The new features in OctaneRender 2023.1 include five new "analytic primitives" that allow for quickly approximating direct light from large direct light sources on diffuse or glossy materials. These primitives consist of directional light as well as disk, square, spherical, and cylindrical lights. According to the description, they are "similar to mesh lights" but generate little noise at low sampling values.
The update also introduces support for correction layers in a composite texture, allowing precise parameter adjustments at a specific point in the layer stack. Layers can be grouped into isolated or non-isolated groups that generate output data using a transparent background and the current state of the texture stack, respectively. The AOV (Arbitrary Output Variables) nodes have been reworked to make them layer-based.
Other changes include the ability to add post-processing effects like fog, depth of field, lens flares, and chromatic aberration to renders, reducing calculation time due to the high accuracy. The update also introduces time-based animation transforms designed to merge two or more animated files, and it improves shader output with rounded edges on large faces.
The release doesn't include the more significant features announced last year for the Octane 2023 release cycle, which included neural rendering, meshlet streaming, and the long-awaited integration of the Brigade spectral rendering core.
Developers have mentioned that the next release will now be OctaneRender 2024.1, not OctaneRender 2023.2. However, they assure that a "test release" will "definitely happen this year." This release will include at least one feature from the list, which is cross-platform network rendering, restoring network rendering to Octane X, the macOS version, and allowing users to pool computers from any operating system as rendering nodes in one network.
Octane Render 2023.1 is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. The Windows and Linux versions are compatible with 64-bit Windows 7 and later and Linux systems, requiring an Nvidia GPU with CUDA 10 support. The macOS version, Octane X, is compatible with macOS 10.15.6 to macOS 12 on Mac computers with AMD GPUs or macOS 13 and later on Mac computers with Apple M1/M2 GPUs. The software can now be obtained through a subscription, specifically the Otoy Studio +, which costs 23.95 euros per month and includes plugins for integrating with 21 DCC applications, along with several third-party programs.
Otoy also provides free "simple" versions of OctaneRender and Octane X, which have limitations such as rendering on a single GPU and come with a reduced set of DCC integration plugins.