• Katana 3.0 introduces the new USD Hydra powered viewport, improved performance and UI

• Mari 4.1 release brings new artist friendly color management workflows

London, 12th 2018: Leading creative software developer,  Foundry, is today announcing the latest updates to its flagship lighting, 3D painting and look development and lighting tools Katana and Mari.

The highly anticipated product updates will provide a more user-friendly experience and improved response times, enabling artists to achieve powerful results, with greater efficiency.

Continuing to support both small and large studios, Katana 3.0 brings a new, powerful viewport driven by Pixar’s USD Hydra technology. The toolset ships with the 3Delight rendering plugin, giving users the option to enjoy the best-in-class live rendering free of charge for interactive renders and an affordable option for batch renders. The UI has been modernised, and performance improvements mean that Katana 3.0 is up to 1.5x faster than the previous version.   

Mari 4.1 users will benefit from improved artist friendly color management including: color picking, a more intuitive colorspace toolbar, easier management of Channels, perceptually linear display of Scalar Channels, and much more. Mari 4.1 also benefits from new functionality for Selection Groups that vastly increases user efficiency.

Jordan Thistlewood, Senior Product Manager Look Development and Lighting at Foundry, said: “We’re always looking to bring improved speed and efficiency for our users. We have worked closely with our customers over the last year to improve Katana and Mari where it matters most, to ensure they can work with tools that are consistently at the cutting-edge of development. We are very happy to provide an artist friendly UX to color management in Mari 4.1 and the updated UI/UX of Katana 3.0 driven by the new Hydra powered viewport. These developments and our future plans are key to ensuring that all artists are armed with the best creative tools in look development and lighting.”

Mari 4.1 will be available for purchase on Foundry’s website. To purchase Katana 3.0 please  request a call-back from our team or  contact your local reseller.

For more information visit the  Katana and  Mari pages on Foundry’s website. 

About Foundry

Foundry designs creative software technologies used to deliver award-winning visual effects and 3D content for the design, visualisation and entertainment industries. Foundry’s software advances the art and technology of visual experience in partnership with creative leaders across the globe. It enables clients like Pixar, Mercedes-Benz, ILM, Weta Digital, The Moving Picture Company and Sony Pictures Imageworks to turn incredible ideas into reality by solving complex creative challenges. 

The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in London, with 300 staff based across offices in Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Austin and the UK. Foundry consistently invests in R&D to provide more efficient ways for its clients to bring visual concepts to life.

In 2015, the London Stock Exchange named Foundry one of its “1000 Companies to Inspire Britain.” It regularly features in The Sunday Times’ Tech Track as one of Britain’s fastest-growing private technology companies, most recently in 2016 when it also won the Excellence in Service Award at the International Track 200 awards.

© Foundry, its logo and product names are registered trademarks in the UK, USA and/or other countries.



Contact: 

0203 077 2000
Email Contact