Wow time flies.  It was just back in October when we shipped 2011.5 and already we are announcing Softimage 2012.  It should only be a few more weeks until we actually ship this too.

Until then here are a few videos made by Chinny and a big list of the features in the release.

Updating the modeling tools has been a pretty common request in the last couple of years.  So rather than Softimage building a few new ones, we built the architecture for others to do it in ICE instead.  This means while we can build new modeling tools using ICE, so can the community without waiting for us.  ICE modeling can be fully procedural, including the ability to create topology from basically nothing... which was not possible before.

Also, for you TDs out there check out what's new in the SDK.  Really sweet stuff like being able to create your own custom manipulators, the OnCommand event and being able to create an undo complex.

Anyway here is the eye candy - enjoy!

ICE Modeling - Basics

ICE Modeling - Copy and Merge

ICE Modeling - Strands

ICE Modeling - Track Bulding

ICE Modeling - Fracturing

ICE Modeling - Primitives

Syflex on ICE

ICE Subframe Sampling

Everyday Workflow Improvements

UV Pinning, Relaxing and Regularize

Vector Displacement Maps

 A list of the features in bullet form:  

General

Scene Layer Manager - changes and highlights

• Child layer now supported (can now parent in the Explorer as well)
• Ability to create layers as children (or as separate layer)
• New icon to quickly create a new layer

File Menu -Recent Scenes now respects non-project paths

• A file D&D from say C:Temp will now show C:Temp in the recent scenes menu (instaed of the current project)

 Explorer

• Scene Layers can now be parented

Schematic

• Expression in Resolution Plane of Chain now supported
• New indicator for CustomOP and ScriptedOP
• New Hotkey options for commands
• Maya interaction mode can use "P" key and drag to parent

Texturing

Texture Editor

• New ability to "Pin" the selection in the texture editor for use with texture editor operators.
  • The pinned selection will not move when applying texture editor operators or commands
• New icon to allow selection the pinned components
• New Relax operator by Polygonal Design
• New Regularize operator by Polygonal Design

Animation

Play Control

•   New 'Stop' icon in the Play Control
•   For heavy scene this will not speed up exiting the evaluation - but it will stop any toggling of the play button

Consistent FCurve Editor

•   Common Icons across Softimage, Maya, 3ds Max, MotionBuilder
•   Isolate Selection
•   Suites mode and Classic Mode

ICE

ICE modeling

Cloth

• Syflex Cloth now uses ICE
• The Syflex legacy toolbar remains for backwards compatitibilty

SubFrame Sampling

• When creating new simulations a new "Simulation Settings" property is created. Used for more accurate collisions and fast moving emitters.

