So is R12 upgrade from 11.5 worth it?

[Adam Trachtenberg]

As is always the case with big programs like Cinema, whether the upgrade is worth it depends a lot on how you use the program. Generally speaking there are some great improvements in R12 for mographers (new dynamics, L-system), character animators (new morph system, camera deformer, cage deformer, dual transforms), and for those who do architectural work (linear workflow, IES lights, real units, floating point precision). If you’re into coding/scripting, the new Python support is huge.

And of course that’s not exclusive. For example, linear workflow can improve all renders, the new deformers and morphs can be useful for mograph folks, etc., etc.

OpenGL performance is also much improved, and there’s a very handy render queue.

The other thing to consider is your overall upgrade strategy. With Maxon you generally don’t save much by skipping upgrades because it’ll just cost you more the next time around. So you’ll end up paying about the same amount of money, but if you skip the upgrade you’ll miss out on the new features until the next update rolls around.

[Alan Lacey]

Then there’s always the potential for plugins not to work!

Alan

FlashXDR,XDcamHD,XDcamEX,D9 etc
FCS,AE,Combustion,LiquidSilver,Vegas,Edius,
G5,MBP,Vista64,XP

[Brian Jones]

…and they definitely will not (C plugins) until they are updated by the developer

[Adam Trachtenberg]

True, almost all plugins need to be recompiled. Many of them have been already, but certainly not all.

[Rob Ainscough]

Thanks for the input all.

Have not invested in plugs-ins yet so not too concerned about that. I primarily do engineering type work (engines, suspension, transmissions) with some limited animation.

I heard one of the “new” features is more accurate real world engineering dimensions with higher accuracy, is this correct?

Thanks, Rob.

[Adam Trachtenberg]

“I heard one of the “new” features is more accurate real world engineering dimensions with higher accuracy, is this correct?”

That’s true. In R12 Maxon has gone to double precision for more accuracy, and real-world units where dimensions are stored internally and converted between files.

[Rob Ainscough]

That’s HUGE improvement for the type of work I do. Ok, looks like time to upgrade.