Vue 7 xStream operates as a fully integrated plug-in for 3ds Max, Maya, LightWave, Cinema4D and XSI. It adds all of Vue's dedicated environment creation tools to your application's interface.
Using these tools, you can create complete, hyper-realistic 3D environments without leaving your favorite application. This includes (among others) the ability to create atmospheric effects, build procedural terrains, grow SolidGrowth trees or even populate entire forests .
Edit Vue elements inside your application
Proxy geometry is dynamically created by Vue 7 xStream inside the host application so that you can use your application's standard manipulators to move, rotate or resize each element of the Vue environment individually.
You can use all standard tools of your application (such as alignment, scripting or even add fur to Vue elements), and you can make Vue elements interract dynamically with native objects (e.g. collision detection, etc).
Animation of Vue items can be done either through Vue (e.g. for wind effects), or using the host application's animation tools. Both types of animation are naturally combined seamlessly.
Vue 7 xStream for 3ds Max and Cinema4D will even let you paint EcoSystems interactively (on Vue objects or on native objects), directly through the host application's viewports*.
Full Support of All Vue Elements
You can create Vue environments directly in the host application, or you can load ready-made environments that were designed on a stand-alone version of Vue (Vue 7 Infinite, or Vue 7 xStream running in stand-alone mode - xStream can run either as a plug-in or as a stand-alone application).
All components of the Vue environments are supported by Vue 7 xStream, including complete EcoSystems, all types of atmospheres, cameras, lighting, all plants, all terrain types and all procedural materials.
Animated scenes are also supported, including wind animations for plants and EcoSystems, atmosphere and cloud animations, and all animated materials.
All imported meshes included in the Vue scene will be loaded as well.
Lights are automatically converted into their Maya/Max/LightWave/Cinema/XSI counterparts, and the atmosphere is converted into a special environment shader.
Integrated Rendering
Compatibility
A single license of Vue 7 xStream can now be used with all compatible applications and renderers installed on your system, without requiring the purchase of any Extra Renderer licenses (unlike what as was the case with Vue 6 xStream).
* Vue 7 xStream for Maya works with both MentalRay and Maya software renderer.
* Vue 7 xStream for Max and XSI works with MentalRay.
* Vue 7 xStream for LightWave and Cinema4D works with the native renderer.
The render process
Upon rendering, xStream kicks-in its own render engine, which works in parallel to the native renderer. This assures that the Vue elements will look exactly as if they were rendered inside Vue, and also helps speeding up the rendering of polygon-heavy elements such as terrains and EcoSystems.
However, this is a completely transparent process. There is no need to deal with the xStream renderer. Parameters such as render resolution and anti-aliasing quality need only to be set for the native renderer. If necessary, you can override these settings easily.
Workflow
Matching Scene Scales
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