Maxon One 2025 updates Cinema 4D, Redshift, Red Giant and Cineware, and releases ZBrush for iPad, putting ZBrush sculpting tools into a mobile device with a new UI and touch controls.
Maxon One 2025 includes updates and improvements to Cinema 4D, Redshift, Red Giant and Cineware, with new Capsule assets. The biggest news is about ZBrush for iPad, now ready for release with a new user interface, touch-based controls and nearly the same power and functionality of ZBrush for desktop. New users are expected to find that the touch controls make digital sculpting easier to learn than working with a mouse.
But, the main impact of ZBrush for iPad is the ability to use the software’s sculpting and painting tools and brush system on a mobile device with pen- and touch-based interaction. Expanding on the desktop version’s QuickMenu, the new UI is also highly customisable – users can make all tools easier to use by re-arranging them on the device, and customising the Apple Pencil double tap or Pencil Pro squeeze to complete an action, like framing a mesh in the document or turning on PolyGroup.
Particles follow spline
As well as retaining many of the same tools, features and digital sculpting brushes found in the ZBrush desktop version, reducing polygon counts has not been necessary – this factor will depend on the iPad memory and version. The latest M4 iPad with at least 1TB of storage, for example, can reach up to 92 million polygons per mesh. ZBrush for iPad runs on iPadOS 17 or later, and can be installed on iPad models with A12 Bionic or later.
Included with ZBrush and Maxon One subscriptions, or available as a stand-alone subscription, ZBrush for iPad includes over 200 of ZBrush’s digital sculpting brushes and the ability to load the thousands of custom brushes that users have created.
For artists who want to try ZBrush for iPad, a free plan is available with 28 of the most commonly used brushes and limited features for tools like Dynamesh, SculptrisPro, ZSpheres and ZRemesher. Users can then upgrade to the paid-for version at any time to gain access to the full set of 200 brushes and all features.
ZBrush for iPad Functionality
Among the most useful features in ZBrush for iPad are those affecting meshes. ZRemesher generates a new mesh with an even distribution of polygons, preserving essential details and flow of the original surface. DynaMesh retopologises while sculpting, giving the ability to stretch digital clay or add volume while keeping the original capacity for detail. Array Mesh makes it possible to create duplicate instances of geometry in varying patterns and shapes in real time.
Sculptris Pro increases and reduces triangle tessellation with each brush stroke, allowing users focus on sculpting without checking technical restraints. The Dynamics system adds sculpting options by allowing any surface to be draped over another surface, and Live Boolean gives the ability to combine, subtract and/or use intersections to achieve a distinctive result. With a new option to paint and sculpt at the same time, PolyPaint users can paint on the surface of a model without first assigning a texture map.
ZBrush and Maxon One subscribers can directly share ZTool (ZTL) and ZProject (ZPR) files between iPad and desktop, and use GoZ to move files between versions with one click.
Motion Graphics, Rendering, Colour, Textures
Every subscription of Cinema 4D now includes access to Redshift GPU when subscribers renew, and can take advantage of the tight integration of Redshift into Cinema 4D.
Cinema 4D 2025 has new options for quickly art-directing simulation and particle effects. Motion graphics effects include the new Follow Spline modifier, for instance, which flows particles along a vector shape such as a logo or decorative curve, and the ability to apply weights and forces to objects in rigid body simulations. Pyro includes more options to dial in a specific look.
A new Field Driver tag assists when adding procedural animations to objects, and an Object Profiling Manager optimises viewport performance. Better OCIO colour management supports consistent colour. Wider exchange format support makes it easier to export instances and skeletal animations to USD and work with presets stored in Substance 3D materials.
Updates to Redshift 2025 make it possible to render both photorealistic and non-photorealistic results using almost any available GPU or CPU. Toon rendering has been expanded with a global contour option – users can apply line drawing to an entire scene, while at the same time defining the look of toon lines and shading more precisely with contour tone mapping and custom tone map patterns. With Brute Force caustics, artists can set up beautiful, realistic patterns of light passing through glass, gems, water and other transparent surfaces.
Redshift 2025 includes an option to use procedural shaders as the input for Sprites, and a new Volume Depth AOV pass to help when compositing clouds, smoke and explosions.
Brute force caustics
As mentioned, every Cinema 4D subscription now includes access to Redshift GPU rendering. The Cinema 4D-Redshift integration has been tightened through the inclusion of native Redshift Cameras inside Cinema 4D’s Crane, Morph and Motion cameras. Users also have presets for rendering Substance 3D materials with Redshift, and better options for adjusting the size, rotation and colour space of the materials.
Red Giant 2025 plugins have gained new capabilities in After Effects applying to Geo, UI improvements to Particular Designer, and Parametric Curve, a new tool for handling colour and HDR video.
Geo, Red Giant’s tool for texturing and repeating 3D geometry in After Effects, now supports rigged animation and has built-in depth of field. Expanded cloner features like multiple materials and objects, plus several new formation controls, now take over some of the detailed manual work needed for array-based shots.
In Particular Designer, the preset search and navigation features are optimised, minimising the need to spend time on managing tools.
The Parametric Curve tool is new and comes with a comprehensive workflow for handling colour and HDR video, creating options to manipulate footage with an HDR curve. This gives users nuanced controls through a bézier curves effect that processes the image with an HDR curve LUT and at the same time overlays the curve on the image.
More Tools
Cineware is Maxon’s plugin for establishing integrations between Cinema 4D and other applications. Cineware 2025’s integrations are more extensive and include performance improvements. Transferring materials between Cinema 4D and Unreal Engine, for example, is simpler – when using Datasmith Direct Link for Unreal, saving files to disk when transferring is unnecessary. Integrations into other host applications like Adobe After Effects and Unreal have also been improved.
Cineware 2025
The Maxon Capsules library of assets, used as project starting points, has continued to grow. A collection of Aixterior Scanned Outdoor Materials such as rock, sand, lava and grass, plus a huge collection of photorealistic plants from Laubwerk, are available to help artists create landscapes. A number of new wood, tile and asphalt shingle material assets for use with Redshift from Fuchs & Vogel has also been added.
The Maxon App now allows fast user switching, allowing artists to switch license activations quickly when working on multiple computers, and aims to make project workflows more flexible and efficient. This facility allows artists to continue using their company’s Maxon license at home to finish a work project on their own computer, without having to manage licenses via the MyMaxon portal. www.maxon.net
