I have used Red Giant Universe for years and think their whole suite is a must have. I use them literally on every project. I still wish Maxon still allowed you to have an installation on Laptop and Desktop, and even worse the Application Manager now signs out at least once a week, leaving renders with X’s in Premiere all the time. Honestly it was better when owned by Red Giant alone, but I still use the plug-ins all the time.
Maxon has updated most of it’s apps, Cinema 4D to 25, Redshift, Trapcode to 17, he VFX Suite to 2 and included new plug-in Bang!, Magic Bullet to 15 and Universe to 5.
Trapcode 17 is updated.
Features the long-requested ability to work with Particular and Form in the same 3D space by bringing Form behaviors to Particular. The release also sees upgrades to the Flocking simulation with the addition of On Predator/Prey Contact and Team designations as well as improvements to system organizational capabilities in the Designer. Form also includes many quality-of-life updates and all Trapcode tools now support Adobe’s multi-frame rendering.
Includes the newly acquired Bang plugin, a fully procedural 3D muzzle flare generator that enables the quick and easy addition of muzzle flashes to your footage. Bang gives full creative control over the look of muzzle flares, including position, shape, color, decay and duration. Recent enhancements include more realistic Glows, Heat Blurs and Age Control refinements. VFX 2 also introduces compatibility with Apple’s Metal Graphics API for Primatte Keyer for optimal performance on supported systems.
Incorporates compatibility and optimization for Apple Silicon-powered Macs, as well as support for Multi-Frame Rendering (MFR) in Adobe After Effects. In addition, Cosmo, Mojo, Film, Renoiser now take advantage of Apple’s Metal Graphics API for optimal GPU performance on Mac.
Both Magic Bullet and Universe 5
now support Multi-Frame Rendering (MFR) in Adobe After Effects. *Denoiser has not been updated in this release.
The most intuitive 3D application interface just got even better with a new modern skin, user interface enhancements and an expansive preset system for optimizing your workflow. All-new Spline Import options allow users to easily use Illustrator, PDF and SVG vector artwork in their 3D scenes. Capsules allow anyone to tap into the power and flexibility of Cinema 4D’s Scene Node system, with plug-in-like features directly in the Classic Object Manager. And the New Spline and Data Integration functionality can be used to build powerful Capsule Assets.
A new rendering mode that provides near real-time rendering performance while using the same shaders, lights, and efficiently co-existing with the standard Redshift render engine in the same DCC and scene. Perfect for artists to use during the development process of a project or even final render if the project does not need the same amount of fidelity as standard Redshift.
II have been using Red Giant for years, still hate that you only get 1 install vs 2 you had before Maxon bought them, but there suite is still something I use almost every day.
Maxon has updated Universe (formerly Red Giant Universe) to 4.0. Universe is a set of Transition and effects plugs ins for editors and motion graphics artists, and is red giants fast rendering transitions.
The suite has 3 new plug ins, Electrify to add electrical effects, Analog to add the look of Analog video, and Texturize Motion which adds animated textures to your footage for a sketchy stop motion look. They have also included 100+ presets for the new effects and 140 new presets for Array Gun and Typographic.
Universe is available as a subscription for $199 a year, or as part of Red Giant Complete for $599.99 annually or Maxon one with all their products for $1199 a year or you can pay a monthly for $30, $79 or $149.
Personally I have used the Red Giant plug ins for many many years, and they have many of my go to effects. They are also fast and work across editing software for the most part. It is a big expense every year, but I find it very worth it for the suite of tools. And honestly if I could afford it would love to add Cinema 4D to the mix.
Red Giant has updated Universe to 1.3!
The Premium effects seem awesome, especially fixing gopro and the the very cool lookin VHS effect.
Red Giant has updated it’s new realtime effects plug in system Universe to 1.2 with 3 new free effects and 6 new Pro effects, as well as Native Style Effects. You can get Universe from Red Giant for free, or with a subscription for Premium, or a lifetime payout.
Check out the new features and plugs in in the video here.
What's new in Universe 1.2 from Red Giant on Vimeo.
I have been very impressed with Universe so far. And am looking forward to trying out the free Exposure Blur Effect as a transition in After Effects. And CrumblePop Half Light for the Pro section, which has light leak effects.
Red Giant has updated Universe to 1.1 with 3 new Free and 6 New Premium Effects. And 3 updated Effects.
What's New in Red Giant Universe 1.1 from Red Giant on Vimeo.
Very cool. Lets hope they keep pouring out updates this quickly. The great thing about the subscription model is if they keep getting in money they can keep updating.
Red Giant has released version 1.0 of it’s new GPU accelerated Universe Plug ins. These include 31 free GPU accelerated plugs ins and currently 19 Pro plug ins that can be had for $10 a month, $99 a year or $399 for a lifetime subscription. And they promise dozens of new tools in 2014 alone. Already these protools include a version of Knoll Light Factory, Toonit and Holomatrix.
I love Red Giant’s stuff, so this is a great thing. Not sure about all these subscriptions though. So far the small businesses I work with have been very averse to a monthly fee, but the free plug ins are great to have.