Softimage recently announced at SIGGRAPH the next update to its 3D animation tool SOFTIMAGE|XSI 6.5. The new application will come again in two editions, Essentials and Advance. Both applications will come with more than 30 new features and enhancements that include a new tool for High Dynamic Range, rendermap support, new SDK API, UV editing enhancements, and audio support enhancements.

The Essential edition will also feature Hair & Fur XSI tool and Syflex Cloth simulation - an engine that it supposed to be incredibly fast for creating cloth and flesh effects. The Advance edition will be packed with all the features of Essential and some additional tools such as a new framework for simulating crowd behaviour and five extra licenses for batch rendering. Both editions are expected to be released this autumn. Visit Softimage’s official website for more details.