ATI integrates ASHLI into Maya 7

LOS ANGELES: ATI Technologies Inc. has announced that its ASHLI real-time interactive shading technology has been integrated into Maya 7, the latest version of Alias' 3D animation, modelling, rendering and visual effects software.

The company said in a statement here that in the past, content creators have relied on software rendering to produce photo-realistic images representing the final render. With hardware accelerated shading, users can now manipulate these shaders interactively, allowing them to preview and make changes on the fly, ultimately saving time and increasing productivity.

"One of Maya's key areas of focus is workflow, so artists' creativity can take hold and drive the project. With real-time previews of shaders, users in game development, film, video or broadcast have a new flexibility in how they create images," said Shai Hinitz, senior product manager for Alias MotionBuilder, mental ray for Maya, and Maya.

"By incorporating ASHLI technology as a plug-in directly in the software, Maya users can seamlessly incorporate advanced hardware accelerated shaders for improved rendering interactivity."

The new ASHLI plug-in is included on Windows and Linux versions of Maya 7 software.

ASHLI technology has also been implemented in Autodesk 3dsmax 7 and later, enabling users to experience real-time shaders directly in the 3dsmax viewport. By employing HLSL (High Level Shading Language) 3D artists will be able to render very complex and shader-rich environments in real time, leveraging the power of today's graphics accelerators.