Autodesk Mudbox 2011 software helps accelerate design, sculpting, and approval phases with powerful new tools for deforming and posing models, and the new ability to create high-quality turntables for presentations. Moreover, the texture painting toolset is significantly extended with image adjustment brushes and blend modes for paint layers, while a Vector Displacement map extraction method offers new possibilities for creating and rendering complex details. In addition, with single-click file transfer with Autodesk Maya 2011 software; multi-layer PSD exchange with Adobe Photoshop; and support for Windows 7 and Mac OS X 64-bit operating systems, Mudbox 2011 fits more seamlessly into existing pipelines.

Top Features and Benefits

Posing Toolset
Quickly and easily deform and pose models to change their design, access occluded regions, present them for approval, or prepare them for map extraction. With tools for quickly creating and editing joints, and the ability to import weighted skeletons from Maya 2011, Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, or Autodesk Softimage 2011 software, the new toolset enables modelers to create and manipulate poses as part of the design, sculpting, painting, or approval process.

Posing Toolset in Mudbox 2011

Image Adjustment Brushes
Selectively edit and manipulate existing paint and photo-based layers with new image adjustment brushes: Blur, Dodge, Burn, Contrast, Sponge, Hue, Hue Shift, and Invert. These brushes enable existing image data under the brush to be altered or enhanced—for example, color-corrected, brightened, or softened.

Vector Displacements
Extract maps using a new Vector Displacement method and represent displacements that do not simply follow the normal: for example, forms with appendages, undercuts, folds, and bulges, such as a human ear. Once extracted, maps can be used to help recreate detail at render time in supported renderers, or as brush stamps or stencils in Mudbox to sculpt complex detail onto meshes in a single stroke. Artists can build up a library of commonly-used forms and reuse them on models.

Paint in UV Space in the 3D View
While painting in 3D space helps with precise placement of detail on the model, in some cases it is easier to paint textures in a 2D format. An innovative new feature in Mudbox unfolds a 3D model into a 2D representation, based on its UVs, but retains the benefits of working in a true 3D environment such as the ability to analyze lighting and material qualities. Beyond painting, sculpting on the unfolded mesh with tools such as Grab and Smooth enables basic editing of the 3D model’s UVs.

Enhanced Interoperability with Maya, 3ds Max, and Softimage
No need to navigate through multiple file browsers and remember path and filenames: now models and scene information transfer between Mudbox 2011 and Maya 2011 with a single click. In addition, Displacement and Normal maps extracted in Mudbox are now associated with models when an Autodesk FBX 2011 file is exported, helping to eliminate the need to manually reassemble the asset when brought into in another program. Meanwhile, using Mudbox in concert with a favorite content creation application is easier than ever with a choice of familiar hotkey setups for common actions.

Enhanced Interoperability in Mudbox 2011

Blend Modes for Paint Layers
Control how paint layers composite together to help create a final image by selecting from one of the new blend modes: Multiply, Screen, Add, or Overlay. These non-destructive settings help artists to experiment freely when constructing complex multi-layered textures by offering the flexibility to change the blend mode.

Multi-Layer PSD File Exchange with Photoshop
Import and export multiple layers in PSD files to leverage the Adobe Photoshop toolset on more demanding scenes and projects. Now artists can edit layers in the context of the final composite, helping preserve continuity in look and workflow when moving between Mudbox and Photoshop.

Enhanced Color Chooser
Store and recall recently-used colors and user-defined palettes, and work in a choice of color spaces using the same new color chooser as Maya 2011.

Enhanced Color Chooser in Mudbox 2011

High-Quality Turntables
Quickly and easily create high-quality 360 degree turntable movie files directly in Mudbox. Common file formats enable movies to be more easily accessed for remote review or approval via email or on a website; turntables are also useful for showcasing artists’ work.

Session Recording
Record a sculpting and painting session in Mudbox and export the recording to a movie. Recorded sessions can be used to share workflows, teach techniques, and showcase talent.

Superior Performance
Work with assets of greater complexity through significant performance increases for scenes with multiple objects.