New compounds

• Tool>String
  • String to Array
• Tool>Conversion
  
  • Reference to String
• Task>Particles>Strands
  • Create Strand from Curves
• Tool>Array
  • Build Array from Set
• Tool>Vector>Math
  • Get Plane
• Tool>Topology
  • Add Edge
  • Add Polygon
  • Add Vertex
  • Collapse Edge
  • Create Topo
  • Delete Polygon
  • Delete Vertex
  • Disconnect Component
  • Extrude Polygon Island
  • Invert Polygon
  • Merge Vertices
  • Merge Polygon ISland
  • Merge Topo Array
  • Merge Topo
  • Primitive Mesh
  • Slice Polygon
  • Split Edge
  • Subdivide Locally
  • Transform Topo
  • Triangulate Polygons
  • Get Topology
  • Set Topology
• Task>Topology>Conditionals
  • Test Edge Index
  • Test Index is Valid
  • Test Polygon Index
  • Test Polynode Index
  • Test Vertex Index
• Task>Topology>Copy and Merge
  • Clone Polygon Mesh
  • Copy Edge Data From Source
  • Copy Material Attributes
  • Copy Polygon Data from Source
  • Copy Polynode Data from Source
  • Copy Texture Projection from Source
  • Copy Vertex Data from Source
  • Create Copies from Polygon Mesh
  • Merge Edge Data
  • Merge Material ID
  • Merge Polygon Data
  • Merge Polygon Meshes
  • Merge Polynode Data
  • Merge Texture Projections
  • Merge Vertex Data
  • Random Material ID per Copy
  • Transform per Copy
• Task>Topology>Generators
  • Create Extrusion Along Strands
• Task>Topology>Getters
  • Get Closest Edge Index from Null
  • Get Copy Nodes
  • Get Edge Index
  • Get Edge Index from Test
  • Get Edge is on Edge Loop
  • Get Edge Loop
  • Get Invalid Index
  • Get Material ID
  • Get Materials
  • Get Polygon Index
  • Get Polygon Index from Test
  • Get Polygon is on Edge Loop
  • Get Polynode Index
  • Get Polynode Index from Test
  • Get Vertex Index
  • Get Vertex Index from Test
  • Get Vertex is on Edge Loop
  • Get Vertices Index from Edge
• Task>Topology>Setters
  • Set Material ID
  • Set Material ID from Cluster
  • Set Material ID from Libray
  • Set Materials from Strings
  • Set Texture Projection Camera
  • Set Texture Projection Planar
  • Set Texture Projection Spatial
  • Set Vertex Position on Edge Loop
• Task>Topology>Modifiers
  • Apply Collapse Edge
  • Apply Delete Polygon
  • Apply Delete Vertex
  • Apply Disconnect Component
  • Apply Extrude Polygon Along Axis
  • Apply Invert Polygon
  • Apply Merge Polygon
  • Apply Merge Vertices
  • Apply Slice Polymesh
  • Apply Split Edge
  • Apply Subdivide Locally
  • Apply Triangulate Polygon
• Task>Topology>Shattering
  • Build Slice Planes
  • Create Basic Shatter from Point Cloud
  • Set Data from Chunk
• Tool>Syflex>Simul
  • syflexISimul
• Tool>Syflex>Force
  • syflexIGravity
  • syflexIDamp
  • syflexIDampAir
  • syflexIWind
  • syflexIVolume
  • syflexISpring
  • syflexISpringGeo
  • syflexISpringBorder
• Tool>Syflex>Collision
  • syflexICollideSphere
  • syflexICollidePlane
  • syflexICollideCapsule
  • syflexICollideMesh
  • syflexICollideSelf
• Tool>Syflex>Constraint
  • syflexINail
  • syflexIPin
  • syflexIMimic
• Task>Syflex>Basic
  • Syflex Cloth
  • Syflex Curve
• Task>Syflex>Collisions
  • Syflex Collide Capsule
  • Syflex Collide Mesh
  • Syflex Collide Plane
  • Syflex Collide Self
  • Syflex Collide Sphere
• Task>Syflex>Constraints
  • Syflex Mimic
  • Syflex Mimic Null
  • Syflex Nail
  • Syflex Nail Null
  • Syflex Pin
  • Syflex Pin Null
• Task>Syflex>Forces
  • Syflex Cloth Springs
  • Syflex Curve Springs
  • Syflex Damp
  • Syflex Damp Air
  • Syflex Gravity
  • Syflex Spring 2pt
  • Syflex Volume
  • Syflex Wind
  • Syflex Zipper

