work is done using HDRI, sky and sun light from machine materials and a “wet asphalt” material. But that’s not enough. To give the idea of running in a circuit, we changed the road (adding chromatic irregularities typical of asphalt with different cracks and types of asphalt, curbs and grass), blurred the wheels and added splashes of water when driving on wet ground.

Apart from these changes, we usually work on the overall image: we adjust saturation because sometimes too saturated colors make the final image less realistic, we add depth using smoke, and bright effects such as camera glows and finally we add shadows of other objects to the main scene.

The Final Piece

We are happy with the final result! The design has been well received even though in the second phase the project it underwent profound changes. Nevertheless, our design images achieved the goal of attracting the attention of the audience!