Version: 8.2.0
Build Date: 2024.0301
Released: 5 March 2024
Requirements:
Windows: 10, 11
Mac OS: 11.4 (Big Sur) or later
Linux: Centos 7.9 and compatible distributions
Plug-in Connection Requirements:
3ds Max - 2022, 2023, 2024 - Plug-in build 2024.0208 (updated) Release Notes
Blender - 2.83 and higher (inc Apple Silicon support) - Plug-in build 2024.0301 (updated) Release Notes
Cinema 4D - 26, 2023, 2024 (inc Apple Silicon support) - Plug-in build 2024.0222 (updated) Release Notes
DeltaGen - 2019x and higher, Stage 2019x and higher - Plug-in build 2023.0327 Release Notes
Houdini - 19.0, 19.5, 20 (with Python 2.7, 3.7 & 3.9) (inc Apple Silicon support 19.5+) - Plug-in build 2023.1115 (updated) Release Notes
LightWave 3D - 2018, 2019, 2020 - Plug-in build 2022.0513
Maya - 2022, 2023, 2024 - Plug-in build 2023.1115 (updated) Release Notes
MODO - 14, 15, 16 (Windows and OSX) - Plug-in build 2024.0222 (updated) Release Notes
Octane Standalone: 2021.1, 2022.1, 2022.1.1, 2023.1 (Windows only) , Plug-in build 2023.1115 (updated) Release Notes
Omniverse - Create 2021.3.2 and higher (now called USD Composer) (Windows only) - Plug-in build 2023.1115 (updated) Release Notes
Rhino 5 (Windows only) - Plug-in build 2018.0206
Rhino 6,7 (Windows only) - Plug-in build 2023.1218 (updated) Release Notes
Unreal Engine - 5.2 & 5.3 - Plug-in build 2023.1115 (updated) Release Notes
Maxwell Studio - 5 (Windows only) - No additional plug-in installation required
Patchwork 3D 2023 - Windows - No additional plug-in installation required
SOLIDWORKS Visualize - 2017 and higher (Windows) - No additional plug-in installation required
VRED - 2020.1 and higher (Windows only) - No additional plug-in installation required
What's New in HDR Light Studio 8 - Drop 2?
LightPaint®: Shadow & Shade
New ways to position your lights in HDR Light Studio 8.2 provide even more creative control over your lights. 'Shadow' mode lets users click to position the shadow cast by a light. 'Shade' mode positions the light to place the clicked surface in the shade of the light. Read more about LightPaint methods.
Reflection Filter
The Reflection filter is used to mirror the image within a 'composite' across a vertical or horizontal axis. It offer different methods and settings that can produce a wide range of useful effects.
For example, you can now produce symmetrical lighting designs, adding lights to only one half of the HDRI map only, and letting the reflection filter automatically create the other lights.
Read more.
Presets Improvements
Presets Library
The Presets panel is now called 'Presets Library'. There have been many improvements to Presets to make them even more useful and easier to apply in more ways to your lighting design. There have been so many changes, its worth reviewing all of the Preset documentation, but here are some highlights...
Preset Tabs
The new Tabs, at the top of the panel, filter the Presets into useful categories based on the properties of the preset. This makes it much easier to find the Presets you are looking for. For example all Environment Presets are shown on their own tab. Read more.
Preset Auditioning
This is a major new innovation for Presets. The new Audition feature lets you instantly, and temporarily, change the appearance of the selected light by hovering over Preset thumbnails in the Preset panel. As you move the cursor around the panel, the appearance of the selected light changes using the Preset. Use Audition mode to explore lots of different HDR Environments or Light appearances really fast. In Audition mode, once you find a Preset you want to use, double click on the Preset to apply it permanently to the selected light. Read more.
Apply a Light Preset to an existing light
This is a much requested feature. You can now right click on a Light Preset to apply it's appearance to the selected light. Or you can drag and drop a Light Preset on top of a light in the light list to apply the appearance. The appearance is all settings for main, value blend and alpha multiply tabs for the saved preset light.
Read more about applying Light presets.
Content and Element Presets
We have enhanced how Content and Element Presets can be used to both make new lights and be applied to existing lights. The new M,V,A buttons let you select where the Preset will be applied when both making a new light or apply the preset to an existing light. This includes using the Audition feature. M,V,A represent the Main, Value Blend and Alpha Multiply tabs on the Appearance settings.