SDK

Just a HUGE update to the SDK - especially the Interactive Tool SDK

• PPGLayout.SetViewSize , SetViewPosition, ViewSize, GetViewPosition New API for OM and C++
• Allows setting and getting the size of a Modal Property Inspector
• New Image Clip Control to PPGLayout (siControlImageClip)
  • A control that shows an Image Clip. A string parameter sets the Image Clip full name. Supported attribute is siUIShowClip Set to True to show the thumbnail of the Image Clip control. The control toolbar is always displayed, regardless of this attribute value. For example, see PSetUIDemo in the SDK Workgroup
• Static Bitmap control (siControlBitmap)
  • siUIFilePath to set the bitmap to show. For example, see PSetUIDemo in the SDK Workgroup
• CreateView now displays name in titlebar of created view
• siBegin/EndFileExport and siBegin/EndFileImport events now support Action and Shape actions.
• RenderAbort Event
• Added OM shortcuts to siutils.py for python (see Docs)
• New commands
  • FBXGetPluginVersion
  • FBXGetSDKVersion
  • CreateLayerGroup
• New C++/OM API for manipulating schematic view and schematic nodes.
• New example added to the sdk workgroup: SchematicDemo
• New Anchor points (View, View Context, Node Context)
• Menu anchor points for the scene layer manager
• Get/PutChecked methods to MenuItem object to support checkmarks
• An C++/OM API for UV elements pinning
• New Events
  • siOnBeginCommand: Fired when a command is about to be executed. The event can be used to abort the command execution, modify the command argument values or launch other commands.
  • siOnEndCommand: Fired when a command has been executed. The event can be used to access the command return value or output argument values. Contrary to other event types, this event is always fired when the current command has been aborted by a previous event.
  • Added ActionSource support (siFileTypeAction) to siOnBeginFileImport/siOnEndFileImport events.
• Application.OpenUndo: Open undo complex.
• Application.EndUndo: Close undo complex.
• Application.IsUndoing: Returns true if some command is undoing or redoing.

Interactive Tool SDK

• C++ API for building plugin tools that can be used in 3D views
• plugin tool examples in examples workgroup
• Tool Wizard in the Plugin Manager
• New Math classes CLine and CPlane (used by the Tool SDK)

Data Management

Reference models and Delta

• Dynamic Custom Operators are now supported by Delta
• Hair on objects (ApplyHairOp) now supported inside RefModels.
• Align Root to First Bone and Move Joint now supported for update of ref model
• Link Deform With Orientation now supported on an object inside a ref model.
• Texture projection of material is now supported by Delta

Caching

• Button to dump icecache header and attributes description in xml format.
• Option to reset all transform before applying caches to objects (useful when cache in global space)
• Cache ICE sub sampling attribute (scale with the same factor when load into the mixer)

Rendering

Render Tree

• Shader Compound versioning now supported in the context menu

Mental Ray 3.9

• Unified Sampling is an alternative method for aliasing

ICE Attributes on Meshes

• Get ICE Attribute Shaders are now supporting meshes for the polygon/point/sample contexts.
• Texture/CAVs/WeightMap lookup shaders can use ICE attributes directly.
• User Normals
• User Motions : Gives artistic control over the render motion vectors.

Vector Displacement Maps

• VDMs can represent directional displacements that do not simply follow the polygon normal
• Support for render VDMs in mental ray
• New Vector Displacement Map shader node

Crosswalk

FBX

• Stereo camera I/O
• Importing of Vector Displacement Maps from Mudbox
• Port to FBXSDK 2012
• Add "Import Fbx..." under "File->import" menu and "Export Fbx..." under "File->export" menu
• Scripting commands to create the import/export options
• Import .3ds, *.dxf, *obj, *.dae formats
• Ability to select target .fbx version (2010 (Motion Builder compatible), 2011, 2012)
• multi UV in the FBX Importer/Exporter.
• Support importing CgFX materials
• Support for neutral poses
• Support for user normals
• FBX One-Click Mudbox
  • Materials : phong, lambert and blinn are supported.
  • Textures : normal, displacement, vector displacement map, ambient, specular, shiny, incandescence, bump, reflectivity and diffuse are supported

Suites and Interop

• A new Suites mode for the FCurve Editor
• Single Step interop for Mudbox
• Single Step interop for 3ds Max
• Single Step interop for Maya - Updated
  • You can now start in Softimage

Documetation

• Moving to Web-based help