Rizom-Lab releases RizomUV 2024.0
Rizom-Lab has released RizomUV 2024.0, a significant new version of its UV unwrapping and packing software for game development, VFX and motion graphics.
The update overhauls RizomUV’s interface, streamlining workflow and supporting UI scaling on HDPI displays, and adds a new toolset for creating trimsheets for games.
Since we last wrote about RizomUV, Rizom-Lab has also introduced USD support and a Connector for NVIDIA’s Omniverse platform in the Windows edition of the software.
A standalone UV unwrapping tool for entertainment or product design
Available under its current branding since 2018, RizomUV is a standalone tool for UV unwrapping 3D models and packing the resulting UV islands.
It comes in two editions: RizomUV Virtual Spaces (VS) and RizomUV Real Space (RS).
Both have similar features, but whereas VS is designed for games and VFX, RS is designed for product design, and works in unnormalised UV space.
RizomUV 2024.1: new tools for creating trimsheets
Key changes in RizomUV 2024.0 include a new toolset for creating trimsheets for games, including both standard and hybrid trimsheets.
With it, users can create trim layouts inside RizomUV or import them from other software, and associate the UV islands from a model with those layouts.
UV islands can be placed within the layout manually, or via an automatic ‘hotspotting’ system, which places them according to area, shape, aspect ratio or user-created tags.
Layouts can be imported or exported as either vector or bitmap color images, in SVG, PNG, BMP or TGA formats, and in square and non-square aspect ratios.
Major UI overhaul frees up screen space and supports HDPI displays
The release also features a major overhaul RizomUv’s user interface, decluttering the UI and freeing up screen space for the UV layout being created.
Many tools have been moved into resizeable tabbed panels, while a viewport contextual menu provides quick access to common operations.
The UI also now scales properly on HDPI displays, with a new UI scaling and zoom setting and support for variable DPI on all operating systems.
Other new tools and workflow updates
In addition, the Auto Seams tool has been “refined” and can read face or vertex normals.
UV packing workflow has also been updated, introducing support for density maps to control island sizing, and “more understandable” scale settings.
The update also introduces new options for managing groups and stacks of UV islands, particularly for transformations.
RizomUVLink, Rizom-Lab’s open-source Python module for controlling the standalone software from within a DCC application, is now available for Python 3.11 and 3.12.
There are a lot of smaller feature and workflow improvements, listed in the changelog.
Also new since RizomUV 2022.1: USD support and an Omniverse Connector
The last time we covered RizomUV on CG Channel was for RizomUV 2022.1, the last release that Rizom-Lab actively promoted on its website and YouTube channel.
However, there have been intervening updates, with RizomUV 2023.0 adding USD support, and a Connector to Omniverse, NVIDA’s USD-based collaboration platform.
Both are supported on Windows only.
Other changes include a new Auto-Unfold mode in the Magic Wand polygon selection tool, the option to repeat the last one or two actions, and to select non-manifold primitves: again, you can find a fuller list in the online changelog.
Pricing and system requirements
RizomUV 2024.0 VS and RS are compatible with Windows 10+, macOS 11.0+ and Linux. There are current integration plugins for 3ds Max, Blender and Modo.
Licensing varies between Indie users – artists and companies earning under €100,000/year – and Pro users.
Indie users get the option to rent to own or buy a perpetual licence; Pro users get a rental-only model.
Indie licences of both types are node-locked to two computers, while Pro users can also rent floating licenses.
For RizomUV VS, a perpetual license costs €149.90 (around $160) and rent-to-own costs €14.90/month ($16/month). Pro licenses cost €34.90/month ($37/month).
For RizomUV RS, a perpetual license costs €299.00 (around $320) and rent-to-own costs €29.90/month ($32/month). Pro licenses cost €59.90/month ($64/month).
Read an overview of the new features in RizomUV 2024.0 on Rizom-Lab’s website
Read a full list of new features in RizomUV in the online changelog
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