Element Presets for Color, Color Ramps and Images have been enhanced to be more useful. You can now audition and apply a color or a color ramp to an existing light if those settings are applicable, if not the light will be adjusted to apply the preset. This is a huge time saver for exploring color in HDR Light Studio. Read more to see what you can do now with Content Presets and Element Presets
Change the size of Preset Thumbnails
Choose from Standard (the size they were before), Large, and Extra Large. Read more.
Hide Presets
Use the right-click menu to hide Presets you do not want to see using Add to Hidden. Use the new button to reveal the hidden Presets.
New Presets: HDRI from hdrmaps.com and more
HDR Light Studio 8.2 adds 405 new HDRI Maps from hdrmaps.com. These are provided at 2048x1024 pixels. This resolution is suitable for many lighting tasks. But if you need a higher resolution version, you can get them from hdrmaps.com.
In addition to the new HDRI maps, we have added a lot of useful new presets to the library, including:
•Rigs: 25 Studio Lighting Rigs, Rigs showing Composites, and the new Reflection Filter.
•Lights: Colored Lights, Composite Light Examples, Infinite Scrim Light Examples, Additional Window Gobos.
•Content: Polygon Content.
•Element: Color Ramps - A range of color ramps with combinations of hues at each end of the ramp.
•Element: Colors - Color Palettes, including color temperature and Kelvin.
•Effects: New Effects Lights showcasing Blend modes in action.
Infinite Plane
Infinite Plane option has been added for 3D mapped lights.
This is designed to be used with a Scrim Light. It treats the 3D light surface as extending infinitely, so that the lighting effect from the light behind the scrim can fall off unrestricted by the actual size of the light. This allows a lighting design to be created without any worries of creating hard edges when the light reaches the edge of the panel. Just turn on this setting and scrim lights will extend beyond the light edges. Read more.
Light Handle
The position of the light handle can now be adjusted using a new LightPaint mode called Handle. You can drag in the Render Views or Canvas, and this slides the position of the handle around the light.
Double Click Gradient label text
Double-clicking the Gradient label text will reset the gradient to its default settings.
OCIO LUT Changes
In order to clean up the interface, the LUT drop-down has been removed from Presets, Canvas and Light Preview panels. The LUT applied to these views is the 'OCIO Default View' LUT set in the application Preferences panel.
When using HDR Light Studio with 3D software that supports streaming its render into the HDR Light Studio render view, the render view should know if a LUT has already been applied to the incoming image. This new Auto LUT setting means when using HDR Light Studio with Unreal, Rhino, Omniverse, and Octane Standalone, you will not need to set the OCIO to None to prevent the double application of LUTs on the render. Read more.
Open ColorIO, OpenImageIO, and Open EXR
We have updated to newer versions of:
Open ColorIO - From 2.0.2 to 2.3.0
OpenImageIO - From 2.2.19 to 2.4.15.0
Open EXR - From 3.1.3 to 3.2.0
Light Looks
A convenient right-click menu can be used in the Light Looks panel, providing the Light Look button features on hand.
Start-up time
A convenient right-click menu can be used in the Light Looks panel, providing the Light Look button features on hand.
Plug-in Connection Updates
Most plug-ins have been updated to be compatible with changes made in HDR Light Studio 8.2. Please update your plug-in to the latest version to use with 8.2.
Cinema 4D
Updated plug-in to support Cinema 4D 2024.3 (that had a breaking change).
Native Cinema 4D renderer support reinstated and now supported again.
Crash bug fixed when LightPainting on subdivision objects in C4D render in HDRLS interface.
Redshift cameras are now being listed in HDR Light Studio's render view.
HDR Light Studio - Bug Fixes
•Cinema 4D / Arnold - Area Light visibility now working correctly
•Cinema 4D / Maxwell - Removed Maxwell render support
•MODO - Fixed an error when making Area Lights in MODO 16.1 and above
•3ds Max / Octane & Corona - Area lights were broken with Octane/Corona due to returning false for area light spread call
•3ds Max / Maxwell & Art - Maxwell & Art renderer support removed from 3ds Max
•Fixed a crash bug when changing between planar and spherical motion blur settings
•Spherical mapped images are now optimized and is quicker at handling large HDRI maps
•Light Preview - the whole panel area is not longer taking mouse clicks, prior to this it was easy to accidentally move the light handle by accident
•Rim LightPaint method with area lights now works correctly
•Fix production render hang when using multiple area lights in the project
•Correctly initialize area lights with solo and on/off states created from rig presets.
•Fixed a bug where red preset thumbnails were being generated.
•Composite light is now honoring Display Ratio correctly.
